ScalingEmerging Pattern

Expect communication to break down at mid-scale and proactively build new channels

Q: How many founders have validated "expect communication to break down at mid-scale and proactively build new channels"?

1 founder has proven this pattern works. Examples include Molly Graham (Quip).

At 30-50 people, things that came naturally start failing. People can't turn around and talk to everyone anymore. They don't know why decisions are being made or what they should be doing. This is the transition from family to company - proactively build communication systems before reaching this point.

When to use

When approaching 30 employees or when you start hearing complaints about lack of transparency

Don't do this

Assuming the casual communication that worked at 20 people will scale to 50

1 Founder Who Did This

Quipby Molly Graham

Graham identified that 30-50 employees is where 'things just start to get a lot harder' - communication breaks down and CEOs face questions they've never had to answer

Result:Companies who anticipate this transition and build communication infrastructure early avoid the chaos that catches unprepared founders off guard

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