How I’d use ASX growth shares to build long-term wealth

I think ASX growth shares can be a great way to build wealth over time.

The companies I am most interested in are those that can keep increasing revenue and earnings for many years while reinvesting in even larger opportunities.

When that process continues for long enough, the results can be substantial.

Look for businesses with room to grow

A company can already be successful and still have a long way to go.

TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE) is a good example. Its enterprise software is used by councils, universities, government organisations, and other large institutions.

Once an organisation builds important processes around a software platform, changing providers can become time-consuming and disruptive. That can help TechnologyOne retain customers while gradually expanding the services they use.

The tech company also has opportunities to keep growing overseas, particularly in the UK.

For me, that is the type of growth story worth looking for. TechnologyOne does not need to invent an entirely new business every few years. It can keep improving its existing software, add customers, and expand into larger markets.

Give compounding time to work

Growth investing becomes particularly powerful when a company can reinvest its profits and keep generating attractive returns from that spending.

Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB) has been doing this for years as it expands its investment and superannuation platform.

Australia’s pool of retirement savings should keep growing over the decades ahead, while financial advisers increasingly rely on modern platforms to manage client portfolios.

If Hub24 continues winning advisers and attracting more money onto its platform, the business can become more valuable without needing to reinvent its core proposition.

This is where patience becomes important.

A strong company can have an excellent year without creating life-changing wealth for shareholders. The bigger opportunity comes when it repeats that growth over five, 10, or even 20 years.

Earnings can compound, the business can become considerably larger, and shareholders participate in that expansion.

I would focus on quality as well as growth

Rapid growth alone would not be enough for me.

I want to understand why a company is growing and whether it has a realistic chance of continuing.

REA Group Ltd (ASX: REA) is the type of business I find attractive for that reason.

Realestate.com.au has built an enormous audience, which encourages property agents to list their homes on the platform. Those listings then give buyers and renters another reason to keep visiting.

REA Group can build on that position by offering better tools, property data, artificial intelligence features, and services connected to financing and the broader property journey.

I think businesses with strong competitive positions have a better chance of protecting the profits needed to keep investing for the future.

The share price will not always cooperate

Even great growth shares can fall sharply.

Expectations can become too high, economic conditions can change, or investors can simply lose enthusiasm for a sector.

I would expect volatility rather than treating it as a sign that a long-term strategy has failed.

That makes diversification important as well. I would rather own several high-quality growth businesses than depend on one company getting everything right.

It also means I would be careful about chasing a share simply because its price has been rising. The business still needs to justify my confidence in its future.

Foolish takeaway

I think ASX growth shares can play an important role in building serious long-term wealth.

The businesses I want to own have clear opportunities to become larger, strong competitive positions, and the ability to reinvest successfully for years.

Finding those companies is only part of the job. The other part is giving them enough time to compound.

If I can own a collection of strong growth businesses and resist the temptation to constantly interfere, I think that can be a powerful approach to growing wealth over the long term.

The post How I’d use ASX growth shares to build long-term wealth appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino has positions in Hub24. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Hub24. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hub24. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.