Every entrepreneur wants more of two things: Time and money. We want time so that we can find some semblance of a work-life balance. To allow us to spend time with family, friends, and on outside interests. All work and no play will drive Jack crazy. And we want more money so we can keep feeding our business. What it needs to grow (ads, marketing operations, rent, contractors, the list is endless). 

Having more time and money would, of course, be great. But they’re both wasted if you don’t make the most of them. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that the time and money you put into your business. Are used carefully, strategically, and with a clear roadmap. This is where the concept of differentiating between freelancer and entrepreneur is so important. The marketing icon Seth Godin has covered this concept at length and it’s worth reading if you haven’t already. Freelancers provide a service to clients and they do it themselves. This, by definition, cannot scale. Entrepreneurs create systems that serve clients. This, by definition, must scale. 

Business Scaling “To scale, build systems, not products.” 

A simple way to look at it is to ask the question: If you were hit by a bus tomorrow, what would happen to your business? If your answer is that it would come to a screeching halt (unlike that bus), then you, my friend, are a freelancer. 

This is not to say freelancing is of lesser value, but if you want your business to truly scale, you need to build a business that can more or less operate autonomously. You need to build systems, not a product. You need to build more than a job for yourself, you need to build a business. 

In fact, many successful entrepreneurs are so busy with daily operations that they don’t have the time or energy left to grow and develop the business. Entrepreneurs launch their own businesses to have freedom, but does that sound free to you? 

This systems and road mapping mindset of the entrepreneur is where we need to start. But it also needs to carry through strategy as the business grows. When you get to the stage of scaling, this mindset will again be the key to scaling successfully and becoming part of the less than 1% of startups that make it to scale. 

Just as there is a crucial difference between freelancing and marketing, there is a parallel difference between growing and scaling. Many entrepreneurs often confuse the two, but it’s important to get it right. 

Growing means a department or entire business adds new resources (capital, people, or technology), and its revenue increases as a result. For instance, a marketing department may gain $50,000 in new revenue, but to do so, they have to hire a new marketing person with a $50,000 salary. The company’s gains and losses are equalized, so although the company is growing — by one new employee and a corresponding uptick in revenue — it really hasn’t gained much value. At least, not at first. 

Scaling, on the other hand, is when revenue increases without a substantial increase in expenditures. Processes can be “scaled” in a cost-effective manner. Scaling is the process of growing exponentially. A marketing department that spends $5,000 on automation tools to allow more-efficient marketing to a wider audience — gaining $50,000 in new revenue as a result — is scaling. The company’s gains outpace its losses, allowing it not only to grow but also to scale. 

So, do you want more time and more money? Do you want your business to grow while you sleep? Well, here’s our unabashed pitch: We can help you do that. Get in touch below!

Become a Successful Scaleur

Scaling is a strategy that can only be mastered by a scaleur who is a dedicated learner and considers real-time business priorities. I hope the article above has helped! Marketing Scaleurs is a scaling company that helps entrepreneurs scale their marketing efforts. We’re experts in growth marketing, product development, and more, creating custom growth plans for startups, entrepreneurs and scaleurs in order to help them gain traffic, generate leads and increase their revenue. 

If you want traffic, leads and sales, get in touch and you’ll start getting results in no time!