Scaling a business is a little like creating a complex work of art—both require creativity, strategy, and execution. The seven principles of art—balance, contrast, emphasis, pattern, rhythm, unity, and harmony—offer an interesting perspective for business owners aiming to scale up. Integrating these principles with a clear sense of purpose, vision, and strategy can help craft a compelling and successful business growth story.
It’s unorthodox thinking, we’ll grant you. And before you decide that we’ve lost our collective minds here at GrowthCatalyst, ask yourself this: “how many businesses meet their scaling ambitions without thinking a little differently”? The answer is, not many…
Here’s our take on the intersection of art and a scaling business.
Purpose, vision, and strategy: the foundation for scaling
We’ve written on this multiple times, most recently in our last Insight. For those who missed it, the essence is this: purpose, vision, and strategy form the bedrock of any successful scaling effort. Without them, you’re missing key ingredients in your decision-making framework.
Purpose defines why your business exists beyond the profit motive. It acts as your guiding star, ensuring that every decision and action is aligned with the core values of the business.
Vision describes where you want to go and offers a clear picture of the future, motivating and providing the target for long-term goals.
Strategy is your roadmap, translating purpose and vision into actionable plans that guide growth. Together, they create a structured, meaningful and cohesive scaling effort.
Now, let’s explore how the principles of art apply to the scaling process, with purpose, vision, and strategy as guiding forces.
1. Balance: harmonising growth with purpose and vision when scaling business
In art, balance is about the visual equilibrium created by distributing elements evenly. It produces a sense that the work "feels right". For a business, balance involves aligning scaling efforts with purpose and vision to ensure sustainable growth – making sure that what you're doing "feels right".
Practically speaking:
As your business scales, balance ensures that growth is aligned with your core purpose and vision. Achieving balance means distributing resources effectively so that every growth opportunity has the potential to succeed while supporting that purpose and vision.
It means critically evaluating every growth opportunity and being quite ruthless about pursuing only those that support your "why". This balance helps maintain a coherent strategy and prevents the pitfalls of overextending or losing sight of your core values.
2. Contrast: differentiating with a strategic focus
Contrast in art refers to the difference between elements in a composition that makes each one stand out. In business, contrast helps differentiate your brand and align with strategic objectives.
Practically speaking:
Use contrast to showcase what makes your business unique while staying aligned with your vision. At the most basic level, this means putting your purpose at the centre of your efforts. It should also involve contrasting your offerings against competitors to highlight your purpose and emphasise your distinctiveness.
For instance, if your vision is to lead your market in client experience, contrast your approach with that of competitors by demonstrating how purpose drives all interactions with your clients and leads to differentiated service levels. This strategic use of contrast strengthens your brand’s positioning and appeal.
3. Emphasis: prioritising strategic objectives
Emphasis in art draws attention to specific elements, making them stand out. For businesses, emphasis means concentrating efforts on strategic priorities that align with your purpose and vision, similarly making your business stand out.
Practically speaking:
Identify and emphasise the key areas necessary to achieve your growth objectives. This could include launching an innovative new product/service, entering a new market, or investing in a strategic partnership. When you align and emphasise these priorities with your overall strategy, you ensure that this focus drives significant impact.
If, for example, your strategy includes expanding into international markets, emphasise this initiative by allocating resources and developing specific marketing campaigns. This helps ensure that your strategic priorities receive the attention and investment they need to succeed.
4. Pattern: establishing consistency in execution
In art, pattern refers to the repetition of elements to create cohesion. In business, establishing patterns of consistency reinforces your purpose and supports your strategic goals. Consistency is enhanced when purpose, vision, and strategy are in balance.
Practically speaking:
Create consistent processes and messaging that align with your purpose and vision and are focused on the client experience and outcomes. Develop standard operating procedures, strong and uniform branding, and a consistent client experience. Patterns of consistency help reinforce your brand identity and streamline operations, making scaling more manageable.
If your vision is to become a market leader in innovation, make sure your product development processes and marketing materials consistently demonstrate your innovative approach. Consistency in execution supports your strategic goals and builds a strong, recognisable brand.
5. Rhythm: maintaining momentum and strategic flow
Rhythm in art creates flow and movement. In business, rhythm refers to the pacing of growth, strategic initiatives and execution to maintain momentum.
Practically speaking:
Establish a rhythm in your scaling efforts by setting regular milestones, maintaining an appropriate and effective growth pace, and coordinating activity to ensure that progress is as consistent as possible (and, therefore, sustainable). This should include creating a cadence for marketing campaigns in particular.
At the very least, you should implement a review system with clear milestones to keep your growth initiatives on track. A strong rhythm ensures your strategy is executed as smoothly as possible and your team remains aligned and motivated.
6. Unity: aligning all efforts with purpose and vision
Unity in art integrates elements to create a cohesive whole. In business, unity means aligning all aspects of your organisation—strategy, operations, culture, and goals—with your purpose and vision.
Practically speaking:
Ensure that every part of your business unquestionably supports your overall purpose and vision. This involves fostering a culture that reflects your values, aligning team objectives with strategic goals, and reinforcing your scaling aspirations in all communications.
For instance, if your purpose is to enhance client well-being, ensure that your growth initiatives, employee engagement programs, and client interactions all reflect this. Unity helps create a focused and effective business where every element contributes to achieving your growth outcomes.
7. Harmony: achieving a cohesive growth strategy
Harmony in art involves arranging elements to create connection and flow. In business, achieving harmony means ensuring that all aspects of your growth strategy work together to support your purpose and vision.
Practically speaking:
You can work toward harmony by integrating different elements of your business—product/service development, marketing, client service, and operations—to complement and enhance each other. Aligning your strategic initiatives with your purpose and ensuring that every aspect of your business supports your vision is key to creating harmony and achieving your scaling ambitions.
Your vision may be to lead your market in eco-friendly products, so harmonising product development, supply chain practices, and marketing messages to reflect this commitment will be critical. Achieving harmony between elements of your strategy creates a compelling brand identity that resonates with your target audience.
That's a lot
It is.
The art world has something to contribute to us business types that love to chase scale.
The principles of art—balance, contrast, emphasis, pattern, rhythm, unity, and harmony—provide valuable insights. When you integrate these artistic principles with a strong sense of business purpose, vision, and strategy, you can craft a growth strategy that is both creative and effective.
Purpose provides direction, vision outlines your aspirations, and strategy translates these into actionable plans. When aligned with the principles of art, these elements ensure that your scaling efforts are well-balanced, distinctive, focused, consistent, rhythmic, unified, and harmonious. Embrace these principles to create a masterpiece of growth and scaling success in your business.
Could your scale-up plans use some artistic flair?
A conversation with a GrowthCatalyst adviser could be just what you need to give your scale-up aspirations the best possible chance of being realised. We can help you build long-term, sustainable and profitable business growth.
Contact us to arrange a face-to-face or virtual conversation.
Alternatively, you can book a time for an initial discussion here.
In other news...
GrowthCatalyst has joined forces with several like-minded professionals to form the advisory group Konektis (check us out here). Collectively, the Konektis team provides integrated, multi-disciplinary advice to SMEs to deliver a "one strategy" outcome.
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