by Simon Hainsworth is the Founder and Managing Director of CSE.
Scaling a business to a global level is a hugely exciting time, but it can also prove incredibly easy to forgo your values in the spirit of quicker growth.
Yet, we know that brand identity and reputation are crucial to ongoing success – and undermining the messages you have been sharing since launch can dent both, especially in the events industry where your standing with organisers, venues and suppliers is vital to keeping your calendar full.
Being true to your word, and continuing to live by the company’s founding values might result in turning down opportunities, but ultimately it can strengthen the long-term future of the business. For example, only forming partnerships with organisations who share your firmly-held stance around sustainability might mean missing out on an event or two; but with the environment now a top concern for so many businesses, ultimately it puts you in a stronger position going forward by helping you form partnerships with teams whose values align with your own.
A founder who has been outspoken about particular industry topics – such as promoting women’s sports – may find themselves differing in opinion with others on occasion. But equally, with so many countries around the world now pushing towards gender equality, this stance can also prove an advantage when expanding globally. As long as it’s stuck to no matter the size and scale of the organisation, of course.
Companies are expected to evolve over time, especially when scaling up from a national to a global business, but it is a sudden and complete departure from all the founding team stood for which will be noticed by the industry. Conversely, sticking to your principles and retaining strong ethos and values throughout your scale-up will attract the right kind of attention, and help you on your way to worldwide success.
