There are many factors that influence startup success and every venture’s growth path is different. In the early days, there are many risks particularly relating to the market and newness of the product.
From research we know that early-stage startup survival and growth is also heavily influenced by internal factors like founders background and experience, team size and commitment to growth. As well as firm factors such as access to funding, networks and early internationalisation.
This aside, once startups get past that initial phase of developing a product, finding product-market fit and learning how to sell, other factors become influential to scaling. In other words, what got you here won’t get you there. The focus of the business changes from one occupied with exploration, product development and learning to sell to a few customers to operationalising what has been learnt, and becoming more efficient at selling and supporting many customers. Therefore a reset is required in the priorities, practices and organisation at the start of scaling to improve growth and successful transition to scale. Founders need to be aware of the what and how behind successful scaling so they do it with eyes wide open and higher probability of success.
