There are a number of common ways in which companies can achieve rapid growth. They are:

1. Franchising
   
2. Chaining
   
3. Strategic Alliances
   
4. Acquisitions and Mergers
   Buying Competitors
   Buying Suppliers
   
5. Going Public/ Injecting Money
   
6. Going International
   
7. Exiting
   
   
   

1) Franchising

Franchising can be an attractive way to expand your business, because it does not require you to use all of your own resources in order to open new locations, and therefore you can grow very quickly. In a franchise, you would sell a license to a franchisee that would pay to use your name and business structure, and in return would give you a share of his/her location's profits.

The advantages of franchising your business are:

• The franchisee provides the capital
  
  
• The franchisee provides the management and people
  
  
• Fast growth
  
  

The disadvantages of franchising are:

• Sharing the profits with your franchisee
  
  
• Losing control of operations and management
  
  
• Damaging your reputation

Case Study - Franchising: Saje