Ideas in the Wild: Brendan McGurgan and Claire Colvin Aim To Improve Scalability by Guiding Us Through Each Stage of the Scaling Process

Few startups ever manage to break free of the gravitational pull of the everyday and shoot for the stars.

In SIMPLE Scaling, Brendan McGurgan and Claire Colvin offer a comprehensive, down-to-earth guide to walk entrepreneurs through each stage of the scaling process in one elegant, integrated framework. They also show entrepreneurs how to overcome all the challenges they’ll meet along the way.

I recently caught up with Brendan and Claire to learn more about why they wrote the book and the ideas they share with readers.

Why did you write this book?

We wrote this book in response to a failure at the heart of the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. Only a tiny percentage — estimated at between 2 percent and 4 percent — ever achieve scale.

Think about that. The vast majority of founders and entrepreneurs, despite making great strides forward in the early years, hit a brick wall and stagnate, denying themselves, their teams, and their communities a golden opportunity to create something special.

What is the reason for this failure? Why do so many otherwise excellent, high-potential startups end up treading water?

It comes down to lack of know-how. The reality is that traditional thinking and long-established conventions are no longer serving us. To break through the ceiling and shoot for long-term scaling growth calls for a new set of principles.

Our goal was to create a playbook of sorts that could speak to the 400 million leaders of SMEs out there who wrestle with their businesses day and night in hopes that things will get a little easier and that sustainable growth can happen.

To achieve that aim, we have packed this book with clear calls to action, techniques, and real-life stories that will help you scale your organization. We have put a logical, intuitive order on the scaling journey.

We want you to learn from our many mistakes. We want to simplify the wonderful scaling journey that lies ahead. What’s more, we want you to take this journey with joy, flow, and ease.

What’s an idea you share that really excites you?

In a study conducted by Harvard Business Review in 2019, managing energy was identified as one of the three critical reasons why 50 percent of CEOs in the S&P 500 vacated their positions less than five years after taking up their post.

Older and more seasoned CEOs understand the critical importance of energy management. Leading a scaling organization is one thing. Leading it in a sustainable way is quite another. You must protect the asset. You must protect you.

When you think CEO, think “Chief Energy Officer.” Bottom line, you cannot and will not inspire, motivate, and energize an organization if you fail to manage your own energy levels. That’s why your first entries in next week’s diary MUST relate to boosting your energy.

I know firsthand the pressure the scaling life places on you. There are times when you are utterly exhausted to the point where you find it difficult to engage fully with family in the evenings, where you tell yourself you’ll just do one more email, where you feel both guilty and ineffective at the same time. The fact is that too many of us are sleeping poorly and make no time for exercise. Too many of us grab a bite on the run instead of eating healthily.

Throughout my tenure as a CEO, I never considered our objectives reached unless team energy levels remained high. Why? Because we can only be the best version of ourselves when we are fully energized. And I’ve also seen that high energy is infectious. When those around you are focused, energized, and driven by a purpose, you can’t help but be drawn into that dynamic.

Growth-minded leadership transforms people cognitively and emotionally. In an energized environment, we tap into hidden strengths. We see more, do more, learn more.

So, prioritize energy management. Make it non-negotiable. It’s the only way to achieve the success you are dreaming of.

How will following your advice improve your readers’ lives?

This book offers 10 principles that, taken together, represent an integrated framework for scaling success — the ScaleX™ Framework. If you follow the advice in the book about applying each of these principles, you will come away with everything you need to scale successfully.

First, you will develop the mindset needed to successfully scale a business. Next, you will learn how to create an inspirational vision of the future, one that is rooted in a strong purpose. Once crafted, you will learn how to bring the “who” — those you will need to get you where you need to go.

These are all integral components of scaling successfully, but we don’t stop there. We zero in on how to plot a course toward the vision you created, explore how you develop a template for repeatable success, and look at how you execute.

Then, we show you how to accelerate your scaling ambitions. To scale significantly, you will need to take your product or service beyond your borders into a new region and/or industry. We discuss this, and we look at the broader business ecosystem that will play a part in achieving your vision.

By understanding how to navigate the growth phases that all SMEs go through and by implementing a more predictable, repeatable cadence across your business, you will be on your way to building a successful, profitable, and sustainable business. You will be on the road to realizing your vision.