We often get asked – What are the start-up and ScaleUp stages or phases of company growth? How do you explain it to someone who has never experienced the phases of company growth? What are the steps involved in scale phases for scaleup growth?
In short, ScaleUp company growth phases is (click below to listen).
The reason there is a dearth of resources on this highly complex yet super rewarding phase of company growth is that there is absolutely zero time when you’re in it. It’s a phase of company growth in which your adrenaline is rushing and you’re trying to figure out what you’re going to do next year, growing as a company, growing your career, growing your departments all while the market is growing (or else you wouldn’t be in ScaleUp).
The phases of company growth can be drastically different depending on your company’s stage. In order to help we’ve decided to break it into the three phases of company growth and ScaleUp growth. The three steps involved in scale phases and scaleup for growth are–
- ScaleUp Early Stage
- ScaleUp Mid-Stage
- ScaleUp Later Stage
Early Stage in phases of company growth is the closest to startup and has an initial product-market fit.
Being in the early stage in the phases of company growth, it’s important to know where you’re going and what your company needs to look like at Scale but prevent yourself from going there. Some steps involved in scale phases are and could be small tweaks that your company can handle as most of your internal operations are manual.
The important thing to do here is to ramp sales for scaleup growth. At this point, it’s critical to sell to those within your product-market fit or it’s going to slow your growth rate.
In this stage or phase of company growth, it’s important to optimize technology and understand COGS.
Scaleup for growth and focus on the Topline.
In Mid stage in the phase of company growth, things are starting to get rockier as you start to reach market saturation and you’re starting to build your second product.
Your launch strategy for the second product is absolutely critical in this stage of company growth phases. You’re also trying to optimize your internal operations and optimize COGS. It’s important to expand your product and portfolio package to scale up for growth.
At this stage or phase of company growth, you can start to balance and automate internal operations and processes.
Scaleup for growth focus on the Topline and Profit.
In Late Stages of the phases of company growth, you can see that strategic exit is within reach and typically pre-IPO.
It’s time to expand your product and portfolio suite, leverage and optimize technology. At this stage or phase of company growth, COGS and internal operations are completely optimized. Along with the steps involved in scale phases, focus on the Profit.