Most founders overcomplicate growth. This visual from Agoge Consulting nails it: growing a company happens in three simple phases—Start Up, Scale Up, and Grow Up. Each phase builds on the last with clear focus areas.
Breaking Down the Growth Map
- Start Up: Nail your product, know your persona, fix a problem, and get promotion working.
- Scale Up: Build processes, hire the right people, and track performance.
- Grow Up: Focus on protection, planning, and psychology to keep it thriving long-term.
Why It Works
- Shows a clear path from $1M → $10M → $100M.
- Focused on simple, repeatable frameworks.
- Prioritizes mindset and systems, not just hustle.
- Easy to visualize where your company fits right now.
Real-World Parallels
- HubSpot scaled from $255K to $500M+ by systemizing sales ops.
- Basecamp stayed small but strong by focusing on product clarity.
- Amazon mastered process and people early, enabling empire-building later.