Long term and growth

I've been pondering this question for a bit. I've had several long term arrangements but I've not been lucky enough to see those arrangements grow. It's always felt to a certain degree transactional and we seem to do the same things over and over again. I do want arrangements that are long term, exclusive if possible and with growth in mind especially if we are going to see each other 2, 3 or even 5 years. My question to those sd's who have long term arrangements, do you go in with expectation that things will grow over time? What does this growth look like or what should I expect it to look like in a good arrangement? Is this expectation even possible in the bowl or is this some fantasy and the best we can settle for is the same thing for a few years?