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Scaling a business is often portrayed as a glamorous race to the top. In reality, it’s the foundation you lay that may either make or break your growth. I’ve been there—building a tech company from the ground as much as a successful exit and now investing in other startups—and I’ll let you know: the small, behind-the-scenes changes are what move the needle. It’s not enough to have a killer product, a great team, or a huge market. If you don’t get your home in order from the get-go, you’ll likely struggle to maximise all the good stuff you have for your enterprise.
Whether you are just starting out or trying to improve your operations, these three easy, practical suggestions can increase the scalability of your enterprise and prevent a lot of headaches in the future.
Organize your documents
One of the first stuff you need is a solid document organization system. Establishing a data room (a central place where all necessary documents are stored) early on saves you a lot of hassle and helps your team run like a well-oiled machine. Your data room should contain all the things from legal contracts to financial reports. Keep in mind that almost all data rooms today are digital, not physical, making them more accessible and central to the entire company.
I remember the beginnings Vungle when our documents were scattered throughout the place—on different computers, in email threads, and even in physical folders. It was chaos, especially when we were preparing for our Series A funding. Once we had a proper data room, it made a huge difference. We could quickly find any document that investors needed, and it showed them that we were on top of things.
Tip #1: Start tagging your emails. This may seem to be a no-brainer, but a tidy inbox is a godsend when you’re having trouble finding key information or files. From there, you’ll be able to slowly work your way as much as initiating systems to file key documents and eventually maintaining a well-organized data room.
Bring your pitch deck to life
Your pitch deck shouldn’t be a static document; it must be a living, respiratory tool that evolves with your organization. Many founders mistakenly think their pitch deck is just for fundraising, but in reality, it has much broader potential. You can repurpose it as a foundation for other key assets, like your worker onboarding presentations, your brand identity board, or your website and social pages. The possibilities are infinite when you treat your pitch deck as a go-to reference for early-stage documents.
As VC and Startup InvestorI’ve seen countless pitch decks—some sensible, some not so great. The ones that stand out are at all times up up to now, reflecting the latest events and strategy changes. Regularly updating your pitch deck isn’t just about impressing investors; it’s an exercise in self-reflection that forces you to look at your enterprise from different perspectives. It might be crucial to keeping your team aligned and your strategy on track.
Pro-tip #2: Schedule reviews of your pitch deck. Whether it’s monthly, quarterly, or at least annually, schedule regular check-ins with your pitch deck. Blocking it out on your calendar will ensure it doesn’t slip through the cracks and you’ll stay grounded in your organization’s evolving narrative.
Get to work on your sales standard operating procedures
A well-documented sales pitch ensures everyone on your team is on the same page, and it’s value the investment of time to get it right. At Vungle, we noticed early on that some of our salespeople were consistently outperforming others. So we began recording their calls, analyzing what was working, and eventually turning those insights into a standard sales playbook. This easy change had a huge impact—our sales skyrocketed from $850,000 to $15 million in just one 12 months. The consistency and clarity it brought was a game-changer.
But we didn’t stop there. We created email templates for our reach, which expanded our channel and fueled further growth, increasing sales from $15 million to $56 million the following 12 months. This experience underscores the power of standardizing your sales process. At its core, it might probably enable you reinforce what works and make it repeatable across your team.
Tip #3: Start with an FAQ sheet. Creating a full sales bible can seem overwhelming, so start small. Start with a easy document that lists common customer questions and their answers. This forms the basis for a more comprehensive sales guide. Over time, you’ll be able to expand this to detailed sales scripts and SOPs for customer engagement and onboarding.
Successful scaling is all about building a solid operational foundation. When you organize your documentation, update your pitch deck, and standardize your sales proposition, you’re setting yourself up for scalable growth. As you do this, you’ll undoubtedly find that small, incremental efforts often have the best impact on long-term success.