2. Look after the bottom line and keep your customers satisfied
Chris Wilkins
Founder, DVT
“There’s nothing magical about a business model. It’s simply the nuts and bolts of how a business plans to generate revenue and profits. But as you grow, how you do it changes.”
It took Chris Wilkins just over ten years to build his software company, DVT, into a R100 million business. Less than two years later, he more than doubled that turnover. So how did he do it? He positioned his company for growth through a strong focus on organisational structure.
“When we started, I looked after the profit and made sure clients were happy. Those are the two main elements of any successful company. I did that for the first five years and then we employed our first business unit head. Over time, we have replicated that model. It’s completely scalable, allowing us to keep hiring as the need arises and the business expands. Now we have a federal system where business unit managers head their own profit line. We have invested heavily in growing the number of business unit heads.”