One of my go-to workouts is the Turkish Getup (TGU). While working out recently, I realized how similar it is to a business trying to grow. 

First some background: The TGU is an exercise that is believed to have originated with Turkish wrestlers somewhere back in the mists of history. It eventually became a standard exercise and test for both athletes and the military.  

Russians discovered the simple, brutal effectiveness of the TGU. They began incorporating it into their training routines. It soon became linked to a uniquely Russian exercise tool – the kettlebell. When the kettlebell was introduced to the Western world, the TGU came with it.  

Because I know you were wondering (and because it is directly relevant to my point), to do the Turkish Getup you begin by lying flat on your back. With one arm you press a weight up. While holding your arm straight up, you’ll sit up, then transition to a lunge, then stand up. The whole time, you hold the weight directly up. Once standing, reverse directions until you are lying back down. Then switch arms and do it again.  

The TGU is very technical. The trick is to quickly move through transition movements to a ‘platform’ position. Each ‘platform’ position is where the weight is being directly supported by your skeleton. Each shift in position is consecutive restructuring of your skeletal platform to allow the weight to be supported by your skeleton instead of your muscles. The goal is to transition smoothly through the platforms, building your support structure as you go.  

It is easy to cheat and use bad form when using a lightweight. But a heavyweight forces you to be honest. If things fall out of alignment, or you don’t have platforms built, you have a high risk of losing control of the weight.  

And with a big weight overhead, losing control can get exciting. 

How to grow and expand without losing control

When companies grow, there is a tendency to jump into transitions but underestimate the need to build the next platform. When companies are smaller, sometimes it is possible to ‘cheat.’ You can ‘muscle’ your way through growth.

But as your business grows in size, it becomes more difficult to cheat. To stay in control, you have to either limit growth or you must learn to build platforms.  

Nine platforms needed for growth:

1. Build Your Management and Key Technical Team: Anticipate the management and key technical staff you will need to succeed in your next stage of growth. In today’s market, you can’t expect to hire just in time. You need to build your future team so that they are ready by the time you need them. Inadequate staffing in terms of leadership, management, and key technical roles is possibly the single largest bottleneck for growth.  
2. Strategic Focus: During rapid growth, it’s easy for a company to get distracted by numerous opportunities. This is especially true when companies hit tipping points and build momentum. Maintaining a clear strategic focus and aligning all efforts with the company’s long-term goals is critical.
3. Culture and Values: Preserving the company’s culture and core values is essential as the organization grows. This requires clear communication, reinforced values through leadership, clarifying the expected behaviors associated with the values, and ongoing engagement with all employees.
4. Cash Flow Management: Rapid growth can lead to significant cash flow challenges. Conservative cash flow projections help. Additionally, you need robust financial management to ensure they have the funds to cover operational costs, expansion, and unexpected expenses.
5. Maintain Quality and Consistency: As operations expand, it’s crucial to maintain the quality of products or services. This involves rigorous quality control systems and ensuring that all parts of the business adhere to established standards.
6. Infrastructure and Technology: Growth often stresses existing infrastructure and technology. Companies need to invest in scalable solutions that can handle increased operational demands and data volumes without compromising performance or security. If your solutions aren’t scalable, then you need to be prepared for the transition to new systems.  
7. Supply Chain Management: As production volumes increase, the logistics of supply chain management become more complex. Companies need to ensure they have reliable suppliers and efficient logistics to handle increased demand and mitigate risks of disruption.
8. Customer Service: With growth, maintaining high levels of customer service can become challenging. Scaling customer service operations and maintaining high customer satisfaction is crucial to sustaining growth. Don’t grow so fast that you stop serving your customers well.  
9. Compliance: As companies expand, especially into new jurisdictions or lines of business, they must comply with increased or different legal or regulatory demands. 

The simple way to do this

Every organization’s needs and situations are unique. I find it easiest to prepare if you identify the next stage of your growth. This is usually measured financially. But it may be measured by staffing, geographic presence, market share, etc.  

Then simply go through the list above and identify what you need to have in place for each ‘platform’ to be successful at the next level of growth. Build a plan for building those platforms so that they will be ready when you need them.  

Growth is exciting. I love working with growing companies. But the only way to do it sustainably is to actively build and fortify the platforms that support growth, like the structural integrity required in a Turkish Getup. Plan and prepare for these. Don’t wait until you start to feel your control slip. 

Take good care,

Christian  

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