7 KEY STEPS FOR BUSINESS GROWTH THAT WORKS

A concrete growth strategy is more than a marketing strategy, it's a crucial cog in your business machine. Without one, you're at the mercy of a fickle consumer base and market fluctuations.

DON'T STOP AT THE INTERVIEW

Many people, especially women, start businesses because they want to be their own boss. In fact, this was the No. 1 reason cited by MasterCard in a 2006 Woman in Small Business survey. Sure, the hours are long and the ups and downs of growing a business can remind us of childhood roller-coaster rides, but as entrepreneurs we know this is one of the many trade-offs we make when we embrace doing work we love.