Effective lessons to grow your business based on the success pattern of America's highest growth businesses

• The 7 Essentials of High-Growth Companies

  Are you leveraging the success pattern of America's most successful growth companies?

• Video: How to Achieve Exponential Growth

  An introduction to the 7 Essentials that distinguish America's highest-growth companies and the ones you are probably ignoring

• Redefining Growth

  How are you and your company aspiring to achieve exceptional growth despite the challenging times ahead?

• Video: Redefining Growth: Why Revenue Rules

  Growing revenue is more important than merely increasing your customer base, says David G. Thomson. Think Google vs. Twitter

• PDF: The 7 Essentials

  David G. Thomson has spent years analyzing and advising America's highest growth companies. Their secret? Most utilize five or more of The 7 Essentials—the management practices or blueprint that fuels high growth companies across all industries and company sizes

• Essential No. 1: Creating Exceptional Value

  How Middleby's fueled its growth in kitchen gear even in recessions by creating and sustaining exceptional value for its customers

• Video: Essential No. 1: Creating Value

  America's fastest-growing companies create and sustain "exceptional value," as perceived by customers, says David G. Thomson

• Essential No. 2: Redefine Your Market

  How are you redefining your market opportunity to identify growth during challenging times?

• Video: Essential No. 2: Market Segments

  Target a high-growth market segment within a large market, advises David G. Thomson. You can even find a segment within a market that is otherwise stagnant

• Essential No. 3: Customers Can Sell for You

  Are you leveraging your best customers to do more than just buy from you?

• Video: Essential No. 3: Marquee Customers

  Your best customers can do more than just buy from you. They can help you fuel growth by serving as an extension of your salesforce

• Essential No. 4: Leverage Alliances for Growth

  Little Brothers need to create win-win alliances with Big Brother companies to help them open new, high-margin markets, advises David G. Thomson

• Video: Essential No. 4: Form Alliances

  Establish a long-term, win-win "Big Brother/Little Brother" alliance to fill portfolio gaps, fortify supply chains, or open new markets

• Essential No. 5: Focus on Cash Flow

  Having little or no long-term debt and being cash-flow positive early on are harbingers of success for high-growth companies

• Video: Essential No. 5: Focus on Cash Flow

  The number of struggling companies saddled with high levels of long-term debt demonstrates the importance of achieving consistent profitability

• Essential No. 6: It Takes a Dynamic Duo

  The importance of inside-outside leadership pairs for high growth—like Apple's Steve Jobs and Tim Cook

• Video: Essential No. 6: Dynamic Duos

  Growth requires not just one leader but a pair, says David G. Thomson. Think Apple's outwardly focused CEO, Steve Jobs, and the inwardly focused COO, Tim Cook

• Essential No. 7: Build a Billion-Dollar Board

  Boards of directors at America's highest-growth companies contains customers, alliance partners, community members, and even distinguished CEOs

• Video: Essential No. 7: Balance Your Board

  Top-growth companies have customers, management, alliance partners, and ideally a CEO from another top company on their board of directors, points out David G. Thomson

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