For years I have talked about the four stages of business organizations: wonder, blunder, thunder and plunder. Wonder is the first stage, when the business is first starting out. Blunder is when the business has work but has little profit because the business has outgrown its systems. Thunder describes a successful business that is driving the market and is profitable. The fourth stage is plunder — when the business has reached its maturity, peaked and is no longer changing with the times. This article is dedicated to that plunder stage.
First, understand that it is human nature to want to slow down and become more comfortable with our lot in life. An understanding of our mortality begins to set in and we want to work on our bucket list and make sure we enjoy the fruits of our years of labor. Unfortunately, business is not forgiving and there is no divine right of passage. The following are six symptoms of plunder and my advice on how to cope with the situation.