How do you turn a small business into a big business? (Part 1) - Echeazu Chika

Over the last few months, we have talked a lot
about entrepreneurship, and I know many of you
have been bitten by the entrepreneurship bug, and
you are now trying to get something started, or
better still, you have already started something.
Others would simply like to see the organisation
they work for become bigger, and go outside their
region or country.
Over the next few weeks, I want to address the
question:

"How do we turn our small business into a big
business?"

I know you have a big dream, and a vision to see
your business become a national champion, and
then probably a regional champion, until it is a
continental champion, until ultimately it is a global
brand with offices around the world.
Yes, it is possible and you can definitely do it.
One of the things I have learnt in life, is to avoid
prescribing formulas. And I know many people
would like to be given a formula. When I was at school, I learnt that
people who cram
formulas are destined to fail. The ones who
succeed are those who grasp principles, from
which formulas are derived.

I am going to teach you principles; some of which
will surprise you. Some of them, will challenge
what you have been taught, or have come to
believe. I hope you will have an open mind, and
where necessary the courage to change
somethings.
In the table below which I took from Forbes
Magazine, is a list of the world's largest
companies, based on revenue (not market value).

1 Apple Inc. 603,277.4
2 Exxon Mobil. 401,094.1
3 Microsoft 381,959.7
4 Google 361,998.4
5 Berkshire Hathaway. 340,055.0
I have chosen this list because of something, I
want you to see:

1. Some of these companies have an annual
turnover that is as large as the the GDP of
Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy.
2. A company like Walmart, which is owned by an
American family, has more than 2 m, employees.
"How is it possible to build and manage
organisations of that size?"
"How"?
"How"?