**July 4, 2022** #### Links [Transistor](https://share.transistor.fm/s/65e06819) [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/0fnAV6DkfclBHpYn2vfvDf) [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2Vzc2VudGlhbC1keW5hbWljcy13aXRoLWRlcmVrLWh1ZHNvbg/episode/MmFhYjExMDAtZjQ1MC00NDYzLWEzYjMtYTk2YThiZGQ1NGQ2?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjIy4K9mfX_AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ) [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/episode-75-seven-steps-to-scaling-your-business-part-1/id1542392917?i=1000619261075) [Podcast Addict](https://podcastaddict.com/episode/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.transistor.fm%2F65e06819%2Fae31efef.mp3&podcastId=3153944) #### Summary Public officials are putting a lot of effort into supporting startups and the innovation ecosystem in order to grow the economy. Another priority is helping existing companies scale up - that is overcome barriers to growth and get to the next level. Derek and Reed talk about several principles for scaling up: how operating businesses can overcome barriers to growth and get to the next level. #### Concepts Seven Steps to Scaling Your Business 1. Be really clear about your purpose and what you are trying to accomplish. 2. Get really clear on how you are stuck. 3. Step outside and look at the business as a system. #### Quotes >There's a lot of potential in the current mainstream economy for doing better. >When you look at the system you're able to see where things are flowing, and where they're not flowing, and where there's extra capacity, and not enough capacity. When you're busy doing, you cannot see those things. >If we're going back to our context here of scaling, if we want to do a whole lot more of something, we absolutely have to take a systems view. You can't just do more. >You can only grow really effectively by taking a systems view of things because, otherwise the constraint...when you're growing fast, is going to move around on you like crazy, you never know where it is, so every place you add resources to will be the wrong place, until you figure it out. #### See also - [[Purpose]] - [[Systems Thinking]] - [[System Flow]] - [[Episode 57 Domenico Lapore - Getting Unstuck]] - Derek is at [Get Unconstrained](https://getunconstrained.com/) %% # Podcast Ideas - scale up - this is advice to new MLAs, municipal councils, feds - everybody wants economic growth, we want jobs and prosperity - there isn't economic growth without company growth - more companies and bigger companies - lots of focus on startup companies - but a much bigger impact to help operating companies get bigger - imagine if a 100 person company grows 10%. That's 10 new jobs. How much work does it take to go from 1 person to 11 people? - so economic growth = sum of company growth - how do we get company growth: increased revenue - how do company's get increased revenue - more sales - why don't they have more sales? a constraint. One. Constraint. - no government program can be designed to deal with each company and their unique constraint. What can? - First constraint is management attention - second is either on the customer demand side or the production capacity side - need a systems view to understand the constraint - look at purpose (X,Y), path (drivers and constraints) and people (deserve the hearts) - need a guide - so if you are leading a company, here's [[Seven Steps to Scaleup]] How do you get a government program to do all that? - if you are leading an economy, here's that version of the same 5 steps - don't think you need to invent it - if you are a normal person with a normal life, how do you do the same 5 steps - Why scaling up programs don't work? - over production - for later - how accountants don't understand the pareto principle