Understanding the Growth at All Costs Mindset

This is me in 2012—on the surface, I looked like I was succeeding by society’s standards. I had a business, I was working hard, I was “on track.” But the truth? Inside, I was struggling more than anyone knew. In 2013, after my first business failed, I felt so ashamed, so helpless, and so buried in debt that I considered suicide as my only way out. I never told anyone, friends, family, peers, I kept it completely hidden. Looking back, I realise that part of this silence was due to the mechanistic business system we’re conditioned to operate in. A system that values productivity, efficiency, and profit above all else, with no room for mental health, personal struggles, or vulnerability. It’s this very system that drives many of us to burnout, anxiety, and depression — and it’s a system I’ve worked hard to unlearn over the years. A study in 2015 found that 72% of entrepreneurs are dealing with at least one mental health issue—whether it’s depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, or addiction. And yet, 88% of people aged 16-24 say they’d still tell their friends and family they’re “fine,” even if they’re struggling inside. These stats hit hard because I’ve lived through them. And i know a lot of other entrepreneurs have too. And I still see this narrative—growth at all costs—pushed by mainstream media and much of the business ecosystem. It’s damaging, and it’s deeply entrenched. The more I reflect, the more I realise I’ve carried these mechanistic scars with me into my career. It’s taken time and intentional effort to unlearn those toxic habits and replace them with something healthier. The truth is, businesses that prioritise growth without considering the wellbeing of their people are destined to break down. At Zebra Growth, we’re working to shift that narrative. We’re beginning to have more open conversations about mental health. The mechanistic business system teaches us to ignore our human needs and view ourselves as cogs in a machine. But there’s another way—a living systems approach, where businesses value health, balance, and connection just as much as profit. So, who else has felt the weight of these challenges in their career? What’s being done to support entrepreneurs navigating these challenges now? I'm curious to learn more. If you’re feeling the weight of these challenges, know that you’re not alone. #MentalHealth #Entrepreneurship #LivingSystems #RegenerativeBusiness #BusinessHealth #SupportForEntrepreneurs

I hear a lot of founders go on about how they need to "grow at all costs." But here's what they overlook: You can grow 100% quarter over quarter... and still be worthless. Look, I get it. Especially in the VC-backed world, the "need to spend money to make money" mindset is drilled into you from day one. You raise capital, and now your entire job is to grow the company as fast as humanly possible. The problem is, if you're not profitable, or at least clear on your path to profitability, that growth means absolutely nothing. That's why at Exitwise, Todd and I know where every single dollar is going. We’re building something purposeful, and we treat every decision like it’s our own money — because it is. We've bootstrapped this thing from the ground up. That’s the big difference. Because when you raise a $20M round, you’re hiring people left and right. You’re bringing on vendors, advisors, and partners without vetting them first, something you'd NEVER do if it were coming out of your personal bank account. But before long, you lose the discipline that made the company great in the first place. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you're VC-backed or bootstrapped. The same principle applies: Growth and revenue are meaningless if you're not making a profit. Build accordingly.

Five years ago, marketers chased companies with big VC funding Growth at all costs was the exciting career path Now they're asking me about profitability and runway first There's been a dramatic shift in what top marketing talent looks for in their next role. During my calls with candidates, I'm noticing a consistent trend that wasn't there just a few years ago. Where marketers once flocked to startups boasting about their latest funding round and aggressive growth targets, they're now asking very different questions: "What's their runway?" "Are they profitable yet or at least heading toward profitability?" "How sustainable is their business model?" This shift isn't surprising. After waves of layoffs across consumer brands over the past few years, marketing professionals have learned the hard way that "growth at all costs" often has an expiration date – and they're the ones who suffer when the money runs out. With VC funding becoming more selective for consumer brands, companies can no longer use big cash injections as their primary recruiting tool. Instead, candidates want reassurance that they won't jump ship only to be made redundant six months later when the runway shortens. The most sought-after employers now are those who can demonstrate fiscal responsibility alongside their growth ambitions. Smart marketers have realized that sustainable growth environments provide more long-term career development than the boom-and-bust cycle of heavily funded but unprofitable companies.

