Crossword Genius

Flourishing growth of company that's hard to enter (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

bushiness

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'flourishing growth' is the definition.
'bushiness' can be an answer for 'growth' (I have seen 'Expansive growth' mean 'bushiness' so perhaps 'growth' could also mean 'bushiness'). I'm unsure of the 'flourishing' bit.

'of company that's hard to enter' is the wordplay.
'of company' becomes 'business' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'that's hard' becomes 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications).
'to enter' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'business' placed around 'h' is 'BUSHINESS'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for bushiness that I've seen is " Expansive growth".)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.