Beyond Ten: A Proven Playbook for Growing from $10M to $50M

Shift Through the Gates

Businesses between $10 million and $50 million are often considered to be in the “growth” stage. This is where companies develop habits and systems that allow complexity to lift in the company, not weigh it down.

At $10 million, most owners or key executives are still carrying too much. If they take a vacation, work stalls. Or they spend their entire vacation checking their phones. If a key leader gets sick, things wait. If a key employee leaves, the company might lose that side of the business. Growing past this point requires a shift from master craftsperson to architect.

The shift moves through Four Gates of Growth. You have to move through them all, and the sequence I use matters. Each gate helps unlock the following one. But don’t expect to complete one before you need to enter the next. You’ll move through some simultaneously. What matters is that you pass through all four gates.

Gate 1: Shift Identity from Operator to Leader

You can’t scale what you still operate. It just won’t happen. You must shift from being the primary doer and rainmaker to a culture builder, direction setter, and system architect.

The common traps are identity-based:

• “No one can do it like me.”
• “No one is as committed as me.”
• “My team’s not ready.”
• “What will my team think of me if I’m not doing (fill in the blank)?”

These are all objections rooted in your identity. But if your identity shifts from “I am what makes this thing work” to “I take joy and pride in building something that works without me,” then you’ve discovered your keys to growth and freedom.

Just because the business can run without you doesn’t mean it must. However, you should build a company that allows you to step away for three months without momentum slowing down. Even if you never take that vacation (though you should), that’s a sign of scale-readiness and value.

Case study: A client grew from $6 million to $14 million on hustle alone, then stalled. After he built the capacity of his team to lead operations and business development, it took off again. The owner now takes vacations during the busiest time of year.

Gate 1: Shift Identity from Operator to Leader

I practice woodworking as a hobby. I dream of the day I can build beautiful heirloom furniture. So far my creations are mainly in the “functional” category and live in my garage.

However, one thing I’ve learned is that measurements need consistency and accuracy to build anything well. Even being off by 1/32 of an inch can create big problems later in the project. So, in my shop apron, I carry a precise square and a ruler. I use them all the time.

Values and vision should be like your square and ruler for your business. Values tell you (and your team) how decisions are made and what acceptable behavior looks like; values are your square. Vision is a description of your direction or goals; vision is your ruler.

These statements are not for publication on the website. Customers don’t buy because of your vision statement. They buy because your product works and your team takes care of them. Your vision and values help you consistently create that experience. They create a framework for strategy and priorities. They help you set boundaries, delegate authority, train and empower your team, and redirect ineffective or inappropriate behavior.

For scaling, values and vision are essential. As you grow, you lose the luxury of knowing everyone you hire, and they won’t absorb your expectations through osmosis. They need a blueprint.

Your management team does too. Clear values and vision enable decisions to be made—whether good or good enough—when you’re unavailable and no prior direction has been given. They allow things to stay on track and move forward without you.

Case study: A $12 million client of mine hit roadblocks with staff and client issues. Because they had clarified their vision and values, decisions that would have previously turned into time- and resource-consuming rabbit trails were resolved in under an hour. They were able to act and move past the roadblocks. They landed near $20 million within the year.

Gate 3: Build Structure to Make Trust Easy

The struggle to trust that others will take care of your customers, finances, or reputation is one of the most common obstacles for leaders trying to scale. The solution isn’t to “feel more trust.” It’s to build a structure that does two things: keeps the train on the tracks and gives insight into performance.

To elaborate upon the metaphor, train wrecks are rare because the system is designed to prevent them. Track layout, train construction, and operations are all engineered to keep things on the rails. In the ‘80s, there were more than 9,000 train-vehicle collisions. By 2025, that dropped to around 1,300—because of structural changes, not luck.

It’s the same in business. Structure prevents wrecks. Examples include effective financial systems that prevent mismanagement, clear SOPs or playbooks, reinforced health and safety practices, and strong safety culture and equipment standards.

For insight into performance, another extended metaphor: I’m not a car guy. As long as mine runs, I’m good. I’m not interested in what’s under the hood. But I’ve driven for decades because I can read a dashboard. You don’t need to be a mechanic to drive a car. You need the right signals.

