How Businesses Fail to Scale

The key to avoiding failure as a company grows is ensuring that business leaders agree from the very start on what its products, ideal customers, and internal processes are. Solidifying these is critical before scaling up, as they clearly define a company’s business model. 

Failing to do this step is one of the primary reasons some startups fail in the scaling process, as they didn’t have a clear vision of where their company should’ve gone before the unprecedented growth took place.

Here’s a closer look at what scaling means and its potential impact on your growing business.

Focus On Max of Two Growth Pillars At a Time

What separates the startups that succeed over those who fail? I am sure a lot of WPO members could tell you.

While the author of this article doesn't have a crystal ball to predict everyone’s futures, Martinez does have a wealth of stories and experience gained from his work scaling his company. 

He offers his top five growth lessons, with the aim to help you avoid making the same mistakes that he made early on while scaling a business from $0 to $1M ARR.

How Scaling Is the Missing Innovation Discipline

Companies make significant investments in developing and incubating new business initiatives, but too few follow a rigorous path to scaling their ventures.  Is that you?

Scaling is the missing innovation discipline. Indeed, when these authors assessed the innovation frameworks used by 15 large corporate incubation units, they found that only four mentioned scaling. 

Why is that?  Let's take a look.

It's About the Ability to Execute on the Idea

What's the winning formula for business success?  According to Jewel Burks (pictured), co-founder and CEO of Partpic, “It’s about the ability to execute on the idea.”

For example, in her case, she first spotted a need: Way back when, she managed customer service for a parts distributor and dealt with the calls from frustrated customers who had been sent the wrong part or couldn’t identify the part they needed because the product name or number was partially rubbed off.

The rest is history.  Partpic was born and now that the software is developed, Burks has filed patents.

Read more:  The Nuts and Bolts of Scaling a Company