By Anthony Moss
If your business feels stuck or if you are ready to leap forward with more confidence the first step is awareness. Identify your current stage. Be honest about what is holding you back. And then choose the support structure that will help you grow into the CEO your business needs next.
In the life of every business, growth rarely follows a straight line. From the spark of an idea to becoming a recognised industry leader, businesses evolve through distinct stages. So too must the CEOs who lead them. Understanding where your business sits in this cycle and what your next evolution demands of you is critical. Equally important is knowing how to fast track your way forward. For many private and founder-led companies, the right support structure can make all the difference between plateauing and propelling to the next level. Let us explore the four key stages of growth and what it takes to move through them with clarity and momentum.
Stage One: The Early Stage
This is the startup phase. The business is young, energy is high, and every new client or sale is a win. Founders wear many hats, making rapid decisions and doing whatever it takes to get the venture off the ground. Leadership in this stage is hands-on and directive. Agility and instinct dominate as systems are still forming. The risk here is burnout, misalignment, or running out of resources before the business model proves itself. The opportunity lies in shaping culture early and validating the value proposition with speed and focus. The CEO’s role is to inspire belief and build the first version of the team.
Stage Two: Fighting for Position
This is the most difficult and dangerous stage. The business is no longer a start-up, but it is not yet breaking through to consistent performance. Results are erratic, resources feel stretched, and frustration builds. Leaders constantly react instead of shaping the future. Here many businesses remain stuck, trapped in a whirlpool of complexity. Some team members are growing; others are out of their depth. Strategy is responding to the latest opportunity. Profit and cash flow become unpredictable.
For the CEO, this is the make-or-break phase. The need for strategic clarity, team capability and external perspective becomes urgent. Yet, the path forward is often clouded by legacy thinking and internal noise. This is where the CEO must evolve from problem-solver to performance enabler. The fast-track here involves letting go of control, inviting in experienced external thinking, and building the strategic muscle to navigate bigger decisions with more confidence.
Stage Three: Transforming Organisation
This is where the shift begins. The business has found product-market fit. The right team is forming. Strategy is clear, and execution improves. There is a sense of flow and alignment. The business is learning from its successes and failures, not just surviving them. The CEO’s role shifts again. No longer directing every move, they focus on creating an environment where the organisation can learn, adapt and deliver consistently. Culture becomes a lever, not a lag.
At this stage, an effective CEO is building systems that sustain performance and expanding the business’s thinking beyond immediate delivery. The company starts to shape its industry identity and build external partnerships that matter. The fast-track from here comes from targeted expertise. Whether entering new markets, acquiring talent, or developing IP, the right strategic advisory structure provides both challenge and reassurance. It helps the CEO see around corners and avoid the comfort zone.
Stage Four: Industry Leader
This is the stage most aspire to but few reach. The organisation is not just delivering results, it is respected, resilient, and forward-looking. It sets benchmarks others follow -it is knowns as the ‘go to’ in its domain. There is a culture of renewal, not just repetition. Here, the CEO becomes a shaper of industry narratives. They must balance present performance with future reinvention. Internal capability is high, but external thinking remains critical to avoid stagnation. Decisions become less about fixing and more about scaling and transforming.
At this stage, leadership becomes nuanced. The CEO is now a curator of excellence, choosing the right opportunities, guiding purpose, and ensuring the organisation reinvents before it is forced to. Fast-tracking from here is about staying uncomfortable. It means inviting new perspectives, embracing radical ideas, and ensuring the business remains agile even at scale. The smartest CEOs are those who remain curious and refuse to coast.
The CEO’s Challenge: Capability Before Comfort
A business can only grow as fast as its leadership capability. Yet many CEOs unknowingly become the constraint. They either do not have access to the thinking they need or have built an environment where challenge is avoided. One of the fastest ways to move from one stage to the next is to build a structure that brings in targeted expertise, holds up a mirror, and creates strategic pressure for growth without taking away control.
Whether through a high-performing executive team, a trusted circle of mentors or a structured Advisory Board, having your own A-team of people vested in your success is a game changer. It provides a multiplier effect on your efforts, helps lift your leadership focus from operational to strategic, and accelerates the organisation’s learning. It reminds you that you need not do it alone.
If your business feels stuck or if you are ready to leap forward with more confidence the first step is awareness. Identify your current stage. Be honest about what is holding you back. And then choose the support structure that will help you grow into the CEO your business needs next.Because real transformation does not come from doing more. It comes from thinking differently and surrounding yourself with those who challenge, clarify and believe in what is possible.
Anthony Moss
