The difference between Scaling and Growing 

We often hear 'growth' and 'scale' used the same way.

But they're not synonyms, far from it. So here we break it down. 

Growing impact is often about making the company bigger.
Scaling impact is about making a problem smaller.

Growing the company may be a byproduct of your action, but it's not a default requirement. And it should definitely not be your main assumption.

Growth often means expanding the organization, increasing output, turnover, bigger headcount, and maximizing reach.

The growth dilemma (Even if your product is better than the alternative/competition)

It's the total reduction that counts, not the unit. 

Your intentions as a 'green/sustainable' company may be to create a lower social/environmental impact, but the problem emerges when the only way to scale your positive impact is to grow and sell more products.

More products, more materials, more packaging more transport, more waste.

See the problem? 

The more you succeed, the more you undermine your intention. 

This classic approach to growth means you'll often prioritize actions with profit as the end goal, often because of your organization’s typical KPIs.

When we talk about Growth, we like to see it as adding more. 

Scaling is about using minimum resources to give maximum effect. 

Making a problem smaller could mean empowering others to adapt and execute your solution.

Often, companies have what we like to call Growth Tunnel Vision, so here are 7 other ways to scale your impact.

1 → Speed

Speeding up an initiative to happen faster.

2 → Spread

Spreading (principles) to a dissimilar context that is independent of you.

3 → Transfer

Transferring by doing a similar initiative in a similar context that is independent of you.

4 → Stabilize

Stabilizing an initiative to last longer.

5 → Scale up

Change the rules that define the context for you and others.

6 → Replicate

Replicating an initiative to a dissimilar context that is dependent on you.

7 → Scale deep

Scaling deep to change the values that shape the context for you and others.