A 2025 study by researchers from the universities of Parthenope, Teramo, Naples Parthenope, and EDHEC Business School looked at how companies grow and what makes that growth last. It followed the journey of an online pharmacy that grew to more than 1.4 million regular customers, added over 430,000 new buyers in just two years, built a newsletter community of 400,000 people, and created a loyalty program with 240,000 members. In 2023, its revenue reached more than €51 million, an increase of 18 percent from the year before.
The study found that growth is not only about tools or clever marketing. It depends on how people learn together as the company expands. Two kinds of learning stood out:
- One is about making current practices better, such as improving customer service, strengthening internal systems, and sharpening measures of success.
- The other is about creating what does not yet exist, including new services, new skills, and new structures that prepare the business for what comes next.
The most testing moments came when steady growth gave way to sudden momentum. As more customers, partners, and suppliers joined, the company needed to adapt quickly not just to keep pace but to maintain trust.
The human side of growth
Behind every figure, are people. Leaders spoke about how sudden growth revealed weak spots. Systems were strained, measures no longer reflected reality, and customer care was stretched thin. Teams responded by learning and working across boundaries.
Pharmacists became trusted guides who reassured customers and strengthened loyalty. Suppliers turned into partners who shaped the offer together. Employees shared information more openly and used common insights to make better decisions. In this way, growth became less about numbers and more about relationships.
So, what were the lessons learned?
- Prepare for the surge. Growth feels manageable until momentum accelerates. Anticipating this moment reduces stress when it arrives.
- Balance two kinds of learning. One path is improving what already works. The other is building new skills and systems for the future. Both must move forward together.
- Keep people at the center. Customers, partners, and staff are not just participants in growth. They are the reason it continues.
- Make data useful for all. Information has power only when everyone can understand and act on it. Shared measures align the whole company.
- Think beyond the next quarter. Rapid growth excites, but lasting progress comes from refining and focusing on what matters most to customers.
From Planning to Action
The study shows that growth depends on learning and relationships moving together. This is where a system like ours adds value. Covve’s tools focus on keeping professional relationships alive by helping people remember, reach out, and stay close to the people who matter most.
- For managers, this means better insight into the health of customer and partner relationships.
- For teams, it means practical nudges that ensure no client, supplier, or partner is forgotten during times of fast change.
- For the company as a whole, it means that the surge in growth does not overwhelm the human connections that make it possible.
Start converting more leads to deals today, try Covve for free.
Written on 26 Sep 2025.
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