When an army is marching in step, there is a powerful resonance that can instil fear in the heart of the enemy. The regimented advance is focused, controlled and impressive.  So much so that battalions have to break step as they cross bridges for fear of hitting the resonant frequency and destroying the very foundations they are marching on.  The wind did the same thing to the Takoma Narrows Bridge in 1940; it was not the strength of the wind per se but rather the fact it caused the bridge to oscillate at its resonant frequency so that each successive flex was enhanced until the structure collapsed.

In physics, there is a phenomenon called Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. This manifests itself in the form of a device called a laser, a creator of a bright light that almost everyone reading this will own in the form of a CD or DVD player. What is special about laser illumination is that all the electromagnetic waves in the light path are of the same wavelength and in step; they are coherent like a disciplined marching army. This results in a very intense, collimated beam that can be tightly focused and used for precision measurements and targeted applications. The verb to describe a device operating in this manner is ‘to lase’.

When a business is going well there is a buzz and an amplification of energy. The team is singing from the same hymn sheet and pulling in the same direction. Marketing is not only generating sales, but sales themselves are generating more sales, and the resulting customers are in turn evangelising and creating yet more sales. This is a business that is experiencing rapid growth and reaching that all important inflexion in the hockey stick growth curve.  Suddenly the business is resonating; it has started to lase!

But beware, not all bright lights are lasers. And the incandescent lamp that burns twice as bright burns half as long! Your business may appear to be doing well and sales may be accelerating, but is the activity sustainable? Is the team marching in step, efficiently conserving energy like a well trained army corp, or are they racing round the deck extinguishing fires in a frenetic attempt to keep the lid on it all?

A laser device achieves its spectacular light through very careful construction. Precision engineering creates a cavity in which the desired light energy is harnessed and out-of-step errants are discarded. Only the disciplined, aligned photons are allowed to pass and contribute to the emerging laser beam. Moreover, the same in-step photons encourage others to the same; they energise the material in the cavity to create photons with the same energy profile as their own

For your business to lase, your management team needs to create a similar cavity; an ethos and focus that brings everyone together and ensures that all the activity is focused on a singular aim of coherent and efficient business growth. Meandering staff dissipate everyone’s energy and need to be brought into line or discarded. Off-message tasks need to be quashed; mission creep needs to be avoided like the plague.

However, if you succeed in getting your business processes and working environment right in the early stages, everything can fall into place so that one action reinforces the next and scale-up becomes easier. As an entrepreneur, you’ll know when your business is lasing because rapid growth will appear unstoppable and everyone around you will be marching enthusiastically toward the same goal that you outlined in your vision, with an energy that seems unquenchable.

Start to Exit is due to be published in 2017..