Reilly Newman | Growth in a company is often thought of as fast moving, pivoting, and the infamous Silicon Valley cliche of “move fast and break things.” Although this may be applicable when you have investors breathing down your neck, it simply is not reality when building a brand over years.
For a “normal” business that isn’t a startup burning through piles of investor cash, this growth isn’t about rapidly moving. It’s not pivot after pivot, but it actually depends on positioning.
When the company is properly planted into a position like a tree, it’s able to focus on what matters; driving roots deep into the position and climbing vertically higher into the market above.
The Roots
Your positioning is only as good as the roots you drive down. Sure you may have an initial clever positioning or strategy to enter a market, but if that “position” is ever changing or pivoting, it will only reach top soil and be easily washed away, trampled, or even uprooted completely. Without hardy roots penetrating the soil, the tree will never get the strength it needs to stand and withstand market conditions.
More importantly, even if you luckily survive market conditions, the opportunity cost of growth will cap your growth. This “ceiling” to your growth is determined by the strength of your roots which includes depth and some diameter. These aspect are important because they are what keep the tree (and your business) firmly planted.
For example, a company that experiences an unnaturally fast explosion of growth can typically dissolve twice as fast. This is due to the lack of proper roots and foundation. You see this type of boom/bust with flashy new startups or hyped IPOs (initial public offering) in the market where the only thing you should do is yell “timber!”
The Market
Think of the market as nature. This is the merciless wind and storms. The giant boulder your roots meet in the soil. The dreadful droughts and the cold winters. However, nature also brings the sun, rain, and nutrients you need for growth.
The market for the most part is not predictable. Sure there’s a 7-day forecast, but for the big picture the market (like the weather) has a mind of its own and treats all equally. The weather does change with seasons and brings different flavors which is typically true of markets. From holiday shopping to summer vacations, different markets are affected differently by these annual shifts in behavior. The market is the uncontrollable variable for any business.
The Branches
For most trees, the overall area of a tree’s roots typically will cover 2-4 times the size of the crown of the tree’s branches. Sturdy trees will have a vast network of roots that cover ground and have driven deep into the soil. The branches represent the reach of the business and its exposure as a brand. So we can assume that the better the positioning (the roots) the more reach the business has and the better known the brand becomes. Roots beget growth! This of course is the ideal order of things, but let’s not forget that the branches and leaves play a role in providing additional nutrients to the tree. The business needs this reach and the explosure to aborb more (covered in our article on Business Growth) as it not only photosyntheses but blocks out the competition from resource as well.
Remember, roots are invaluable to the healthy growth and sustainability of a tree. If a tree is unable to last the local storm then it is either in the wrong climate or not able to develope proper roots. Without these roots, the tree will lack the strength it needs to have any potential. Roots will vary based on climate and storms, this is why most palm trees will have very deep roots so the tree can stay flexible during a hurricane and bend with the wind. A tree that is more rigid and with a wider, more shallow spread of its root system would snap under the pressure. This also goes to show that businesses and brands are made different depending on their market.
The roots tell us a lot and help us realize the imporance of rooting our own business. Not only how we drive roots into the soil, but also where we are growing. Whether a main taproot that drives extremely deep into the earth or a massive network of small roots spread very wide, the roots unlock the growth.
