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Chat with a founder at Grand Circus changed my view on fast growth
Talked to this guy last Tuesday who runs a small software shop in Corktown. He said he turned down a 2 million buyout offer two years ago. Went on about how chasing growth for growth's sake would have killed his company culture. Hit different because my startup has been pushing for Series A funding hard. He mentioned his team of 12 people actually grew slower but stayed profitable every quarter. Made me realize I've been obsessed with big numbers instead of building something solid. Anyone else here rethink their growth strategy after a random conversation?
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the_susan1mo ago
@phoenix573 i get where you're coming from with that bakery example. had a chat with a guy who runs a vintage shop in Hamtramck last fall - he told me he specifically caps his monthly sales at 15k because once he goes over, he has to hire temps and the customer experience tanks. your mileage may vary but i've seen enough small biz owners quietly rejecting growth to wonder if our whole "scale or die" mindset is just a story VCs tell us to keep the funnel full.
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phoenix5731mo ago
That conversation about the Corktown guy turning down 2 million really got me thinking too. I had a similar moment when a friend who runs a bakery in Eastern Market told me she said no to a second location because it would mess up her dough quality and team vibe. She's been in business 8 years now with just one spot, but her margins are way better than my SaaS startup's ever been.
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the_sam1mo ago
That line about "quietly rejecting growth" really hit me. I did the math on my own SaaS startup once and realized I'm basically paying myself minimum wage to work 80 hour weeks while stressing about churn rates. Meanwhile that bakery friend of yours is probably sleeping eight hours and actually enjoying her life. I keep telling myself I'll get there too, but honestly I think my idea of "scaling" is finally learning how to set up a recurring invoice without crying.
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