Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria : When a small business isn’t so small

Those products might include:

• Larger working capital lines of credit
• Equipment financing
• Real estate
• Treasury and cash management services

One example of a small business that saw extensive growth, in Dobers' experience, was a dentist's office that had been in practice for several years. As their clientele list grew, they started noticing a cramped lobby area, limited seating and an overall situation where the practice was simply outgrowing the facility.

So BBVA Compass's team started to ask the owner some questions.

What was the patient load like per day? Was there a waiting list? How many clients were assigned per dentist? The bank leveraged various thought-provoking questions, according to Dobers, to help her team realize that their client was inundated - all while implementing an unsustainable plan to handle it all.

BBVA Compass helped create a more comprehensive plan for the practice, including advice on real estate for more facilities. In Dobers' mind, most small businesses that become successful eventually fail because they don't plan in advance for growth.

'If you're not constantly moving forward, you'll move backwards in business,' she said. 'Owners need to carefully plan for expansion by engaging their accountant, banker and lawyer. They also need to have a great team of employees that are as passionate about the business and want to see it take that next step.'