The phase model: know which phase your scale-up is in

Many entrepreneurs set up systems, hire people and decide on their leadership style without first answering the most important question: which phase is my company actually in? And that is a problem, because what you need right now depends entirely on where you stand. This piece is about why your phase is your starting point.

Why your phase determines everything

A company in the early phase needs something very different from a company that is ready to scale. The kind of leadership, the exemplary behavior you display, the systems you set up and even the kind of people who fit: it all differs by phase.

Some people are good at startup thinking: making something out of nothing, experimenting, switching gears quickly. Others are good at scale-up thinking: building structure, putting processes in place, keeping a growing organization running. Put the wrong person in the wrong phase and it won't work, no matter how good that person is.

Imposing heavy structure too early holds you back just as much as staying informal for too long. That is why knowing your phase is not an academic exercise, but the foundation beneath every decision.

What your phase tells you

Your phase determines a number of very practical things.

How much traction do you already have, and can you project sensibly into the future? Are you ready to scale, or do you first need to grow toward that point? Will you raise investment for that, or bootstrap on your own money? And will you do so calmly or aggressively? Are you still at solution-market fit and do you first need to reach real product-market fit?

These are not separate questions. They are interconnected, and the answers to them largely follow from your phase.

Which leadership and which exemplary behavior

Your phase also determines which leadership is needed and which exemplary behavior you have to display. And here lies an important insight: the exemplary behavior you display is the behavior your organization takes on.

So the question is not only which behavior fits your phase, but also which behavior you want to see in your organization. Because you have to model that yourself. If you want ownership, you have to show it. If you want people to investigate the problem instead of building on assumptions, you start there yourself.

Which talents you need

Different phases call for different talents. In one phase you mainly need people who come up with new things and drive them forward; in another phase you need people who finish things and keep them running. By knowing which phase you are in, you also know which type of talent you need most right now, and therefore who you should hire or develop.

First know where you stand, then set things up

The biggest mistake is reversing the order: first buying systems and hiring people, and only then checking whether it fits your phase. The right order is to first know where you stand, and only then decide which systems, which leadership and which people belong to that.

Only once you know your phase do you know what your organization really needs right now. That is why it is the first question our audit answers.

Which phase are you in?

Your phase determines which leadership and which systems fit right now, and getting it wrong costs you a year. The audit measures it. Take the audit.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my phase matter?

Because it determines which leadership, which systems and which people you need right now. What is the right move in one phase holds you back in another. Imposing heavy structure too early is just as damaging as staying informal for too long.

What is the difference between startup and scale-up thinking?

Startup thinking is about making something out of nothing: experimenting, switching gears quickly, searching for fit. Scale-up thinking is about building structure and keeping a growing organization running. Different phases call for different talents.

How does my phase determine whether I should invest or bootstrap?

Your phase shows how much traction you have and whether you are ready to scale. Based on that, you decide whether to raise money or grow under your own power, and whether to do so calmly or aggressively.