After watching coverage during the recent Winter Games, I found myself most engaged by the alpine skiing events – probably not surprising, as I have been a skier for almost 40 years. But I also realized that these events fascinate me because they provide an interesting comparison to how companies operate, especially when they are in their periods of fastest growth.

When a company is just getting started, it’s much like the downhill event. There is room to take some big risks to gain speed. Once a viable business model has been established and a company seeks to gain advantage in the market, the situation is more like the slalom where the right combination of speed, control and awareness is needed to get down the course ahead of the competition. From a business perspective, companies that pay too much attention to near-term success without paying enough attention to the obstacles ahead of them will not be able to stay in the race.

The Growth Machine

Splunk is a company that fits the second scenario very well. As a provider of machine data analytics, Splunk has generated impressive growth since its 2006 inception by taking advantage of a widespread need for insight across “websites, applications, servers, networks, mobile devices and all the sensors and RFID assets that produce data every second of every day.”  It has established itself as a leader in this market, and it used this growth to have a successful IPO in 2012.

But rapid growth can be difficult to sustain, especially as a company becomes larger. Just like a competitive slalom skier, Splunk has had the challenge of keeping its momentum while it navigates an increasingly tricky terrain, expanding its operations both in terms of size and geography. Splunk has placed significant focus on its internal capabilities, making sure it has the right people, the right processes and the right data in order to achieve its growth strategy. As a result it has been able to maintain its trajectory, announcing 50 percent year-over-year revenue growth for its fiscal year ending January 2014.

Best Practices from Splunk: Mar 6th Webcast

Join us on March 6th to learn specific best practices that have helped Splunk successfully stay ahead of the competition:

• Where Splunk aligned people and processes to support its growth
• How Splunk handled customer data issues that could have hindered the effectiveness of its sales team
• What are the common challenges that can hinder your growth objectives?

To reserve your space at this free webinar, click the banner below: