Growth is the heartbeat of everything we do—an outcome as well as a driving force pushing us to embrace new risks, responsibilities, and challenges head-on. Sitting still, even if you’re on the right track, just invites the risk of getting run over.
From a business perspective growth might seem like a straightforward concept. But this sneaky notion is dependent on a wide variety of factors—industry dynamics, geographical landscapes, political climates, and more. Some industries are more susceptible to changes in context; take retail, for instance, where the ripple effects of economic shifts are felt very closely. But would we label a retail company as failing if it contracts during a downturn or successful if it grows in line with market trends during better times? Probably not. Or at least, I would not.
Now, in the software industry—the universe I inhabit—it’s a different ball game. We’re not bound by the whims of context changes; we’re less sensitive to those shifts. Demand for software grows relentlessly while the supply remains relatively constant. Even though AI can lend a hand, it’s not enough to completely tip the scales. I attribute this unstoppable advance to the march of technology and the fact that virtually everything around us is mediated by it. The demand is essentially guaranteed.
In this landscape, just growing in sync with the market isn’t enough for me. As a company leader, growth means thriving, surpassing market norms, breaking statistics. If we just ride the market wave, we’re drifting with the current, but not swimming. This is all very related to a concept I recently explored in another article —decontextualizing— where the goal is to prepare your company for success and measure it removed from your immediate market and context. It’s about intentionally building your company in your chosen industry and thriving there. Sure, this growth translates into revenue totals and margins, but sometimes you also grow in metrics not always appreciated on Wall Street—ones tied to long-term impact and foresight.
Long-term impact and foresight are two sides of a coin. Organic growth (if we’ve done our homework right) and inorganic growth are part of the equation, but they’re complemented by a crucial element—foresight. It’s not about peering into a crystal ball; it’s a methodical approach that weaves today’s trends with context, scientific analysis, and evolutionary insights to reasonably predict and forecast what lies ahead. This gives us the beautiful possibility of choosing where we want to be, and start building the company we want to be when that future arrives. This perspective is often at odds with the obsession for quarters and metrics and immediacy.
Very few companies incorporate futurism into their decision-making because it demands extra effort. Yet, it’s this very effort that helps companies beat the game of cost, price, and perceived value. It enables companies to step into new spaces and verticals, and to do so proactively rather than reactively. In fact, Arionkoder is gearing up to establish its own futuristic task force for precisely this purpose—being primed and strategically positioned. It’s what allows us to rise above, to be truly premium, free from the shackles of price wars and marginal improvements. Because the value that we offer is flying far higher than that.
Let’s build today the company we dream of being in the years ahead, because only then does the future and the growth truly belong to us. I wish you growth and the foresight to bring your dreams to life.