Doubled Your Revenue? Here’s What I’d Actually Do Next

Someone in an entrepreneur WhatsApp group I’m in posted a quick poll:

“If your revenue doubled next month, what would you do first?”

Most people answered: expand.

Next most popular? Upgrade systems.

Then came: hire, save, or invest.

Here’s what I answered:

“If you’re in the growth phase, then yes—expand. And then hire.

But if your business has been slowing down (even with a revenue spike), I’d recommend saving, investing elsewhere, or innovating.

As for systems... I believe in building the right scalable system from the start. If you do that, you don’t have to upgrade often.”

I was so proud of that answer. But after I sent it, I realized something.

Most business owners don’t start with scalable systems. Most start with:

• Manual onboarding via email

• Forms sent with a prayer that clients fill them out on time

• Juggling files and trying to remember who has access to what

Sound familiar?

It’s a common path: cobble together whatever works, then hold it together with duct tape and willpower (for real!).

I get it. Most folks don’t start a business knowing how to build backend systems. After all, most of them have been focused on creating what they want to share to the world... and not on CRMs and all that operational stuff.

I was lucky. I spent years helping clients build theirs, and that experience shaped how I built mine.

So yeah. Sometimes, upgrading systems has to come before you expand. Because if your backend is leaking, all the new revenue in the world won’t save you from burnout or breakdown.

So... should you expand, or upgrade first?

Here’s what I use to help my clients decide (and yes, I use it on my own business too).

Ask yourself these five questions:

1. Are there recurring mistakes in your customer journey?

2. Are daily admin tasks eating up your time? And would more clients mean even more chaos?

3. Are you too strapped to innovate?

4. Have clients mentioned clunky or frustrating experiences?

5. Are you just... overwhelmed?

If you said yes to at least 3 out of 5, pause expansion.

You’d be running harder on low stamina—and that leads straight to burnout.

Instead, upgrade your systems.

Patch the leaks. Rework the workflows. Build something that can actually hold more growth.

Need help spotting the leaks?

If you’re not sure what needs fixing, I’m offering a free systems audit for a few small businesses this month. If you want one, book a call with me here.