Not long ago, a million dollars was a lot of money. Heck, we think it still is, but the method of measurement for today's successful companies has become a cool billion. That's a few more zeros than the six needed to make a mil, and leaders in industries of every stripe are investing plenty to hammer out strategies that will add impact to their brand, expand their customer base, and bring them closer to hitting the billionaire bigtime.

Does it work? Andrea Cooper at Entrepreneur
offers this intriguing examination of some business partners who are comfortably in the billionaire club. She takes a close look at the growth strategies of booming apparel company Ecko, and digital storage pros Network Appliance, noting that to get big, they are not afraid to think big. They balance business growth goals with an adherence to the fearless thinking – and speaking -- that got them there in the first place.

Money quote from NetApp founder David Hitz:

"When a company is little, there's just a handful of you. It's relatively simple to get that group of people to figure out where they are going. As the company grows, one of the biggest challenges is to get all of the people headed in the same direction. To accomplish that, you need to be a loudmouth . . ."

The implication is that you need to communicate convincingly and clearly. When everyone understands your goals, you're that much closer to bringing home that billion.