As a small or medium business owner, few things are as exciting—and daunting—as experiencing rapid growth. On one hand, increasing sales and demand are the signs of a successful venture. But on the other hand, that success can quickly lead to operations being stretched thin as you try to keep up.
Whether you’re running a warehouse, managing inventory for a retail operation, or overseeing a manufacturing facility, one of the biggest challenges can be determining when it’s time to bite the bullet and expand your physical operations. Leave it too long and you risk disappointing customers, overworking employees, and missing out on opportunities. But expand too soon and you could be saddled with unnecessary costs that strain your finances.
So how can you find that sustainable sweet spot for scaling up? Here are some key areas to evaluate as your business starts outgrowing its current operational footprint.
Warehouse Space Constraints
For businesses that rely on a warehouse for storage and distribution, running out of space is often one of the first bottlenecks encountered during periods of growth. If you’re constantly struggling to find homes for incoming stock, or your aisles are so clogged with inventory that it’s becoming difficult to maneuver forklifts and other equipment, it’s likely time to start exploring an expansion.
Another warning sign? Looking at your warehouse’s layout and realizing just how inefficiently that space is being used. Overflowing storage areas, haphazard staging zones, and a disorganized flow of goods can severely hamper productivity when operating at capacity. This is a good opportunity to take a holistic look at your space utilization and identify opportunities to expand or move to a more suitably laid-out facility.
Short-Term Fix
If you’re bursting at the seams in your current warehouse, consider renting temporary overflow storage space or explore trailer pooling options. Reslot pick locations for high-velocity SKUs to prime areas. Incorporate Mobile Warehouse Scanners to maximize space utilization while also reducing order fulfillment times.
Long-Term Solution
Ultimately, a facility move or expansion may be required once short-term fixes reach their limits. Develop a multi-year roadmap by modeling various growth trajectories and their space needs. Explore options like building an addition, leasing a larger warehouse, or implementing a multi-site distribution network as you grow.
Manufacturing Capacity Limitations
If your business has a manufacturing component, there’s a good chance your production capacity will eventually become a limiting factor as sales ramp up. When your team is consistently operating at maximum output, with orders being backlogged and customers waiting longer than expected, it may be time to invest in additional manufacturing capacity.
This could mean bringing in new manufacturing equipment to supplement your existing lines. Or, if your space is too constrained to accommodate more machinery, it might require moving to a larger facility outfitted for increased production volumes. Be sure to carefully evaluate not just your current order volumes, but projected future demand over the next few years to avoid outgrowing a new setup too quickly.
Short-Term Fix
Pinch hits like scheduling overtime production shifts, outsourcing some manufacturing runs, or tweaking line layouts to debottleneck can provide temporary capacity relief. Maintenance and equipment upgrade projects can eke out extra throughput too.
Long-Term Solution
At some point, new production lines or a plant expansion/relocation will likely be required, and advanced manufacturing tech like robotics could be a longer-term investment. Incorporate an ERP with Manufacturing Capabilities to both manage supply chain and create streamlined production processes.
Inventory Management Challenges
For businesses focused on retail operations with physical inventory, there are few bigger red flags than safety stock levels being routinely depleted. When you’re constantly struggling to keep premium sellers or crucial components in stock, it disrupts your ability to serve customers and slams the brakes on your growth momentum.
Difficulty locating specific items within your inventory due to overcrowding or a lack of organized storage is another sign that it’s time to reassess your inventory management approach. As is seeing your inventory carrying costs steadily climbing from tying up too much working capital in excess stock you’re struggling to move.
In these situations, it’s wise to step back and reevaluate ordering processes, vendor relationships, and even product lines before simply expanding your storage footprint. But if those problems persist after optimizing other areas of your inventory operations, securing additional warehouse space may be the solution.
Short-Term Fix
Focus efforts on inventory optimization strategies like ABC analysis, cycle counting audit programs, and revising replenishment formulas for critical SKUs. You can often achieve quick wins by purging obsolete inventory taking up prime spaces.
Long-Term Solution
Commit to deploying best-of-breed inventory management technologies and processes, but incorporate additional Ecommerce Hubs that provide additional sales channels while keeping inventory counts connected in real time.
Staffing Needs for Growth
Of course, physical space and inventory aren’t the only constraints growing SMBs face. Oftentimes, they simply run out of human capacity in terms of staffing for warehousing, manufacturing, sales, customer service, and other core operations. This is especially true if you’re sticking with the same staffing levels you had during leaner times.
There’s no universal metric for determining when to hire additional hands to support your expanding business. But if you’re having to turn down orders or opportunities due to existing employees being overwhelmed, or if quality and productivity are suffering from overworked teams, it’s definitely time to start recruiting.
Make sure to think holistically about current and projected staffing needs across all of your operational areas. Don’t just look at headcounts for warehousing or manufacturing, but also support roles like inventory management, maintenance, quality control, and leadership positions that will be crucial for sustaining growth long-term.
Short-Term Fix
Bring in temporary contractors or gig workers to handle demand spikes. Explore productivity measures like labor standards analysis, incentive pay programs, workflow improvements, and cross-training efforts. Outsource non-core tasks and leverage staffing agencies.
Long-Term Solution
Develop robust workforce planning models based on your projected growth trajectory, and then properly invest in recruiting and keeping employees properly trained. Inventory Training (like Fishbowl Onsite Training) not only provides best practices, but greatly reduces down time and human error.
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Operational Expansion
Whichever specific areas of operations are pushing your SMB toward its limits, the ultimate decision on whether and how to expand will likely hinge on a cost-benefit analysis. On one side of the equation are the projected revenue gains and other benefits you’d reap from increased capacity. Maybe you’d be able to take on more clients, shorten order lead times, or even break into new markets or product categories that were previously inaccessible.
But you have to weigh those potential returns against the investments required to facilitate operational expansion. For manufacturing, that could mean spending on new equipment, equipment installation, and possibly re-configuring existing floor space. With warehousing, it might involve build-out costs to upfit a new facility, relocating inventory, and updating logistics and materials handling processes.
There are also the ongoing operational expense increases to factor in, like higher utility bills, additional staff costs, maintenance for new equipment or facilities, and so on. And finally, think about the competitive landscape—will expanding enable you to leapfrog rivals and boost your market positioning and pricing power in a way that justifies the costs?
Stepping through a comprehensive financial model that accounts for all of these variables is crucial for determining whether the numbers make sense to move forward with an operational expansion. It’s an intricate analysis, but one that’s essential for ensuring your growth trajectory isn’t derailed by premature overextension.
The Bottom Line on Scaling Up Operations
At the end of the day, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for when it’s time to pull the trigger on expanding your SMB’s operational footprint. Signs like constrained warehouse space, maxed-out manufacturing capacity, perpetual inventory shortages, and overworked staff are usually powerful indicators that it’s time to start exploring options.
But determining the right solution—along with properly timing and scaling that investment—requires careful planning and analysis. By keeping a close eye on your operational metrics, listening to employee and customer feedback, and developing a strong financial model, you can put your SMB on the path towards sustainable, profitable growth.
