Negative Spillovers

Just like Leo Tolstoy's quote, scalable ideas are all alike; every unscalable idea is unscalable in its own way.

The difference with scaling is there are only five main obstacles you face. And once you anticipate and avoid them, you can scale your idea for the highest volt...

When a seemingly promising idea loses efficacy or profitability as it expands, we call it a “voltage drop.” These failures to scale never happen because of one single reason.

False positives occur when you interpret a piece of evidence or data as proof that something is true, when in fact i...

For an idea or enterprise to hold strong at scale, you need to know whether your “non-negotiables” — the drivers of your success — can be replicated at scale. You can’t afford all the talent you need as you grow, so you hire fewer high-performers and quality suffers at scale — a cruel voltage dro...

Why do some products, companies, and social programs thrive as they grow while others peter out? 

There are five causes:

1) False positives, or inaccurately interpreting a piece of evidence or data;

To scale successfully, you need to determine not only how many people like your idea, but also what they’re willing to pay for it and, crucially, how much it will cost to provide.

• One strategy to escape the cost trap of scaling is to make sure you benefit from economies of scale, a ski...