For the longest time, I thought growth meant saying “yes” to every challenge, working harder than everyone else, and muscling through setbacks like a fricken gladiator. It wasn’t growth. It was exhaustion. And it wasn’t an agile mindset. It was rigidity disguised as resilience. Here’s the real problem: Most GTM leaders I talk to think they have a growth mindset. But what they actually have is a grind mindset. They mistake overcommitting for ambition. They confuse busyness with effectiveness. They treat adaptability as an afterthought, not a strategy. I used to think that if I just kept pushing through, I’d eventually figure it out. That’s not what happened. What happened was I kept hitting the same walls: • Burnout from taking on too much. • Slow decision-making because I was afraid of being wrong. • Wasted cycles on strategies that should’ve been killed sooner. That’s when I made a shift. I stopped focusing on just growth and started embracing agility - working smarter, faster, and being more adaptable. Here’s what that looked like: 1. Shorten feedback loops. Don’t wait months to see if a campaign or message works—test small, iterate fast, and pivot before you burn budget. 2. Kill bad ideas quickly. The best GTM teams aren’t afraid to cut their losses. Stop clinging to “sunk costs” and start moving on faster. 3. Make micro-moves, not massive overhauls. Then measure. Adjust. Scale what works. MOST IMPORTANTLY: 4. Ask for help. Your network, your customers, your community—they know things. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel alone. Growth without agility = spinning your wheels harder. Agility without growth = running in circles. Are you growing? Or grinding? #gtm #growthmindset #cybersecurity #marketing #b2b #selfaffirmationsundau

The "Growth at All Costs" era is over. Just had a brand brag about their 300% YoY growth. Then showed me their P&L. They're losing $8 on every order. THE NEW REALITY: VCs aren't writing blank checks anymore. Customer acquisition costs are through the roof. And burning cash for vanity metrics gets you nowhere. We turned down 3 potential clients last month. All growing fast. All bleeding money. Growth without profit is just expensive failure in slow motion. WHAT'S ACTUALLY WORKING: - Obsess over contribution margin, not top-line revenue - Fix your unit economics before scaling - Say no to unprofitable channels (yes, even Amazon) - Build a business, not a growth story We're growing 100% YoY. But every order is profitable. Every warehouse pays for itself. Every hire adds to the bottom line. THE HARD TRUTH: Anyone can grow by losing money. The real flex is growing while making it. Sustainable > Viral. Profitable > Popular. Real business > Growth theater. What metrics actually matter in your business?

I’ve witnessed first-hand the allure of raising large rounds of venture capital early on after being both in the founder seat raising VC $ and now in the VC seat guiding early stage founders. The social and financial pressures are real. The consequences of growing too quickly without a clear handle on product-market fit are just as real! It's easy to get caught up in the fundraising race early on when all of the headlines usually glorify large VC rounds, but *the truth is*: sustainable business and product growth should always come before scaling for the sake of headlines. Think of your financing strategy mindset like conditioning for a marathon—not a sprint. Early mindset training determines how far and how well you’ll go. Some of the following principles are helpful to keep in mind before going all-in on venture capital…. 💡 Clarity on Product-Market Fit is Key. Before chasing meaningful VC $, focus on getting clear and deep validation from your customers and end users. The best companies first go deep, refine their offering, and build a loyal customer base. ⏳ Patience Pays Off. Rushing to raise venture capital may seem to fuel growth, but it can cloud your understanding of what truly resonates with your customers—and what should actually come next on your roadmap.. Prioritize learning over scaling in the early stages to ensure your product is solid. 🔑 Sustainable Growth > Growth for Growth’s Sake. Raising too much capital too early can force a growth trajectory that doesn’t align with your product roadmap AND customer base– and in a worst case scenario, you may lose sight of your end vision. It’s important to know when to scale and when to double down on improving your product and operation with the end goal of growing your customer base in a quality first manner. 🛠️ Build Your Foundation First. Strong, sustainable businesses are built on solid foundations: loyal, happy customers, enduring metrics, and product-market fit. Use your capital wisely, and ensure every step of growth is backed by data-driven decisions– beware vanity metrics! Along the building journey, ask yourself: Can your product generate consistent revenue and meet customer needs before raising more? 🚀 Keep your focus on building something durable—and truly loved by your customers. Curious how others are approaching this—what’s your litmus test for knowing when it’s time to scale?

