Small business growth: strategic goals and owner preparedness

摘要

Small business growth strategies proposed by advisors, and policies to encourage growth, are destined to fail if small business owners (SBOs) are not prepared or willing to grow their firm. The challenge is, therefore, to first identify the SBOs who are strategically prepared to grow their business. Consequently, this paper establishes a strategy identification matrix intended to support that process. The matrix was developed from a study which identified SBOs preparedness to grow their business and their self-perceptions of success. The matrix has some similarity with the earlier work conducted by Miles and Snow (1978), but it is reformulated through empirical data to fit the realities of the small business environment, where growth is not always the SBOs desired outcome.