Article and words by Duke Urbanik, co-founder of Masters of Scale.
In my journey working with startup founders, I’ve engaged with many young entrepreneurs with extensive product knowledge yet lacking on entrepreneurial know-how. They embark on their venture somewhat blindly, learning essential business skills from books, incubator programs, and workshops along the way.
This foundational knowledge, while crucial, grows and evolves through discussions with peers, mentors, and coaches found in incubators or attached to government programs. As these companies expand, finding their product-market fit and building their teams, questions arise about new challenges like building the team, how to scale internationally, and how to tailor growth strategies to their unique products, capabilities, and aspirations.
Entrepreneurs transitioning from startup to scaleup often find themselves in a peculiar void I refer to as No Man’s Land—a phase where generic advice fails to meet their nuanced needs and lacks the depth required to navigate their market effectively. What’s glaringly absent is guidance rooted in actual experience—advice that can steer them through their specific challenges, market positions, and capabilities, a gap seldom bridged by textbooks or generic mentorship.
Another hurdle is discerning the quality of advice. For startups on tight budgets, the allure of free guidance is strong, yet its effectiveness in decision-making is questionable. Entrepreneurs naturally gravitate towards conversing with their peers, who share similar experiences, struggles, and the weight of responsibility for their teams.
For those feeling lost in No Man’s Land, my advice is to seek out entrepreneurs who’ve traversed this path before. Their insights, borne from both successes and failures, can provide a fresh perspective on your challenges, encouraging innovative solutions. These seasoned entrepreneurs won’t dictate your actions but will instead help you evaluate your options, guiding your strategic direction and encouraging you to think beyond your current limitations.
In essence, navigating from startup to scaleup requires more than just foundational knowledge—it demands experience-based wisdom and a willingness to seek and heed advice from those who’ve successfully made the journey before.
Interested in support from entrepreneurs who have done it before? Get in touch at hello@mastersofscale.nl or meet out our team.