Every business goes through stages, and each stage demands something different.
The cycle is simple but powerful:
- Seed
- Startup
- Early Growth
- Later Growth
- Expansion
- Maturity
- Revitalization
- Exit
At the seed stage, you shouldn’t be selling yet. This is the time for research, validation, and raising your startup fund. Jumping ahead only sets you up for premature failure.
The problem is, most entrepreneurs confuse registration with readiness. Just because you registered with CAC doesn’t mean you are already a company. You’re still a startup. And startups are not small companies; they are experiments searching for a model that works.
If you understand the stage you’re in, you’ll know what to focus on. If you don’t, you’ll be trying to harvest where you should still be planting.
Dr. Smith Ezenagu is the Chairman of Esso Group, a diversified conglomerate shaping real estate, finance, education, and media. Dr. Smith Ezenagu is recognized as a real estate & investment mogul, life coach, and private equity expert. He leads Esso Group and its subsidiaries: Esso Properties (awarded Nigeria’s Most Innovative Real Estate Company in 2024 and recognized as the best real estate company in Nigeria), Esso School of Enterprise (the leading institution equipping entrepreneurs), and Esso Capital (delivering smart, trusted financial solutions across Nigeria).