How to Grow Your Startup Into a Thriving Small Business

Your guide to getting ready to register your Australian company

There comes a time when successful entrepreneurial ventures cross the threshold from start-up to small business. Sometimes it’s entirely intentional. Other times it’s a combination of talent, timing and favourable market conditions (what some might call “luck”).

Growing your start-up brings a raft of opportunities: 

• Increased market share
• Greater revenue potential
• Enhanced brand recognition
• New partnership opportunities
• Attention from business buyers

Of course, there are challenges to growing your start-up as well. 

For one thing, you’ll need to register your Australian business and leave sole trader status behind. While that might seem straightforward, it requires planning and attention to avoid landing in hot water with ASIC.

Identifying growth opportunities

If your start-up grew from a side hustle, you may not have thought too hard about long-term business growth opportunities. Now is the time to do so.

Mapping out the markets, niches and audiences you can leverage to grow the business helps you focus and use your finite resources most effectively. 

Don’t limit your thinking to expansion and customer acquisition 

There are many ways to structure and streamline your business for growth:

• Diversify your offering to cross-sell and up-sell
• Prioritise customer retention
• Partner with complementary businesses
• Leverage emerging technologies to become more efficient
• Seek opportunities to scale existing accounts

How to know when it’s time to grow

Determining whether you’re ready to register your Australian business can be tricky. Steadily increasing revenue is a good start, so if money coming in regularly exceeds money going out – or you have locked in seed funding – then you can turn your attention to the factors that enable growth:

• Ability to hire the right people 
• Scalable supply chain
• Back-end systems that support business growth
• Unused operational capacity
• Financial stability and funding opportunities

Conducting a SWOT analysis can help identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that will influence your growth strategy.

Managing the transition

The road from scrappy start-up to stable small business often takes unexpected detours. But if you plan conservatively, you’ll be prepared for anything.

Where to start

Registering your Australian business name is one of the first major milestones on the business growth journey. We’ve developed a comprehensive guide to finding a business name that resonates with your audience.

Remember to conduct an Australian Business Register search to see whether there are already companies with similar names. It’s good to have a shortlist of options in case your preferred name is taken or ASIC rejects your favourite.

Make your roadmap

Breaking long-term goals into short-term key performance indicators (KPIs) helps to grow your startup at a manageable pace. These KPIs are measurable progress targets that keep you accountable and motivated without getting overwhelmed by oversized goals.

For example, if you plan to grow revenue from $50,000 to $500,000 in five years, break the progress into manageable milestones. Depending on your revenue forecasts and product mix, that could mean growing at a consistent rate each month or achieving step-changes every six months. 

Hire for tomorrow, not today

Hire employees strategically, focusing on their skills, experience and cultural fit. Clearly defining new hires’ roles and responsibilities helps maintain clarity as your business grows. 

At the same time, look to build scalability into everything you do. This includes business processes, software and equipment, but it also means giving employees ownership of their role so they’re proactively bringing ideas to the table.

Technology infrastructure

Technology plays a pivotal role in business growth. It enables automation, streamlines processes, enhances productivity and improves quality. Invest in technology infrastructure that gives you room to grow your startup.

• ERP software (enterprise resource planning) helps to manage and optimise organisational resources 
• CRM systems (customer relationship management) contain customer information, streamline lead management and improve after-sales support
• Project management tools improve efficiency and collaboration

Then there are small changes that can make a big difference down the road. For example, third-party solutions such as cloud storage enable you and your team to work from anywhere, and online business registry services keep your company name protected and the details updated for peace of mind as you grow your startup. 

Marketing and branding

Effective marketing builds trust, credibility, and recognition in the marketplace. Brands are more than a logo; a strong brand creates a memorable identity for your business and differentiates your company from competitors.

Communicate what your company stands for

Before registering your Australian business name and logomark, workshop the brand with your target audience. The brand identity – like the company name – should echo your values, personality and unique selling proposition.

Make it official

When you’re satisfied that your visual identity and brand story are cohesive and compelling, our business registry services make it easy to register a trademark. Trademarks provide extra brand protection, ensuring you own your niche.

Are you ready to register your Australian company?

Let’s revisit the checklist for scaling a start-up:

• Steady revenue or funding 
• Growth potential
• Diversification strategies
• Scalable operations
• Stable supply chain
• Robust IT infrastructure 
• Reliable team
• Unique brand
• Marketing strategy

Exactly how each piece of the puzzle looks will depend on your industry, niche and business growth plan. 

However, the key takeaway is that growing your startup into a stable, profitable company is within reach. What defines success for Australian companies is a clear plan, continuous evaluation and the right team surrounding an ambitious entrepreneur.

Registry Australia’s services support business growth and provide peace of mind that your brand is protected. See how we help growing startups with business registry solutions, trademarks, web services and company registration.