Business Growth Strategies That Work

Just about one in seven companies has outperformed in the past five years. This latest installment of our landmark series for CEOs highlights business growth strategies that work.

Do you think of Walmart as a media or technology company?  Discover where more than half of its operating-income growth comes from.  

Better yet, learn how leaders get ahead and stay ahead by implementing these business growth strategies that work. 

What Is Business Stress About?

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, doesn’t believe stress comes from having too much to do. Instead, he believes it comes from not doing something soon enough. 

Bezos’ net worth hovers around $234 billion. But despite decades of scaling one of the largest companies in the world, he said his experience with stress hasn’t fundamentally changed. 

According to Fortune, Bezos has said stress tends to surface not when he’s overloaded, but when he’s avoiding something.

Find out how stress is really a symptom of something, as Bezos feels.

Positioning Your Business for Growth

Nearly half of American workers are employed by a small business. These companies have been called the heart of the American economy, and data supports their longevity and success. In fact, a 2024 report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce indicates that 67% of small business owners say their business has enough cash flow right now, and 65% say their business is in “good health.”

Here are the strategies that small businesses are trying and succeeding with, as well as where to expect growth for the rest of 2026.

Run Your Business Like You Only Get One Take

Running a company means your audience is always watching. You can’t do anything new or noteworthy if you don’t put yourself out there in spite of the possibility of failure. Even a launch that underperforms provides clarity, momentum and direction. 

Learn what great business leaders performers share, and how it helps them seize opportunities instead of missing out.

It gets back to running your business like you only get one take. This is not a dress rehearsal. Real progress requires (calculated) risk.

Success On Her Terms: Empowering Journeys of Women Who Built Multi-Million Dollar Businesses

Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global (wegg) is a partner to the Women Presidents Organization.  In wegg's latest new series, Success On Her Terms, both of the multi-million dollar woman business owners in Episode 1 and Episode 2 are former WPO Chicago members.

Listen to the conversations and take note of key insights on discovering your true North and what truly matters in business and in life.

Success On Her Terms is hosted by Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global and powered by Merrill, the Baldwin Marcovici Group.

Scaling a Business Requires a New Mindset. Here’s What Might Be Holding You Back

Many founders can get their companies to $1 million in revenue, but very few successfully push through to $10 million.

The reason? They often rely on the same strategies that got them to $1 million without realizing that what worked in the early days can hold them back in the next growth phase.

Here are five common mistakes founders make that keep them from scaling to $10 million. But luckily, it’s possible to overcome them. Here’s how to scale a business the right way. 

Photos: Massive Winter Storm Sweeps Across the U.S., Including Chicago

©2026 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.  (Chicago, 1/25/26)

An extreme winter storm is underway impacting two-thirds of the U.S. Starting Friday, 1/23/26 and expected to last through Monday, freezing rain, ice, and dangerously low temperatures will stretch from New Mexico to the Northeast.

Thousands of flights have been cancelled and power outages are of catastrophic concern especially for the southern states.

Take a look.