Growing v. Scaling | How I Build Companies That Scale Without Breaking
There’s a moment in every company’s life where things start to creak.
Processes that worked at 10 people fall apart at 50.
The founder is still in every meeting.
No one knows who owns what.
Everything feels urgent—and nothing moves fast.
That’s the breaking point.
And that’s where I do my best work.
Scaling Is a Systems Problem—Not Just a Size Problem
Most people think growth is the hard part. It’s not.
Growth is exciting. It’s energizing. It gets press.
But scaling? Scaling is hard.
Because it forces you to let go of what worked yesterday to build what will work tomorrow.
It’s not about hiring more people.
It’s about designing the structure that lets those people execute—without creating chaos.
That means:
- Clarifying who owns what
- Building systems that scale faster than headcount
- Creating reporting that gives visibility without micromanagement
- And empowering frontline teams without losing strategic control
Scale Isn’t Just About Headcount. It’s About Friction.
When I walk into a company, I’m not looking at the org chart.
I’m looking at friction.
- Are people solving the same problems twice?
- Are decisions stuck at the top?
- Are good ideas getting lost between departments?
- Does everyone spend their time working—or just working around the system?
Friction is the cost of not building structure.
And in scaling orgs, it compounds fast.
Real Structure Doesn’t Look Like Bureaucracy
Here’s the part most leaders get wrong:
They assume that adding structure means adding red tape. More approval chains. More managers. More meetings.
But structure done right doesn’t slow you down—it speeds you up.
Structure means:
- Fewer meetings, because decisions are already delegated
- Fewer errors, because ownership is clear
- Less burnout, because people know what’s expected of them
- Better innovation, because the framework supports risk-taking—not confusion
At SHIELD Illinois, we scaled from a team of 20 to a statewide COVID testing operation with thousands of sites. We didn’t do it by holding on to a flat structure. We did it by evolving constantly—introducing communication hierarchies, systematizing decisions, and removing points of friction before they slowed us down.
Build Systems That Outlive You
The goal isn’t just to make things run.
It’s to make them run without you.
Every scalable company I’ve helped build—whether in healthcare, fintech, or home services—shared one trait:
The systems we put in place made success repeatable.
That’s what investors look for.
That’s what buyers pay for.
That’s what employees stick around for.
The Real Test of Scale
You know your company is built to scale when:
- The CEO isn’t in every meeting
- The customer experience is consistent, no matter who delivers it
- New hires ramp fast—without tribal knowledge
- Teams can take on more work without things falling apart
If that’s not where you are yet, don’t panic.
But don’t wait either.
Because chaos doesn’t scale.
But smart systems do.
If you want your company to grow without breaking, stop relying on hustle.
Start building systems that work at 10 people and still work at 1,000.