Learn the 25 keys in managing the growth of a business, including identifying the company's competitive advantage, implementing a total-quality strategy, hiring a professional management team and creating a visionary growth-oriented corporate culture:

Key 1. Prepare yourself and your company for growth.
Key 2. Be aware of the factors that affect your company's ability to grow.
Key 3. To grow, your company needs a vision.
Key 4. Put systems and controls in place to manage growth effectively.
Key 5. Develop a strong, professional management team.
Key 6. Find your competitive advantage and sustain it.
Key 7. Choose the right growth strategy for your business.
Key 8. Consolidation and network strategies can be a winning combination.
Key 9. Franchising can be an effective way to grow.
Key 10. Develop a growth-oriented company culture.
Key 11. Strategic alliances can help you grow more rapidly.
Key 12. Develop a sound technology strategy as part of your competitive advantage.
Key 13. Create a flexible organization that adapts quickly to change.
Key 14. Make the customer a part of every aspect of your business.
Key 15. Hire employees who fit the culture of the company.
Key 16. Use an advisory board to guide your growth.
Key 17. Recognize when a growth strategy is in trouble.
Key 18. It takes money to grow.
Key 19. A global orientation should be part of your overall growth strategy.
Key 20. Get onto the Internet to find new customers and retain old ones.
Key 21. Think total quality in every area of your business.
Key 22. To go public or not to go public: it's not an easy question to answer.
Key 23. Find an angel to give the company a jump-start on growth.
Key 24. Make your company a learning organization.
Key 25. Follow a different model for hypergrowth.

Growing & Managing A Business is part of The New York Times Pocket MBA Series, a reference series easily accessible to all businesspersons, from first-level managers to the executive suite. The 12-volume series is written by Ph.D.s who teach in the finest graduate business programs in the country, and edited by business editors from The New York Times. The structure of each volume presents an unparalleled synopsis of crucial principles of specific areas of business expertise.