Investing for Future Growth

By Peter Christian • Published June 2009

Investing for future growth. Reinforcing competitive advantage. Every company should be doing this – right? Well, I’ve heard a lot of reasoning and logic over the years as to why companies do not continually invest in their own infrastructure, technology, business processes and people. Sometimes it’s a matter of timing, aversion to risk, lack of manpower, or even a fear of change. Since the economic rollercoaster hit hard this past October (earlier than that depending on your industry), I’m left wondering. When the need – and potential benefit – is so great, what is the motivation to keep the status quo?

If a system or operation was not efficient before the economy faltered, these issues certainly won’t improve with the trimming of personnel or a decrease in orders. Doing things “the way it’s always been done” is not a plan for survival or growth. Internal inefficiencies can prevent a business from realizing their growth potential, especially in this climate.

Now is the ideal time for management to make thoughtful, calculated and well-founded improvements to their businesses that will not only have an immediate impact, but will help position the company in the forefront of the recovery. With this quarter’s newsletter, I want to touch on a few critical areas where companies can gain the greatest return on their investment.