It’s been 8 years since I founded Asymmetry Group. Time flies and you start thinking you’ve “seen it all.” So, it was very interesting when a conversation a few days ago triggered some deep reflections on the business. I thought I’d share what came to mind, as it was an important reminder about remaining focused on what matters.
A former business school classmate asked me how we made decisions about growing our small consulting business, with the clear implication that we could have grown faster. The short answer is that we don’t want to. Don’t get me wrong—I’m incredibly proud of how we’ve grown and landing on the Inc.5000 list of the fastest growing private US companies the last two years. But that’s not what drives us.
With countless strategy consulting firms serving the life sciences industry, we have to remain dedicated to our mission, which has been unwavering since our inception: to serve the most passionate biopharmaceutical companies in delivering highly innovative products to customers with pressing unmet needs. We do this by building deep relationships with the companies we have the privilege of supporting and serving them with a highly skilled and exceptional team.
With that in mind, I want to express my gratitude to our Asymmetry team for showing me that we can achieve remarkable business performance and impact while working alongside people who inspire us, challenge us, and make our workplace more enjoyable every day.
Back to my former classmate’s question…we do need to grow, but that growth is driven by a need to achieve two things:
- First, to scale the business in a sustainable way that enables us to meet the needs of our clients;
- Second, to enable achieving individual growth and development ambitions from our talented team of consultants.
The word “sustainable” is key. We could hire salespeople tomorrow, quickly expand our team and capacity, and aggressively cold call companies. But, doing so would take us off course and lead us to take on work and clients that don’t align with our values.
Much like building a custom home, we’ve remained focused on creating a rock-solid foundation on which we’re building a thoughtfully designed structure intended to be passed down. This approach isn’t for everyone. It’s not meant to attract private equity firms or external attention, nor is it intended to build a monument to ourselves. Instead, it’s designed to empower our team to make a meaningful impact in the areas that matter most to our clients, who in turn are delivering extraordinary value and impact to the healthcare system globally.
We’ll continue to grow thoughtfully, allowing us to remain squarely focused on our mission. In a sea of similarity, this is how we’re trying to stand out. In a world that often seems to prioritize rapid revenue growth above all else, we’re set on continuing to grow sustainably. And to my former colleague and anyone thinking about starting a business, just make sure you are keenly aware of who you want your company to be, and why – the rest will follow.