I grew my business from 4 people to 16,000 in 7 years. Here are 5 ways I've seen new business owners fail when they expand, and how I've avoided making those mistakes.

Sun, 08/13/2023 - 07:27

Sudhir Agarwal speaks at the opening of Everise's premises in Colombia. — Sudhir Agarwal started his own firm in 2016 and started off by acquiring a loss-making company. Over the next 7 years, he grew its headcount to 16,000 people.
Everise.

Sudhir Agarwal founded Everise in 2016 with a team of four employees in Singapore.
Now, his company employs more than 16,000 people in eight countries.
He outlined five common mistakes small-business owners make as they try to expand.

This as-told-to essay is based on an interview with Sudhir Agarwal, the founder of Everise, which runs outsourced customer service for other firms. It has been edited for length and clarity.

In 2016, I left my job as the CEO of an IT consultancy to start my own firm — Everise. We were a small team at the time, with just four people in Singapore.