To Scale, or Not to Scale: That is the Question

Scale, scale not. This month I was invited to speak in 2 conferences, Exponegocios in Cali, Colombia and ScalingUp, an online conference, in both conferences they asked me to speak on scaling, the how and why to globalize companies.

For this reason, I want to share a few tips on scaling a business, from a country to a region, and from a region to the world, considering the unique Latin American profile.

The team is the key to everything: When we invest in early-stage companies the first thing we look at is the team. As investors we think…Will this team be able to carry out what they propose? Regionalization shows if the founders have had the ability to transmit their strengths to the extended team.

Keep pushing the barrier of “failure”: We need to push this cultural barrier in order to test opportunities in the region. Som are going to fail, but if we don’t take the risk, we can’t build a great company, a global company.

Think big: This may be a cliché, but there are so many entrepreneurs in Latin America that think of their business in a local way. It takes the same amount of work to develop a small business as it does to develop a large company, we all have the same 24 hours to live our lives. We choose how to do so.

Technology as a commodity: No one, absolutely no one can grow a business without implementing technological solutions. Today, technology touches everything, processing, communication, customer service solutions, etc. Hoy la tecnología permea todo, los procesos, las comunicaciones, las soluciones a nuestros clientes, etc.. For that reason, entrepreneurs have a great opportunity, because it has never been so economical to create a technology-based company or try a business model: potential clients are online, just a click away.

Use agile methodologies to develop products and platforms: Today, companies are using the Lean Startup Method, which leads to product development and customer acquisition at the same time. If the first product we take to the market does not embarrass us, you’re too late.

Test local, scale regionally or globally: Investors are looking for high-impact companies with global potential, even if it is more risky. The larger the market opportunity, the easier it is to obtain investment partners.

Are you thinking of scaling your company? Take a chance and share your challenges with me!

#focus #consistency #passion

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