Thank you @yourstory for publishing this.

IMO, the biggest difference b/w successful and not so successful start-ups is the way they are able to scale their organization. Here are some of my learnings and thoughts on the dos/ don’ts of scaling orgs
https://www.stellarisvp.com/scaling-mount-organization/

#1 – Do not scale anything until you have PMF and GMF (GoToMarket Fit) – obvious one, but a rare one these days with hyper-funding and pressure to scale

#2 – Not so obvious - It is criminal to not scale once you have PMF and GMF – you are amongst the rare minority that has reached this stage – please make it count

#3 – Move from generalists to specialists – Early stage is a 20-20 – you need allrounders, as you get to later stages – you need specialists – those that come with a pre-developed muscle and access to talent for that function

#4 – Segment people into Creators (are excited by innovation), Growers (are excited by speed/ growth) and Optimizers (are excited by creating well-oiled machines). Think about utilizing talent in the team based on the stage of the specific problem/ function.

#5 – We often focus only on core functions but forget the importance of support functions as we grow e.g. finance, HR, ops, ….at specific stages, they become critical – they are the lubricants that make the core machine parts work

#6 – Half the people in your management team will not scale as you reach the next stage – be objective in judging people, and evolving your management team every 18-24 months – thumb rule – 50% of mgmt. team changes every 2 years

#7 – Hire for tomorrow’s needs, not for yesterday’s problems -it takes time to hire, onboard and make anyone productive. For senior roles, it takes a year. Think about the scale you will have in 2-3 years and if the people you are hiring can handle the needs at that scale

#8 – My favorite one – you have never fired anyone too soon – by the time you begin asking the question about someone’s capability – chances are it is already a touch late to fire – act decisively!

#9 - #8 becomes much harder if it is one of your co-founders – in most companies it happens at some time – deal with it respectfully, objectively and decisively

#10 – Building companies is a hard path – find a mentor who you can confide in, be vulnerable with without feeling judged