Business Transition – Its More Than A Simple Change

by | Feb 20, 2023

Positive change is something that we want as a business owner. To grow, business leaders must be ready to meet challenges through specific and strategic changes. Transitions are one of the many change challenges that you will face as you grow and revenues increase.  Many companies make the shift simple by hiring specialist consultants to help create the necessary adjustments for your business transition. 

Here are a few points to help you transition and flourish:

What is transition compared to change?

A transition is a shift in the way you do something that will affect every part of your business, from your staff, to your brand, to your clients and also, to your reputation.  Transition is when you want something different. It could be that you want to take on a partner, enter a new industry, terminate someone in your leadership team, bring in a new product, revamp your business culture, re-brand, leave a job to start a new business, or you might want to write a book or build an online business. All of these are transitions that require a plan to shift and take control of the impact that will occur.

Change on the other hand, is something that you can do anytime and while simple change can have a massive impact to your revenue, change will typically only affect specific areas of your business.  Simple changes can include a decision to change the way you do social media, or you might choose to change your website, but those things are only going to have a lesser impact on the business as whole.

Why is it important to know that I am in transition?

One of the biggest questions I see in Meta groups is “can anyone recommend a good consultant or coach” and online “how do I select a coach or consultant for my business”.  Knowing what you need, helps you to make the decision on whom to work with.

When it comes to wanting something different, a transition, an awareness of the type of change allows you to pause, assess and plan, to ensure the resulting impacts will be in your control, be positive to your business and revenue, and be managed alongside your day-to-day work and growth.

Allow it to progress without planning and it may become a shiny object that takes up your time and removes your focus away from business momentum. 

Do I have to transition?

No; a business consistently in transition is a business in chaos.  Transitions are projects; they should be planned, allocated, managed, and have an end date along with measurements of success and impact, along with a plan to merge back into business-as-usual activity.

It’s also ok to not to want to shift or change. It is okay to be happy with the business and income you have.

Talking to a consultant about your goals and a desire to grow as a person and as a business is the way to map out for yourself, the right path for you, whether it is making daily plans, having consistent habits, and carrying out activities, or entering into a transition project to leap forward to the next phase of your business.

What could go wrong if I don’t transition?

Who knows? And I mean that literally. If you just let it happen, it will be out of your control. If you are not at cause for change, you WILL be at effect and have to roll with whatever happens.

At best, it could be that it just takes a long time, and you give up. At worst, you could lose clients, or it could destroy the reputation and following you have worked hard to grow.

3 things to do when you know you want to transition:

  1. Stop and take stock of where you are.

Learn to recognise the difference between simple changes and transitions and when to stop.  Consider what you want and potential impacts of the change or transition.

  1. Get outside help to plan

Don’t be afraid to engage someone to pull all the information from you, map it out, and help you create a project plan.

A transition can take your focus off your business and growth; we can step in and assist you with a plan of action that works alongside your current momentum and capture the details you might miss.

  1. Follow the steps you mapped out and grow.

A plan allows you to take a specific action and considers potential impacts and how you will manage them. If you know what you want and have a particular strategy to obtain it, everything becomes more manageable and happens faster.

Running and growing a business is about focusing on your core business and building a strategic plan that supports your goals. There are many facets to business consulting, and when it comes to it, it is typically about ‘getting from position A to position B.’ Chrysallis specialises in strategic growth and working with clients through their transitions in short, sharp projects. You might not want or need someone to walk beside you at all times, but when there is a significant change in your business, successful business leaders know whom to reach out to and obtain the support for that transition.

Every project we take on, starts with a Discovery Call – you can book one just click here

Christine Litera is the CEO and Founder of the Chrysallis Consulting Group.  She is also the author of Grow Your People Grow Your Business: Big Corporate Secrets for Small Business Budgets