The answer of course depends on the stage and size of the business. If you'd like a spectacular synopsis of what a business needs to grow at each stage/size, I suggest the book Managing Corporate Lifecycles by Dr. Ichak Adizes. http://www.Adizes.com. Personally, I'm passionate about helping entrepreneurial companies find the growth curve. What I've found in my own experience, as well as that of my coaching clients, is that when the entrepreneur is personally clear and aligned, then the business has a much greater chance of finding it's growth curve. The challenge is that its hard to find that level of personal alignment (purpose, talents, contribution, meaning, passion) in a business and it's easy to lose once you have do have it. One general piece of advice to all entrepreneurs is to align your business with your life and find a customer type you know well and a big problem to solve. This is 80% of the game.