What do you believe is the most effective form of growth?

Our reader poll today asks: What do you believe is the most effective form of growth?

– Organic: 49%
– Acquisition: 15%
– Geographic expansion: 10%
– New product introduction: 23%
– Other: 3%

Go organic. The large majority of you are fans of growing your existing business and taking it to new customers or growing customer bases you already have. While there’s a lot to be said for organic growth, it can be slow and it leaves you vulnerable to large changes in the market like competitors making acquisitions or launching new products that leave you in the dust. Evaluate your growth strategy on a regular basis. Be rigorous about understanding your growth options and choose the one most appropriate to the market environment. Sticking only to a “slow and steady wins the race” approach exposes you to other risks that can damage your business.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 210,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.