“One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries." –A. A. Milne

Many people in entrepreneurial and startup circles would agree with the Pooh author. There’s a huge push for today’s small businesses to be relentlessly innovating and disrupting their industries — and rightfully so. Technology and connectivity give small businesses tremendous power to be more agile and inventive than their predecessors.

But innovative disruption has to scale. Even Facebook knows this, as the social network changed its corporate mantra in 2014 from “Move Fast and Break Things” to “Move Fast with Stable Infra.”

As you aim to move your company forward quickly with stable infrastructure — whatever that looks like for your small business — consider these steps to ensure that you speed responsibly. 

1. Mind the present while looking to the future

The success of your business rests not only on how you perform today, but also how you’re ringing the cash register tomorrow and far beyond. You can’t prioritize one over the other: the present and the future are equally important. Take time to understand where your industry is headed and to anticipate customers’ future needs. If you’re not staying ahead of the curve, you can be sure your competitors are.

In our rapidly advancing world, becoming obsolete is only a few iterations away — but leading the industry is just as close. Like early computer scientist Alan Kay said, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”

2. Have designated rule-breaking sessions

For most small businesses, it’s not practical to question every single process and practice every day. You likely have methods in place that keep your customers happy and processes running, and that’s a good thing. That’s how you keep the lights on.

But every once in a while, invite feedback on how to reinvent the way a traditional problem is solved. You can call it a rule-breaking session or an audit for disruption. Always reward employees for finding new and better ways of doing things. Build a culture where creative innovation is rewarded, and you’ll be amazed at the results.

3. Let data be your guide

When inspiration strikes and you’re faced with a fork in the road — do you try the potentially brilliant new idea or stick with what’s worked in the past? — rely on data to make the call. You may not have analytics to prove anything definitive, but it’s likely that you can lean on some data-based roadmap to guide your thought process.

For example, you might consult data about your industry as a whole. What’s been trending over the past year or three years? Should that factor into your decision? You can also create your own data to solve highly specific problems, like getting feedback on a new product or website design by hosting a focus group (either in person or digitally).

Sometimes the data will be unclear and you’ll be forced to make a judgment call. Other times, you may feel that you’re fresh out of big ideas. Even in these challenging moments, the goal should be to disrupt and innovate in scalable and repeatable ways. If you’ve improved products and systems from this time last year and customers are coming back for more, you’re already off to a great start.

Inspired to make 2015 the best year yet for your business? Download our free e-book for more useful tips.