Founder’s Tales: What got you there
What got you here won't get you there
The growing pains of a mid-sized company can be tricky to navigate. Do any of these resonate?
The Head and Shoulders Challenge
One of the most common patterns I've observed is what I call the "Head and Shoulders" problem. Picture your organisation as a body: you, the CEO or MD, are the head, and your Senior Leadership Team (SLT) are the shoulders. In too many growing companies, those shoulders haven't been properly developed, trained, or empowered. The result? Every decision, every problem, and every bit of stress travels straight to the head.
Sound familiar?
Your diary is packed with decisions others could (and should) be making
You're involved in operational details that should be managed two levels below you
Your team seems hesitant to take initiative without your sign-off
You're simultaneously the bottleneck and the safety net
When Founders Need to Let Go
Here's an uncomfortable truth: as your company grows, you're not always the best person for every job anymore. The technical expertise that built your company might now be better found in specialists. The operational decisions you've always made might be better handled by experienced managers. Your role needs to evolve from the person with all the answers to the person who ensures the right questions are being asked by the right people.
The Growth Paradox
The success stories I've witnessed across the UK this year share a common thread: they're not just about financial metrics, but about evolving organisational DNA while protecting culture. Take the midlands-based tech company, who maintained their customer-first culture while doubling their team to 200 people. Or the 250-strong company, who successfully integrated two acquired companies without losing their sustainability-driven ethos.
When Yesterday's Solutions Become Today's Obstacles
Consider these familiar scenarios:
Pre-Series A/B Reality Check
The informal decision-making that worked with 20 people becomes a bottleneck at 50, or at 150
Your founding team's all-hands-on-deck approach isn't scaling with your headcount
The culture that "just happened" now needs intentional nurturing
Building Strong Shoulders
Your SLT needs development opportunities and clear autonomy
Decision-making frameworks must be established and trusted
Leaders need space to make (and learn from) their own mistakes
Rapid Growth Challenges
The hiring process that worked for 10 roles a year struggles with 10 roles a month
Internal communication methods break down as teams expand and specialise
Middle management becomes essential, but promoting great individual contributors doesn't automatically create great leaders
The People-First Evolution
What's becoming clear across the UK business landscape is that organisational health isn't a 'nice to have' – it's the foundation that determines whether your next phase of growth will strengthen or strain your company.
Consider:
Developing Your Shoulders
Culture as Infrastructure
Organisational Health as Competitive Advantage
The Path Forward
As you plan for growth, consider these questions:
Which decisions currently coming to you could be handled effectively by others?
What would happen if you were unavailable for a month?
Where might you need to let go of "how we've always done it" to make room for "how we could do it"?
A Final Thought
The most successful transitions I've witnessed weren't the ones with the perfect plans, but those with the courage to acknowledge that growth requires evolution at every level – starting with leadership.
As one founder recently told me after successfully closing their Series B: "I realised my job wasn't to have all the answers anymore. It was to build an organisation that could find better answers than I could alone."
Here's to your evolution – and to developing shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of your ambitions.
And if you’d like a sounding board, a strategic plan that encompasses these points, or just a chat about what you might be missing, email us for a confidential conversation.
Previously posted in Work Happy, LinkedIn Newsletters