Gouveia, Ana FontouraFernandes, David Cabral2022-05-252022-05-252022-01-142021-12-17http://hdl.handle.net/10362/138590It is a well-established fact that Portuguese SMEs face significant scaling challenges. We conduct quantitative and qualitative research to better understand this fact, focusing on the road freight transport sector. The analysis was made comparing the sector’s leaders performance to that of laggards. Results show that higher efforts to increase service quality; higher cost control rigor; regular benchmarking; preventive maintenance on fixed assets; regular qualified training on human resources; avoiding debt overhang; tax efficient payment methods; regular implementation of technological innovations and higher effort in maximizing operations capacity are key differentiated practices to unlock growth in a sustained manner.engLogisticsBusiness and data analyticsSmesFinancial analysisBusiness growthTransportmaster thesis202974065