Masters of Scale

Lesson 1- An Introduction to Scaling

Scaling means setting the stage for enabling one's company to reach a higher goal. It is the bridge between one's aspirations and the end goal. It requires planning, innovation, technology, funding, staff and the right business processes. Scaling is not just a science but also a mindset, a journey that requires equal measures of faith and a willingness to fail. Entrepreneurial success is often a risky affair filled with contradictions and unexpected turns. 

Here are some basic aspects of scaling that you must know before proceeding any further:

• The best ideas are those which sound implausible.
• Resistance at the initial stages is often a good sign.
• Early, honest reviews from the right people can help in refining an idea.
• Scaling is not something that can happen overnight. Scaling is about setting up for the later stage successes.
• Even if things turn out wrong, success lies in accepting the faults and making adjustments.

In the subsequent lessons, we will go over the stories of several modern scale leaders. These leaders represent a wide range of industries as well as non-profit organizations. They hail from all over the world, from rural to urban. We will not only learn about their strategies but also their mistakes and failures. We will see how they rose from the ashes, overcoming hindrances that appeared in all shapes and sizes.

Lesson 2- Rejections are a Part of the Process

In this lesson, we will look into some of the leaders of the business world who were all faced with rejections for their ideas that did not conform to the set pattern of things of that time. 

Take for instance the case of Kathryn, co-founder and CEO of The Muse. She came up with an idea for a job-listing website that would cater to the millennial more effectively; one which would put the individual at the centre of the experience. However, her idea for a new kind of career development website was turned down 148 times by investors. Nevertheless, the reaction to the site when it first launched was incredibly positive. The users, women and men between 22 and 35 years, were extremely satisfied with the services offered by the website.  Today, The Muse serves nearly one hundred million users. Kathryn has raised more than $28 million and has around two hundred staff.

Now let’s take the case of Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker & Company, whose flagship product is the Bevel, a single-blade razor designed