How to Scale at the Right Time

It’s amazing how much startup success boils down to timing. This is particularly challenging for most startups because things change so rapidly during the early stages that they constantly have to adapt their priorities and strategies. As a result, many startups make the mistake of trying to scale up at the wrong time.

I can recall working with one startup that knew a strong go-to-market was critical to success. Knowing that, they hired a huge sales team to lock down their go-to-market strategy and maximize growth. Unfortunately, they got the timing all wrong.

This company hired 15 salespeople while they were still putting the finishing touches on their product. They hadn’t found true product-market fit, yet they tried to scale up with a huge sales force. Without going into specifics, this was a big mistake that needed to be rectified.

If you try to scale up like this before you have product-market fit and before you’re ready, you’re only going to end up wasting money. It also sets you up for failure because you’ll think you have product-market fit before you do. 

The lesson for startups to learn is to understand the current stage of their journey. The only way for you to know what your priorities should be at the moment is to know your current stage. If you know your stage, you’ll know when it’s time to scale up and when you’re not quite ready to make that leap.

At the Midstage Institute, we use a stage analyzer tool for our clients to help them understand the milestones they’ve passed and where their priorities should be at the moment. Some startups aren’t as far along as they think, while others get stuck in old habits because they don’t recognize how far ahead they are.

Either way, it all boils down to timing. Given how quickly things change for startups, it’s critical to remain aware of your stage and base your current strategy on that.  When you recognize your current stage and get your priorities right, you’ll position yourself for success.

If you’re ready to turn your vision into reality, the Midstage Institute’s Scaling Blueprint can help. We’ll help you document and define your vision and then create a roadmap to get you there.