Reading too many (or the wrong) business books encourages founders to focus on the wrong things.

• You don't need systems to scale or perfect OKRs (yet) -- you need sales.
• Become a master of selling & set the foundation for growth.

You've proven that this idea has legs. Now how can you optimize your offering and your processes?

• A/B test your offer
• Add employees & vendors to fulfill tasks not in line with your strengths
• Find ways to lower customer acquisition costs before scaling

Begin building processes to produce repeatable results. Establish KPIs/ OKRs so that a quick snapshot can give insights into the health of your business.

Ready for scale, founders need to delegate. Probably delegating is the hardest phase because it requires putting your ego aside and empowering others to perform, but, most often, the person appointed to a task ends up being more effective.

Many bootstrappers get stuck in this phase because it's uncomfortable relinquishing control.

It's difficult to shake the desire to "protect" what we've built.

It usually unfolds like this...

With a fully functioning team, you need to add management to replace yourself.

It's challenging because it's expensive, risky & will remove you from the day to day.

But it's essential to pave the way toward giving the company what it needs:

• This phase includes letting others control budgets, make hiring decisions, and design processes (without your input).
• On the other side of systemizing is the opportunity to scale for years to come.

You've built a product with demand, attracted talent & built systems.

• Amplify everything by becoming a respected voice in your industry.
• Use social media to build a following. The earned authority and trust will attract customers and talent.
• Position yourself to be a keynote speaker at industry events. Being an influencer gives you the inside track on acquisitions & opportunities for growth that others will miss out on.

The power of influence can't be overstated.