This document discusses scaling a company from small to large. It outlines four stages of a company's scale: (1) less than 10 people as a family, (2) less than 40 people with a few teams, (3) less than 100 people with departments, and (4) over 100 people with wide unknowns. The document provides tips for each stage, including establishing feedback and development tools, focusing on company culture, and using a board of directors for support and guidance. Overall, the key message is that a company must adapt as it grows in order to maintain its culture and values while addressing new organizational challenges.

1. On scaling
companies
RANDOM LEARNINGS

2. Jan Miczaika
2003-2009
MD / Product & Tech
0 to 80 people
2010-2017
COO / Publishing
40 to 250 people
2017++
Partner / $$$
<20 people

3. Basics of scaling
Always adapt
Test ideas you steal
Stop doing things
…build your own „management system“

4. Stages of a companies‘ scale
< 10 people
I. Family
< 40 people
II. A few teams
< 100 people
III. Departments
100+ people
IV. Wide unknowns
Osmosis breaks Contributors à Leads
Feedback Some „CEO work“
The happy times
Culture
Leads à HeadsInformation flow
Mostly „CEO work“Major org changes
Dunbar‘s number Company moodNavigation
Org splitting
Internal moves
Multi-location
Define values

5. Feedback and development tools
Standardized Onboarding (Phase I)
- Week 1: Tasks & Obstacles.
- Week 2: Check-in (beer?).
- Week 6: First review.
- Week 16: ↑ or à.
On-going Feedback (P.II)
- Every 6 months.
- “Big” and “Small”.
- Small: manager. Big: 5-8 peers.
- Employee: development goals.
- Compensation sucks.
Calibration Meetings (P.II-III)
- Grading & key message.
- Accountability for managers.
- Fairness.
- Solutions.
Executive Feedback (P.II-III)
- Sucks.
- External, trusted, knowledgeable.
Peakon (P.III)
- Company mood
- Drill downs

6. F&D – key learnings
Focus on the stars
Pay unfairly
Separate early
When restructuring, cut deeper
Development is the employee’s responsibility

7. People over Processes –
when in doubt say no
„Keep me out of jail“
- Accounting (especially cash)
- HR (social security)
- Tax & VAT
- BaFin
Highly detrimental
- Business Continuity
- Onboarding
Consistency and fairness
- Generally HR
- Feedback
- Compensation
Toxic processes
- Power trips
- Ordering, Travel
- Low max damage
Business Core
- Increase your valuation
by making things
repeatable
Invest in automation
(Team Witty)

8. Culture
Define early
Keep management attention
Communicate through actions
Acknowledge deviations
Symbolism in the office
<5 key values

9. Use your board
Monthly KPIs
- Financial & operational metrics
- Very short commentary
Update on the business
- Variable timing, generally quarterly
- Long-form (no slides)
- Company / Products / Marketing / Competition
- Redacted version internally
- Send-out before board meeting
Board meetings
- Quarterly, at least one/year in person.
- 3-4 decision topics
- Expose senior team
Help with
- Funding (now and later)
- Market sentiment
- Key decisions
- Key hires
- Sounding board
- Therapy
Not only investors on board!

10. Stages of a companies‘ scale
< 10 people
I. Family
< 40 people
II. A few teams
< 100 people
III. Departments
100+ people
IV. Wide unknowns
Osmosis breaks Contributors à Leads
Feedback Some „CEO work“
The happy times
Culture
Leads à HeadsInformation flow
Mostly „CEO work“Major org changes
Dunbar‘s number Company moodNavigation
Org splitting
Internal moves
Multi-location
Define values

11. What‘s next?
jan.miczaika@gmail.com https://medium.com/@janmiczaika
(soon)