Starting to feel pretty grown-up now? You’re hurtling towards 50 people, you have some operational help on People & Talent, and some strategic help too if you’ve found an advisor of sorts to work with you, and hopefully you’re sitting back and marvelling at how well this amazing team is working together and getting along. Lovely! 😎

Now’s the time to start thinking a little bigger. Whilst I’ve advised previously to resist too much tinkering on processes for every headache that arises, there are some core ones to think about still so that you’re ready for that next leap to 100 people. I promise you 30-100 seems to just fly by 🛬 for most people, because in reality it does, and this is where things can get messy.

So you do need to start thinking about how you lay foundations to ‘professionalise’ your team as it scales even further. This doesn’t mean jumping into hiring senior, experienced managers everywhere fyi. But starting to think about some more specific, linear experts rather than generalists could be the first step.

You’ll start having to think about layers of management too- so tread carefully- I know exactly what your first move is going to be, and no, it doesn’t have to be promoting one of your longer standing team members.

What you need to focus on:

• Diversity
• Management Requirements
• Finance and other core functions
• Culture Review & Rituals
• Your involvement

Why Now?

• 🤗 Diversity Your growing team is starting to take shape nicely, but if you don’t make sure you’re proactive on Diversity as a whole, then cracks will really start to show between 30-100. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging is a huge (HUGE) subject. I wont go into it now but you can reach out for a coffee if you want to deep dive. Anyway, be proactive. Understand it, understand where you are with it and understand what you need to do to be at the forefront of this. I guarantee there will be people in your team who are passionate diversity champions (If you’ve hired well), and you can use them to help you on this journey.
• 👩‍💼 Management Requirements Whilst racing towards 30 people you’ve probably battled to try and keep managing as many people as you can between you and any other founders you might have. But you’ll start to suffer between 30-50 and the need for another formal layer of management is crucial. I promise you, CEO / Founder is the wrong person generally to have reports. You need to be freed up.

So start to think about management- who do you need where, and who’s right? Don’t jump straight in to just promoting one of your loyal early hires who seems keen and who you feel some responsibility toward to progress them. It isn’t always the best move.

You have to stay unemotional, and focus on picking the right person who is genuinely a great leader and manager - or has the right traits to be one at least.

• 💼 Finance & other core functions The people hire was exciting previously, but you also now need to start thinking about establishing other functions. This might vary business to business but in my opinion and from my experience a lot of companies hire their first finance person way too late. Founders hold onto Payroll, and invoicing, swamped in admin. You have to free it up.

Look at hiring a solid Finance Exec or Manager (2-5 years) who can take over invoicing, credit control, payroll (some unreal tools out there), and help take a heap off your plate. I promise you when you go from 50-100 you will need it. So sort it now.

• ❤ Culture Review & Rituals As you approach 50 people, its a good chance to review how things are going here. To be honest this should be a constant assessment piece anyway, and that doesnt mean you keep tinkering and changing your culture, but making sure that what you put in place at the start is being adhered to and is working. Rituals when you are 10 people will likely have to change when you hit 50. Growing teams, potentially in different timezones won’t all be able to make the same meetings, and it will get to a point where regular catch ups as a company of 50 just don’t make sense. This will change to smaller team meetings in silo’s where team wins are focused on for example.

There’s not an answer on this page as there’s not a one-size-fits all approach here, but this is something you should be thinking about and always on top of as you grow because your business looks, and operates very differently at 50 people than it did at 10, so consider some new team exercises and workshops- refresh your cultural code, your rituals, run some more workshops on values and behaviours - there’s never a bad time for that!

• 🤹‍♀️ Your Involvement Up until now you’ve probably still been heavily involved in most things across your business, including things like hiring and meeting every new potential employee at interview stage. It’s time to step back a little, or at least think about how you will soon. When you hit 50, and go from 50-100, you will find it very hard to be actively involved in everything, and if you try to, you will just slow things down. If you want to retain that speed, autonomy of decision making and nimbleness that defines most startups you need to work out what you can step back from and let others own. There’s a good chance you’re heavily involved in some fundraising activity at this stage (Series A perhaps?) and your time will be even more limited.

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