Note to the reader: This is a repost from LinkedIn

Since my posting on growth garnered lots of positive feedback, here’s the second set of growth insights since I literally couldn’t fit all of them into one LinkedIn post… (As I said, I think too much about growth.)

This set is focused on the operational aspects of making growth work in organizations:

Growth Portfolio management

• Effective growth requires a balanced approach to resource allocation between “known” levers (which tend to be smaller but more reliable impact) versus “bets” (which tend to have higher growth potential)
• Examples of “known” levers could include optimizing existing acquisition channels, reducing churn, or optimizing an existing retention channel. “Bets” might include exploring new entry points, launching new products, or testing innovative growth strategies.
• Prioritize and fund proven growth levers before exploring unknown or experimental initiatives to ensure more predictable and reliable growth.
• Regularly review and adjust the growth portfolio based on performance and changing circumstances to stay ahead of the curve - invest in the ideas that work, drop ideas that don’t work quickly.

There is no silver bullet – you grow by getting many things right

• Sustained growth is the result of consistently executing well across multiple areas of the growth funnel.
• While there may be a few larger growth levers that can have a significant impact, focusing solely on these levers is not enough. Successful growth requires a holistic approach that addresses every stage of the funnel.
• Growth is a war of attrition, where you must systematically optimize and improve each piece of the growth funnel over time. This requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to experiment and iterate.
• Getting many things right requires a long-term perspective. Sustainable growth is not achieved overnight but through consistent effort and optimization over time.

Logistics wins growth

• “Infantry wins battles, logistics wins wars.” - John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War I
• “Logistics wins growth too.” - Yew Jin Lim
• In the context of growth, “logistics” refers to the data infrastructure, experimentation platforms, analytics, and even the organizational set up, including cross-functional collaborations.
• Growth is a team sport, and organizations need to break down silos and foster strong partnerships between teams such as product, engineering, data science, UX, and more.
• Does your organization track growth?
• Does it measure itself against growth?
• How does the team learn about progress towards growth? It’s not just the leads, it’s everyone on the team should be thinking and tracking towards what works, and what doesn’t.
• Are you involving cross-functional partners such as data science, program management, UX design, UX research, and others?

Share your experiences and insights in the comments below!

Remember, logistics wins growth!