PROFITABILITY OR GROWTH

Accelerate your business with these expert tips on "Profitability or Growth".

Analyse and discover this TIP!

The Startup Dilemma: Profitability or Growth?

Welcome entrepreneur, today we will tackle a controversial but essential topic for the future of your startup: Should you focus on growth or profitability? If you feel you are at a crossroads, you are not alone. We'll unravel this complex dilemma with expert perspectives y factors to consider.

First things first: What is a Startup?

According to Steve Blankone of the forerunners of the Lean Startup movementA startup is not a normal company, but a "an experiment designed to uncover a profitable, repeatable and scalable business model". Paul GrahamY Combinator's founder, Y Combinator, sums it up as follows simplest way: STARTUP = GROWTH.

What is the Right Cycle?

If your product or service is in its initial stagethe focus should be on creating value that retain users. From my perspective, the The ideal cycle in many cases would be:

Retention (Value) → Growth (Volume) → Monetisation (Profitability)

Focusing on growth without validating the value of your product can result in wasted resources.

Factors in Deciding Between Growth and Profitability

1. Business Model: Depending on whether your startup is B2B, B2C or B2B2C, and whether your model is freemium, marketplace, etc., the decision on focus may vary.
2. Long-term strategy: Are you looking to scale your business or are you happy with a "lifestyle" business? Your ambition will influence your decision.
3. Personal Objectives: At the end of the day, it comes down to what you want to achieve as a founder.

The Risk of Focusing only on Revenues

• Diverts the focus on growth and value capture.
• Generate reliance on short-term metrics.
• You can compromising your position in markets with network effects.

What about Financing?

• Focus on Growth: You will need sufficient capital to fund the losses until the investment starts to pay off.
• Focus on Profitability: You will have more independence and adaptability, especially useful in uncertain times.

Conclusion

The decision between focusing on growth or profitability it is not black and white. You must make a detailed analysis taking into account several factors. The monetisation must be a strategic decision and happen when it makes sense, which is sometimes after the focus on growthand sometimes it is before.

We hope that this TIP has given you a clear perspective to take a informed decision. Remember, every startup is unique and the decision must align with your vision and circumstances.

Practical Examples: Growth vs. Profitability in Startups

The dilemma between focusing on growth or on profitability is a common challenge in the startup world. Below, we present two practical examples that illustrate when it might be more appropriate to opt for one strategy over the other.

• Example 1: Niche E-commerce Platform (Focus on Profitability)
  • Situation: You have launched an e-commerce platform that focuses on sustainable gardening products. The market is of moderate size, and you have few competitors.
  • Key Factors:
    
    • Limited market.
    • Low competition.
    • Direct-to-consumer business model.
  • Best Strategy: In this case, focus on profitability early on might be the best strategy. Given that the market is of moderate size, there is no frantic race to capture market share. Moreover, being profitable allows you to finance your own growth at a sustainable rate.
• Example 2: Social Application with Network Effects (Focus on Growth)
  • Situation: You have developed an innovative social application that allows users to share travel plans and find travel companions.
  • Key Factors:
    
    • Large and rapidly growing market.
    • High competition.
    • Model based on network effects.
  • Best Strategy: In this scenario, focusing on growth is crucial. You need to capture a large user base to trigger network effects that provide value to existing users y new. Delaying profitability is reasonable if you have access to finance and if the rapid growth is vital to outperform competitors.

Conclusion

The decision between focusing on the growth or profitability depends to a large extent on your particular situation: the market in which you operate, the nature of your business model and your personal and strategic ambitions. It is always crucial consider these factors before decide which path to take.