Scaling-Up

 ASCENT Huddle Session with Harsh Mariwala Founder, ASCENT Foundation and Anjali Bansal, former global Partner and MD with TPG Private Equity and a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company in New York and Mumbai. The Session was moderated by ASCENT member, Nikunj Jhaveri, Founder and Chairman, System+

Key Learnings

1. An entrepreneur must have a complete understanding of an enterprise’s strategy, business model, scalable systems, process, equipment, IT, HR and finance when considering scaling-up.

2. The founder’s/CEO’s personal goals must be in tandem with the enterprise’s position when he/ she considers scaling-up.

3. The core asset must be well protected when market disruptions arrive – as in the case of demonetization, GST, etc.

4. The entrepreneur must be able to determine whether his/ her enterprise should be consolidating its position, or scaling-up; while taking into account all the vital factors that affect the decision.

5. There must be open and clear dialogue between all the stakeholders of the organisation, and those who are at the helm, and the goals of the two parties must be in sync.

6. The employees of the enterprise must support the founder in his/ her desire to scale up – as no movement can take place without a strong team backing it.

7. An enterprise must weigh and implement the use of social media with expertise when it comes to extending its scope of operations and/or its primary market.

8. It is imperative to realise that developments are nuanced and the founder must be able to determine when the brakes must be applied when it comes to progress.

9. It is important to take into consideration all the complications that can occur when the enterprise attempts to scale up. The enterprise must be prepared for all situations, and surprised by none. This equips the enterprise to deal with potential losses.

10. The enterprise’s position must be revisited constantly and evaluated in new markets, and the numbers must be crystal clear.

11. A good CEO can always determine the pulse of his/ her organization and the market.

12. One must be impartial and unemotional when it comes to a product, as markets can be ruthless and in a healthy market, products often become unviable and outdated.

13. Enterprise management and employees must always have convenient ways to de-stress – as it boosts productivity.

14. The organisation must always come first.

15. It is vital to have an enterprise culture that allows constructive dissent and debate in the organisation.

16. Scaling-up a professional services enterprise is dependent on finding people who are keen on learning, like challenges, and have the desire to innovate.

17. “Opium must not lull you into a stupor” – Opium being investor’s money, as it means the enterprise now has added responsibilities.

18. It’s better to have a small slice of a large pie, than a large slice of a rather small pie.

19. The enterprise must conduct test runs of a product in a small market and move on to a bigger market only if the test run is a success.

20. The enterprise must keep its employees happy – and therefore avoid internal conflicts that might stand in the way of scaling-up and operations in general.

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