These are 10 major challenges business owners face when growing

GaudiLab // Shutterstock Anything that matures will go through growing pains, and scaling businesses are no exception. Expanding operations, products, and customer bases can make or break new businesses. Building a larger company also requires bringing on more workers, but taking a team from a dozen people to 50 can create chaos. Processes can break down and bottleneck, company cultures may change, and founders might struggle to keep an eye on day-to-day tasks. All of this can confuse or demoralize owners, investors, early employees, and customers who undergo these changes–particularly when companies are underprepared to make the leap into growth-stage status. To take a closer look at this issue, Ruby identified 10 major challenges business owners encounter as they grow and highlighted ways they can address or prepare for those challenges. The analysis draws from existing news coverage, small business resources, and insights from experts, including an interview with Karin D. O’Connor, a professor of strategy at Northwestern University and the executive director of the Heizer Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital.   Finding customers Alliance Images // Shutterstock At the most basic level, businesses only succeed if they have customers. As a company scales its operations, customer volume must support that growth. Newer companies often acquire new customers through networking and referrals, so it is imperative to listen to existing and potential customers’ needs and ensure that they are satisfied. “In the early days, you’re looking at engagement metrics,” said O’Connor, an early-stage investor who has served on the boards of several scaling startups in the last 25 years. “So once a software has been implemented, for example, are people using it? Are they in there every day?” Other ways companies can attract additional customers include new customer discounts, loyalty programs, partnerships with more established companies, and maintaining a quality website with strong search engine optimization. Expanding geographies