What does business growth mean, asks Northland Inc's Jiveen MacGillivray

Jiveen MacGillivray is Northland Inc's Growth Advisor and Innovation Specialist. Photo/Supplied

What does business growth mean?

For some it means having the courage and capability to start up. For those with a vision, it means to do better and find another way - to be innovative.

If you've had some success, this often motivates a person to level up, often to give back to the community they serve.

Growth is different for each of us and for people in business getting the right type of support at the right time can make the difference.

A training course I attended recently made clear to me how poor business meetings are too often the norm.

A good meeting needs a leader, a spokesperson, someone to crunch the numbers on the proposal and a person to observe what was being communicated. That's four people.

How many businesses do you know that do all this with one person? Like the rest of New Zealand, most businesses in Te Tai Tokerau do.

So here you are - in business – you, or a small team.

I know you don't take four people to your customer or supplier meetings - that's for the big companies right? And you'd be right.

Even if you could take four people, it wouldn't be a great idea to front up to a valued business relationship "mob handed".

So the theory may be sound, but in practice we all get on with the job and do our best.

People in business care about being competitive; the quality they produce and the cost to delight customers. Being innovative is about all these things.

If you're not getting to market, not making good on promises of quality or managing those costs - what might you do differently?

Who are your trusted advisers? What's it worth now and in the future to make change, to be innovative?

Show you have the courage and enhance your capability to start-up, join Northland's community at The Pick and get updates for accelerators and business support services delivered straight to your inbox.

If you're in the technology or food and beverage sectors, then be one of the first to join kiteAO, industry connections made easy, right here in Northland.

With a clear vision of what is possible you seek technical support or funding to do better and find another way. Innovators should apply to for technical and funding support as well as events and make connections, register with the Regional Business Partners.

Join the next event, increase your understanding of new research and development laws on May 7 in Whangarei.

Level up or give back to the community you serve, the Business Mentors NZ service is both of these things. Who is your next mentor? Perhaps now is the time to pay it forward?

Then join as a mentor.

* Jiveen MacGillivray is Growth Advisor and Innovation Specialist with Northland Inc, the regional economic development agency.