5 Ways To Grow Your Business Right Now

Five years ago, I was about to go into lockdown.

Clients had no money and I had bills to pay. Divorce had wiped out all my savings. After 25 years of paying taxes, the British government didn't support me because I was a new business owner. I was heartbroken. How was I going to get by?

In your worst moments, you tend to do one of three things. You make terrible decisions. You make no decision at all, hoping things will improve on their own - which is usually the same as a terrible decision. Or you make a smart one.

What happened next was a smart decision. I say that with some humility, because at the time I wasn't entirely sure. Sometimes you're just trying to survive and you hope that something works.

I went back to basics. I re-read my ebook How to sell when times are tough (no longer available, sorry!)over a weekend. Apart from a few shifts in LinkedIn's algorithm, 49 out of 52 pages of that e-book still hold up in 2025. I'm proud of that. And relieved.

The answer to getting through a difficult period in business isn't complicated. It comes down to one thing: growth. Not growth as a buzzword. Growth as a decision - a daily commitment to doing the things that move your business forward even when the conditions aren't ideal.

Here's what's worked for me, and what I've seen work for the people I train and coach.

Start speaking at local networking events

Do the one-minute pitches. The two-minute pitches. The five-minute ones. They feel awkward at first, and that's fine.

After around 20 of these, something shifts. You get sharper, more confident, and you start attracting people who are genuinely interested in working with you. Public speaking is one of the most underused business development tools available to small business owners, and most of your competitors aren't doing it.

Build your presence on LinkedIn

LinkedIn isn't what it was five years ago in terms of immediate ROI, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling something. But it still works - particularly for relationships, community, and building the kind of brand that means people already trust you before they pick up the phone.

The key is consistency and giving value without expecting an immediate return. If you want to understand how to use it properly for lead generation, take a look at the LinkedIn training I run for individuals and teams.

Ask for recommendations and referrals

This has been my single biggest source of growth over the last year. Not ads, not cold outreach - recommendations.

The formula is simple. Overdeliver to your existing clients. Then, when the time is right, ask them to refer you to people in their network. Most people never ask. That's your advantage.

If you want to read more about why referrals matter and how to ask for them properly, I've written about why recommendations are vital for your sales strategy - the principles are the same.

Write letters

I know. Hear me out.

Sending a handwritten or personally written letter in the post still works in 2025. It works because almost nobody does it anymore. It stands out. It shows thought and effort. And it gets opened, which is more than you can say for most cold emails.

I've been doing this consistently and the response rate still surprises me. If you want to differentiate yourself from every other person in your market, start here.

Deal with your scarcity mindset

This one is less tactical and more honest.

Too many people waste time and energy on things they can't control - politics, news, what competitors are doing, whether conditions are right. That focus doesn't grow your business. It shrinks your thinking.

I've made a deliberate choice not to operate that way. I believe there's enough work out there for everyone who's willing to show up properly and do the job well. That belief is not naïve. It's practical. Because the alternative - sitting in scarcity, waiting for things to feel safer - doesn't pay the bills.

If you want to talk through how any of this applies to your business, get in touch or take a look at the sales coaching programmes to see how I work with people one to one.