Growth, Scaling and Clarity
I’m starting this Substack to share the messy, honest lessons of scaling a company from 1 to 10 and beyond. My hope is that some of what I’ve learned, through both failures and successes, will resonate with other founders navigating similar challenges.
I’ll write about systems, team structure, culture, performance management, and sometimes random things that inspire me along the way.
Right now, I’m on a flight back to the US from Mexico City after two months in Europe (France, UK, Turkey, Portugal, Greece, and Spain to be exact). The trip ended with GuestyVal, one of the best tradeshows of my entire career.
Mexico City was the perfect segue before heading back to the US. It reminded me of when Extenteam was tiny, about 22 people - and I was sitting in a hotel patio in CDMX during COVID, doing payroll myself. Looking back, I can see how far we’ve come, and how much I’ve grown in the past five years.
I’m usually a realist, someone who doesn’t look at the world through rose-colored glasses or believe in butterflies and unicorns. Being in Europe – Turkey in particular – makes me question where I belong, I enjoy the long dinners accompanied by some too many alcoholic beverages and live music – the contrast of the greenery and the blue waters – but I also take great pride and enjoy being in the US – where I call home since 2008. I like the hustle culture, building and growing my company Extenteam.
What started as a side hustle in late 2019 has become a nearly 500-person, eight-figure ARR company that I’m proud to lead. Starting a company isn’t the hard part, it’s scaling that tests you. Finding product-market fit and going from 0 to 1 is tough, but scaling from 1 to 10, or from 10 to 100 million ARR (or whatever your North Star is) is even harder.
This Substack is about 14 months late, but better late than never. I’d like to thank the people who’ve inspired me:
My mom, for always supporting me and raising my brother and me to be independent.
Matt Landau, for challenging me to step outside my comfort zone and take bold risks.
Rida, my somatic practitioner and therapist, for helping me live not only in my head but also in my body.
Valerie Gangas, who convinced me just two days ago to finally launch this.
My friends, the Extenteam family, and the alumni who helped us get to where we are today.
What topics would you like me to cover most?
Let me know.
Greetings from American Airlines 505, 35000 feet - somewhere between Mexico City and Miami.
Ari
🙌