High-growth start-ups are different from other small business models. These are repeatable and scalable businesses that continue to grow despite an increased and expanding workload.
So, no doubt, working in a high-growth start-up is challenging as the company is constantly in the growth phase. However, unlike small businesses, high-growth start-ups usually get angel and VC funding to expand their company despite the growing pains.
Additionally, the teams at these companies must have a fire within, making them work with dedication and motivation to ensure the start-up keeps growing and attaining desired goals. Among other employees, a business operation manager is one of the central pillars of a high-growth start-up. This is why he/she must act as a leader to encourage the team to increase their performance.
So, if you want to become a business operations manager at a high-growth start-up, it is best to be prepared for the onslaught of responsibilities. In this article, learn the duties of a business operation manager at a high-growth start-up and how you can keep up with them.
The Role of a Business Operation Leader
A business operation manager is one of the vital people in any start-up or a well-established company. It is their job to make all the responsible decisions concerning production.
As a business operation manager, your responsibility is to critically analyze current production processes and determine how to save cost in the next production.
In Australia, 974 companies are registered daily, which means 40 new businesses start operating every hour. However, not all of these companies survive long term as 20% of businesses fail in the first year while 60% can’t maintain their place in the market for more than three years.
When the competition is so intense, as a business operation manager, you need to step up your game and ensure you can handle the pressure. Meanwhile, you will also have to keep your team motivated to ensure they provide their 100%.
The business operation manager role is challenging and stressful but quite rewarding when things go right. Make sure you come prepared with the following abilities:
Select The Right People
It is your duty as a product manager to create a team that does not succumb to the pressure of a high-growth start-up. Despite how much effort you put in, the start-up will never reach the desired success if you don’t have the right people.
This is because you need multiple people to take charge of various responsibilities. So, you can’t run a one-man show and expect to see fast and significant results.
Therefore, to be confident that your current team is the right fit or to appoint correct people, reassess your own talent first. To do that, ask yourself, is the current team capable of providing the expected service level? Are you and your team collectively identifying the right opportunities to create sustainable business growth? How passionate is your team in pursuing new leads?
Make a quiz to analyse your team and yourself to learn if something is missing that can be interfering with the company’s onward growth. Evaluate every answer to ensure that you are surrounded by not only the top talent in the field but with the right and qualified team for your company.
Also read: How to Find Affordable MBA Courses in Singapore
Strive To Improve Workplace Culture
Workplace culture is directly connected with performance productivity, healthy company and employee development, and better business finance performance. In addition, the workplace culture determines the company’s success and the chances of attracting talented people.
When a company’s culture is supportive and encouraging, employees feel worthy. If your team feels their efforts are appreciated, it increases their performance, creating operational efficiencies as a result.
Operational efficiencies lower costs by helping people streamline the organization’s work and communication process. This also ensures that every organization’s activity is aligned with a business requirement to keep the growth in progress.
So, take the first step to improve your workplace’s culture for your team. First, determine the workplace issues, then invest in multiple strategies to find their solution. Remember, motivation is the key to efficient and productive work outcomes, leading to organizational success.
Have The Ability To Deal With All Kinds Of Clientele
As a business operation manager, you are the leader of your team and the representative of your company. That is why you must act with authority when dealing with clients. In addition, you are the head of the department that determines which projects are beneficial for the company and lie within the budget.
While dealing with clients, you must embrace this role to select a suitable clientele. It is vital to approve the right clients for long-term business growth. The clients whose objectives align with your companies have more potential to be long-term clients than those who do not have sustainable business needs.
When dealing with clients confidently, drawing upon your leadership role helps you see beyond the prominent spot. This enables you to ask the right question from future clients and look at the people who can become long-term clients. Moreover, having the right clientele is beneficial for both parties due to perfect goal alignment.
Know When To Focus On Self-Growth
As a business operation manager of a high-growth start-up, you need to evolve with challenges to keep up with the company’s growth goals. This business model is highly scalable, so you also have to be vigilant and tackle every curve ball thrown at you.
In addition, to stay connected with the new business theories, you must have an open mind towards learning. Therefore, you must not hesitate to enrol in an educational program to learn new business operation models.
Certificate IV in Business Operations is one of Australia’s most effective training programs. You can quickly get a certificate IV in business in Australia to hone your decision-making and problem-solving skills.
Obtaining training in these skills is highly essential for your operational manager role. This is because you can better handle issues between your team members to improve workplace culture. Moreover, with improved decision-making skills, you think quickly on your feet during meetings and make the right decision to enhance company growth.
Conduct Regular Risk Assessments
To sustain business growth, you must be good at doing quick risk assessments, even in challenging situations. While it is almost impossible to lead the company towards development without risk, rash decisions can backfire, resulting in significant profit loss.
Additionally, always consult your teammates and staff while conducting a risk assessment. This practice is precious as your team knows the ins and outs of every project. So, they give you an exclusive insight that helps you during risk assessment.
Your team members also provide a new opinion, helping you see one situation from a different angle. As they know the potential risks and problems, their advice can ensure you avoid taking a potentially dangerous route that can produce negative results.
Align All Departments For Maximum Productivity
Business operational managers are strategically chosen as they connect different departments. They directly communicate with the top authority, personal operations department, and various other departments.
This is because the operational manager’s job is to keep an eye on every department to check that they all are doing their consecutive work efficiently. To do that, they must create a good communication bond with every department’s employees to personally get a report on their progress.
In addition, if an employee is facing any issue, you can directly talk to them and try to solve their problem. When departments are in touch with each other and have a solid connection, it reduces employee rivalry and promotes teamwork.
That is why, as a business operations manager, you must go to all departments to converse with all employees. Ask them work-related questions and inspect their work because even if it’s not your department, you are the one who is in charge of making the right company decisions.
Wrapping Up
A business operation manager position in a high-growth start-up is challenging. You need to match your pace with the company’s scalability speed and ensure that your team stays updated.
And since you are a vital part of the start-up’s success, you need to understand your role in hiring people, negotiating contracts, setting budgets, leading general business operations, and helping teams achieve their goals. All in all, the business operations manager is a highly competitive job, so you should maintain your calibre according to the job’s demand.