Chasing “growth at all costs” in Q4 is a mistake. It might seem like a win now, but it will slow you down heading into Q1. Two weeks in to Q4, these same patterns are starting to emerge: → Leadership giving in to board pressure → Shifting budgets from creation to capture → Turning off targeted awareness campaigns → Activating lead gen forms targeting everyone → Fixating on attribution software results → Ignoring valuable qualitative insights and feedback → Overreliance on gift card incentives → Gating content that was previously open → Diverting significant budgets to paid search → Scrapping virtual live events → Reallocating funds away from content creation → Cutting down on vendor engagement → Overlooking funnel conversion performance → Losing sight of pipeline velocity momentum → Layoffs and suspending job postings → Mindset: IMMEDIATE GROWTH at any cost Disrupting your marketing engine to chase quick wins might seem tempting, but it rarely (if ever) benefits your long-term pipeline or revenue. When marketers shift focus and energy towards convos about: - Attribution - Lead volume - Superficial metrics - Marketing execution - Demand capture vs. creation …it requires a complete mental reset, and that takes time and energy to course correct. I’m not saying change isn’t needed—if something’s not working, it needs to be fixed. But you can’t force results. You never have, and you never will. Let’s just be realistic about the true impact these moves will have. TL;DR <<Don't fall into the trap>> What's your biggest frustration in Q4 as a Marketer?

My biggest enemy as a founder has always been "growth at all costs" syndrome. Over the past months, I've learned AGAIN how important it is to stay humble and focused on quality, especially when you're experiencing growth. I learned the hard way that rapid expansion—whether it’s hiring too fast or constantly chasing new clients—can cause us to lose sight of what really matters: Serving the customers we already have. Here’s what I’ve learned over the past months that might help you avoid the same pitfalls: 1. Growth isn’t just about getting bigger It’s about improving what you already do well. Don’t let the push for more customers distract you from delivering real value to your current ones. 2. Small fires eventually turn into big problems Addressing minor issues early prevents bigger headaches down the road. Sometimes, the fires we ignore signal that our foundation isn’t as strong as we think. 3. Simplicity scales Streamlining doesn’t mean automating everything overnight. Start small: build simple systems that free up time without losing the personal touch your customers value. At Rethoric, our focus for the rest of 2024 is simple: 95% customer satisfaction at 100% capacity. Here’s how: • We’re doubling down on what works • We're building better tech and systems • We're keeping quality at the center of everything we do. So, before going for the next round of growth, take a moment to zoom out and focus on what’s right in front of you. Because sometimes, growth means staying small long enough to build something great.

Growth at all costs isn’t sustainable growth. In the early days of Subject, like many startups, we cheered on funding rounds and rapid growth. But as we’ve matured, we’ve learned to celebrate something a little different: efficiency. It’s not as flashy as raising VC funds. But it’s the true path to sustainability. 2024 was our year of transformation. We set a ceiling for our net burn - and with a lean team averaging 20 employees, we managed to double our revenue while coming under that net burn ceiling by 90%. By mid-year, we were cash-flow positive. How? We focused on meaningful execution, like tracking productivity per person and supporting in-person team collaboration. We’ve come a long way since those early days of growing as fast as possible. It took a lot of work to mature and improve so much as a company, and I couldn’t be more grateful for how those experiences have made me a better leader. Each experience taught us that sustainable success is about making choices that stand the test of time. Turns out the biggest thrill is in building something that’s here to stay.