Growing and scaling a business is no easy feat. It takes grit, perseverance, and the right strategies. Daniel Johnson, founder of luxury home building company Immaculate Homes, has leveraged key techniques to grow his business over the last 8 years. Daniel recently shared his approach and mindset around business expansion. Here are 3 top tips business leaders can learn from his experience:

Surround Yourself with A-Players

Daniel credits much of his success to the team around him. He emphasizes the importance of surrounding yourself with driven, talented people. As he put it, “A lot of that success comes from bringing the right people into the room and continuing the company’s growth journey together.”

Rather than hiring average talent you must train up, Daniel advocates finding the best from the start. “You need to lean in and know that you’re looking for the best of the best and when you know that you’re looking for the best of the best, they’re gonna come.” Top talent attracts more top talent.

Making sure you can afford and compensate star players is critical. Daniel notes you must be willing to pay for A-player expertise. Building a strong team accelerates growth more than trying to coach up lesser qualified candidates.

Understand Your Differentiators

Daniel emphasizes the importance of knowing what makes you unique and different in the marketplace. He advises against just copying competitors. “Go out there and really understand in terms of what’s going to make you different…not being there to do exactly what your competitors do.”

Spend time clarifying your niche, your area of excellence, and what your customers truly want. According to Daniel, “That’s understanding really what differentiates yourself from others.” Leverage your distinct advantages and clearly convey how you stand apart.

Take Action Over Idea Generation

Great business ideas are worthless without execution. Daniel stresses the need to put ideas into action, saying “I think going out there and giving it a go is certainly more important than having a great idea and it only ever been a great idea.”

He notes that “sitting idle and sitting waiting and not so much putting ideas into actions can sometimes be the death of any great idea.” Avoid analysis paralysis. Start testing the market and response to your offerings, even in small ways. Daniel believes starting trumps waiting for perfection.

Business growth demands constant learning and evolution. When asked if he feels he’s accomplished everything he set out to, Daniel replied, “I’m just scratching the surface in terms of where my ability is to be honest with you…I know that I can’t [be] similar to the tree behind me – it’s always going to strive to become bigger and better.” Adopting a growth mindset positions you for ongoing success.

Additional Tips for Entrepreneurs

In discussing his approach, Daniel shared other useful perspectives for entrepreneurs on the journey:

  • Give yourself permission to achieve what you set your mind to. Understand that growth requires pushing your own boundaries.
  • Don’t let perceived failures stop progress. View them as lessons to learn from, not reasons to quit. Learn from challenges and mistakes.
  • Take action over idea generation. Testing the market with an early version of a product is better than waiting for perfection.
  • Believe in yourself. You are the reason for your accomplishments so far. Surround yourself with others who also believe in your vision.
  • Don’t limit yourself with labels or perceived limitations. Become whoever you aspire to be.

Daniel’s strategies have fueled rapid expansion of Immaculate Homes thus far. For business leaders and entrepreneurs, applying his advice can propel your own professional and company growth to new heights.

To learn more about Daniel Johnson and his approach, visit his website or his LinkedIn profile here.