The phase from start-up to scale-up is accompanied by lots of challenges. Processes need to be professionalized if you want to be ready for growth. Growth in customers and turnover, but also growth and retention of employees.

Scale-ups need processes and structure, but not too many as speed, creativity and agility are often the strength and advantage.

These are the 5 growing challenges we often encounter at start-ups and scale-ups and my tips!

• Responsibilities
  Who does what in the company? This often changes and employees sometimes have too many different responsibilities. My advice; make sure responsibilities & KPIs are clear to everyone in the organization. This can be done via scorecards, for example.
  Assemble the right team
  Who do you recruit at what time? How do you ensure that we have the best people in the right place and that they stay?
  In practice I come across companies with great ambitions, but it often turns out that the management team in its current composition is unable to realize that growth. Entrepreneurs have started with their idea/organization full of enthusiasm, but not always the best CEO or Peole Manager to realize growth.
  Hire professionals and help employees with their development so that they can grow with the growth of the organization.
• Letting go
  For many entrepreneurs, letting go is a very serious theme. Driven by entrepreneurship, it is very difficult for them to hand over responsibilities as the company grows. And yet it is necessary, otherwise they themselves will form the biggest obstacle to the growth of the company. Give your MT clear frameworks, mandate and learn to trust colleagues within the organization.
• Culture
  Start- & Scale-ups have their own culture, but how can the strength of this culture be safeguarded during further growth? By continuously propagating culture, you give identity to your organization; “who are we and what do we stand for”. Make sure you determine what your values are and determine actions that go with them. An employee must have time every week to carry out the actions (from a card in case of illness – a team event – to cake on your birthday.
• Organization structure
  The organizational structure is constantly changing and what is the right structure to take the next leap? Scaling up is like building a house: it won’t work if the foundation isn’t built properly.
  Make sure the structure is standing and do not deviate from it every week. Create space as an entrepreneur to keep focus on your strategy.

Recognizable? These are challenges that every growing organization faces. That is why we help entrepreneurs to lay down the HR foundation for successful growth.

Sanne van Es