As your company grows, complexity increases. A simple dashboard lets you see how things are running—so you don’t have to guess or micromanage. Here are examples of metrics on a business dashboard:

• Revenue: A clear indicator of performance (especially when compared historically).
• Gross margins: A measure of operational efficiency—aim to beat industry norms, not meet them.
• Customer retention: Are you keeping and growing your customer base?
• Employee retention or engagement: Labor is likely your biggest cost. Low engagement turns that cost into waste.
• Operating cash flow: Tells you how well you weather dry spells or seize opportunity.

Structure isn’t red tape. It’s freedom in disguise. When your team understands what’s expected—and shares that understanding—they can operate without constant oversight.

That makes your company easier to manage. It means you don’t need genius-level managers with thirty years of experience. You can find aligned, competent people—and give them a playbook. If they veer off course, it’s easier to correct course. You don’t have to explain everything all the time—you can focus on coaching and mentoring.

Structure lets you define what success looks like. Write it down. Document your SOPs. Clean up your financials and teach your team how to use them. Build accountability systems. Create check-ins.

Case study: A $20 million company had a strong family feel. But it had also stalled out. Its informal culture and processes often created confusion and bled energy. By following the previous gates and adding internal structure, it hit $60 million in four years—while reducing the workload on management.

Gate 4: Delegate Core Functions Strategically

Every company has a few core functional areas: administration and finance (which often split as the organization grows), operations, and sales or business development. To scale, you need strong management—and redundancy—in each.

Don’t cheap out with admin and finance. Many leaders try to cut corners here. These are viewed as “overhead,” not foundational capacities. In reality, most leaders are not naturally strong in these areas. That’s okay. Hire skilled, competent, qualified help. The college kid who did your books at $3 million won’t cut it at $30 million. Don’t hire based on cost. Hire based on competence. These functions keep you legal, solvent, and structurally ready for rapid growth. They are the skeletal structure you’ll build on.

Next, delegate your second-best skill. Most execs are strong in either operations or sales. Whichever one you’re less strong in—delegate it. Again, don’t cheap out. This is an investment. Hire the most competent, values-aligned person you can.

Finally, delegate your strongest skill—but stay strategic. If you’re the top rainmaker, build a sales team. Focus your skills on big relationships and deals. Mentor your team, drive strategy, and build partnerships. Or, if your strength is operations, move from operating to mentoring. Let your team run the machine. You focus on refining it—and growing them.

What if you don’t enjoy orchestrating across functions? Hire a strong COO or general manager who conducts the orchestra for you. That lets you focus on vision and strategic growth.

Case study: A $40 million, well-run company had consolidated all key functions in the owner and one key manager. Separating those jobs allowed it to expand to $90 million in three years. The owner shifted from burned out to reinvigorated.

The Toughest Truth

The team that got you to $10 million may not get you to $50 million. Most of your team won’t scale with you. That’s not a failure on their part. It’s not a betrayal on yours. It’s just the nature of a changing environment.

One common example: the faithful, self-taught bookkeeper who was perfect when you were small. As complexity grows, they may not be able—or willing—to keep pace. As business advisor Ram Charan said, “Don’t frame it as personal failure. Frame it as business fit.”

Founder-led companies often hire for loyalty or convenience, not scale-readiness. That’s understandable. You’ve built trust. You’ve been through a lot together. But if you want to grow, your team has to grow too—in mindset, skill, and presence. When it comes time to step aside, “Exit isn’t always fire-or-stay. Offer a glide path,” according to tech entrepreneur Ben Horowitz.

Sometimes you can train someone. Sometimes you can shift their role. Sometimes it’s time to help them land somewhere else—with support and respect. But don’t wait. If you can already see they won’t fit six months from now, start acting now. Venture capitalist Reid Hoffman advises, “The moment you know someone isn’t going to make it, your job is to act—compassionately, but without delay.”

You can care about someone and still know they’re not the right fit anymore. Both can be true. And if you’re leading well, both must be true. For each person who’s not a fit anymore, you’re making room for two, three, or ten others to grow.

Can Your Company Grow Without You?

Here’s the final challenge: Could you leave for thirty days and still see momentum? If yes, you’ve built something scalable. You’ve built a valuable company and one that is resilient.

Running the company has probably become fun again. You spend more time working on what you want to do and less time putting out fires. You get your time back. As organizational consultant Alan Weiss says, “You can always make another dollar, but you can’t make another minute.”

You can’t just hustle your way $50 million. It’s a little like trying to keep up with a mountain bike while riding a tricycle. Pedaling harder won’t do it.

If you want growth, you’ll need to level up. This applies to your structure, your team, and how you lead. But just like getting a more complicated mountain bike, you’ll be able to go much further with far less effort.