Why businesses get stuck
July 17, 2025
Why companies get stuck in growth-and how to prevent it.
In the beginning, everything works smoothly: a small team, short lines and control. But as you grow, so does chaos. Customers, projects and colleagues increase, but the overview disappears. Separate tools and Excel no longer suffice, communication falters and errors creep in. You are busy, but always behind the times.
Relatable? Many companies struggle at this point—but it does not have to be that way. In this blog, you will discover how to keep growth under control.
Growing without structure = working harder, not smarter
As your company grows, so do the number of projects, clients, and colleagues. This naturally leads to more processes. Where everyone could once rely on their own lists and files without the need for centralization, information now becomes scattered across various places: emails, Excel sheets, notes, and more.
Because of this fragmentation, the overview gets lost quickly. Your team spends more time searching for the right information than on the real work. And when they finally find it, that information often turns out to be in multiple places – but with slightly different numbers.
Instead of thinking ahead, you are mostly putting out fires. It feels like you are working very hard, but the real results are not forthcoming. This causes stress and declining motivation within the team.
What your business needs right now is structure. With the right structure, you don’t work harder, but smarter. That way you keep your grip, overview and room to grow further.
Where it often goes wrong (and how to recognize it)
1. Communication takes too much time
Colleagues spend more time searching for information than doing their real work. Information is everywhere and nowhere: inboxes, notes, loose tools – and no one knows what the latest version is.
2. Data is unreliable or duplicate
The same figures turn up in different files, but slightly different. Which one is correct? This causes errors, confusion and extra work.
3. Lack of clarity about responsibilities
Who does what? If this is not clear, tasks remain unfinished or no one takes charge. Deadlines shift and projects lose momentum.
4. No central location for your information
Files are scattered across personal folders, cloud storage and emails. There is no unified view, so important info easily falls between the cracks.
How to get a grip on growth as a small business
When you work with a small team, structure sometimes feels like something for later. You’re agile and shift gears quickly, but in the growth phase, it’s actually crucial to work on structure now – so that you maintain flexibility as you get bigger.
1. Map your information and workflows
Don’t just start with your tasks or processes, but really follow the information flow: how does a project request come in, who adds what data and at what time, what steps does an invoice go through? By visually recording where and how information moves, you will discover bottlenecks and duplications and immediately see where you can optimize.
2. Work from one central location
Choose a platform that brings together projects, tasks, communication and key figures. This will prevent everyone from having their own way of working and you will always have an up-to-date overview for the entire team.
3. Keep it simple and scalable
Structure doesn’t have to be complicated. Start small, such as with clear division of labor or central documentation, and build it out as you grow. Make sure the system can grow with you.
4. Automate recurring tasks with smart templates
Recurring tasks such as quotations, invoices or project schedules cost a lot of time if you have to create them over and over again. By working with templates – for documents, processes or communication – you save time and avoid mistakes. Combine that with automation (think of automatic invoice sending or notifications at deadlines), and your team has more space for work that really adds value.
Growth requires a system that grows with it.
Once you have found a good system to centralize all your information to bring structure and overview to your business, it is important that this system grows with you. After all, that structure allows your business to grow faster and more efficiently – and then the system has to be able to keep up.
An evolving system not only offers the basic functionality you need now, but can also easily add new capabilities as soon as your business demands them. Think, for example, about integrating new modules for project management or inventory management, or linking with other tools that make your processes even smoother.
And if growth suddenly accelerates faster than expected? Then the system must be scalable and flexible enough to handle that extra pressure without suddenly running into limitations. That way, it prevents you from grinding to a halt, and you keep all the room you need to keep building for the future.
Find out how Maki grows with your business!
Are you ready to take the next step and really structure your growth? Maki is an all-in-one ERP system designed specifically for SMEs. With a comprehensive set of basic modules, such as project management, relationship management, task management and more, Maki helps create overview and structure within any organization.
What makes Maki unique is that the system is constantly being developed. This allows customer requirements to be included and keeps the platform flexible so that it grows with the organization. In this way, you avoid getting bogged down in your system and always keep room for further growth and improvement.
Want to experience how Maki can contribute to a more efficient way of working and better overview? Then try the 30-day free trial and see for yourself what Maki can do for your organization.