At a time of world instability, with politicians and businesses still acting increasingly selfish, it is crucial to think of yourself as part of a global community. As an organization, we must ask ourselves: How do we want to grow? What kind of business do we want to be?

How Your Company Grows Makes All The Difference

Capitalism doesn’t need to be ditched for communism to be fair-minded; instead, a balance must be found. Let’s use an analogy to consider this point. A weed grows fast and light, covering huge areas quickly – its growth is exceptional. And yet, it remains light and shallow. It takes but does not give, drawing on the soil's nutrients but offering no fruit, no shade, no roosts. Things get so out of balance that ultimately, it drains the nutrients out of the whole system. This is also true of companies. When they grow rapidly the wrong way, there is nothing left to take, and in the end they collapse themselves and those who have come to rely on them.

When a business is less like a weed, and more like an oak tree, you can create sustainable growth by adopting higher business principles and still have the acorns. But to do this, you need to be at the top of your game and ready for a challenge. If you can get good roots into the ground and create a suitable ecosystem, you can grow larger, more sustainably, and gain depth. Rather than an invasive species that destroys, you create symbiosis, balance, and something with enduring value.

The oak continues to grow. Each year it adds another ring, more bark, and more density. It can be the same for an organization. Growth can be slow but constant, creating jobs and stability for its workforce. If a tree in a rainforest can support 150 different species, why can’t a business sustain its employees, clients, and partners? It could be the one thing standing tall in a desolate plain full of shrubs providing shade and offering support.

Do Not Discard Fundamental Business Principles

You have to make money; that’s a given. After all, like nature, business can be harsh and the environment unforgiving. You must ensure your survival, but like the wild, you should only take and give what you need – nothing more and nothing less! Giving too much can be as bad as taking too much – there is no balance. So, don’t overpay, or else there is no aspiration to grow and do better. But also don’t short-change people – they have to live, and you want to encourage them to give back.

There is no point driving around in a Ferrari if all your people are starving. It's morally questionable but also fails to make business sense. When people show up and give a damn about what they are doing, you should treat them well. You can still do the right thing while maximizing profits and keeping customer success at the forefront.

We’ve had to cut margins and reduce our overheads while committing to excellence for our clients and put their needs first. And we are starting to see the dividends. When you begin to lay deep roots, you see sustainable growth. Each root has the potential to create another, with new opportunities. We have seen good relationships in one company lead to new ones in another. People move, and good news travels to new environments and ecosystems. That virtuous cycle of treating others with respect and helping them out when needed doesn’t get forgotten.

We build solid relationships and put down strong foundations that can weather the next 10, 20, or 30 years. The foundation is going to blow away because it's deeply rooted and able to be strong for others while the world grows around us. And like the tree, a company’s success can make the world a better place.

Trust is like that. You grow it and give it until you are proven wrong. But once it's damaged, that relationship is broken and trust is lost. And it’s the same with the relationship with your team – it works both ways. There’s an expectation that your staff work hard and that they prove themselves quickly. So, people should have the best tools to do their job and be appreciated. They then understand that the relationship is reciprocal in that we are all giving and receiving, but it needs to be balanced. And it works. That’s why employee turnover is so low in Daito design. Daito is a vessel where we create a structure that enables staff to live the way they want. We find a fit for our team that works for all of us.

Kudzu, an invasive weed, takes over and smothers everything.

Take Care Of Your Clients The Same Way You Take Care Of Yourself

We do the same for our clients. Our contacts are essentially outsourcing part of their role to us – their neck is on the line. They pay us for our excellence, and we have a fiduciary responsibility to be ethical and adhere to what is right. We want them to be a success, to get promoted, and we do this by creating value.

When we receive a budget, we use it to maximize the opportunity by creating further value rather than just draining the nutrients away. There’s no point in messing up and taking the money because essentially, the value is lost. It only adds financial stress to future dealings with us, the business, and any other agency or group that gets involved.

You only create wealth if you provide values or services equal to or greater than what was exchanged.

We recently had a client who needed recommendations to take to the board on Monday. But we didn’t get the call until Friday, so we ended up spending 100 or so hours over the weekend building a deck. We could have waited for a quote and taken time to fix a deal, but we didn’t. He needed us, so we created value and generated wealth. He recently returned to us with a significant budget for the year, ready to do more business. We made him successful, and he remembered us.

It’s all about the long-term play. We should be building the world we wish our parents had built, making sure it is there, ready for our grandkids. At some point, you have to start planting trees, or there won’t be any shade. There is a cost and an effort, but if you only focus on maximizing success, you’ll get a world like the one we have.