Are you scaling your startup the wrong way?

Your startup is growing fast. Headcount is doubling every few months 🤩

But something feels off…

Decisions are taking longer. Execution speed is slowing down. Teams seem misaligned?

The culprit?

Your internal processes haven't kept pace with your growth.

What worked when you were 10 people doesn't work at 20. And definitely breaks at 50.

Redesigning your processes at each doubling of headcount is critical to scaling successfully. Skip this step and inefficiencies creep in, stunting your growth.

So what should you focus on optimizing as you scale?

[1] Establish Cross-Functional Communication Channels

Siloed teams are the enemy of efficient scaling. You can't afford to have sales, marketing, product, and engineering operating in isolation.

You need clear communication channels between departments. This could mean:

• Regular cross-functional syncs
• Dedicated Slack channels
• Collaborative project tools

The right mix depends on your company. But the goal is the same - keep information flowing smoothly across teams.

[3] Build Redundancy for Key Roles

As you've grown, you've likely developed bottlenecks around certain key people.

• Maybe it's your CTO who's the only one who can manage the tech team.
• Or your head of sales who's the only one with deep customer relationships.

This isn't sustainable. You need to proactively build redundancy for these critical roles. Have a substitute or backup for each key function. Document their processes.

It feels like overkill early on. But when that key leader inevitably gets overwhelmed or (god forbid) hit by the proverbial bus, you'll be glad you did.

[3] Simplify, Automate, Evolve

Your processes should be living, breathing things. They should constantly evolve as you grow.

At each stage, look for ways to simplify.

• Cut out unnecessary steps and complexity.
  • Look for meetings you can kill
  • Reports you can automate and
  • Approvals you can eliminate.

Then look to automate.

• Use tools to streamline repetitive tasks.
• This frees up your team to focus on higher leverage activities.

This is an ongoing job. What worked at 50 people likely won't at 100. Be proactive in adapting your processes before they break.

[4] Hire to Address Founder Weaknesses

This last one is tough for a lot of founders.

The natural instinct is to hire in your own image. To clone yourself as the company grows.

Resist that urge.

Instead, hire to address your weaknesses. Bring in experienced executives who are strong where you're weak. Then delegate those areas entirely.

This frees you up to focus where you can uniquely add value. And it sets up the company to scale beyond your individual capabilities.

I know this is can be a lot.

Redesigning your processes at each stage of growth is hard, unglamorous work. But it's some of the highest leverage work you can do.

Neglect it, and you'll hit a growth ceiling. Embrace it, and you'll set your startup up to scale to heights you never imagined.