What Got You Here, Won't Get You There: Making Growth Easier

Hey Reader,

Growth is what we all work for but when it actually happens, it can be more painful than expected. I recently worked with a client who grew 5X in revenue in under eight years. The challenge?

Their processes and management style didn’t keep up. They were still operating like a $200 million company, even though they’d become a $1 billion business.

But we've always done it this way

Here’s the reality: the systems, habits, and tools that help you reach one level often won’t take you to the next.

Core values and promises to customers should stay the same, but how you deliver on them must evolve. That might mean handing off responsibilities, building more structured processes, or investing in new technology to increase throughput.

If you’re still managing operations through group texts or spreadsheets, you’re not just making things harder; you’re risking customer satisfaction and profitability.

Growth exposes the cracks in your foundation, and the workarounds that once “got it done” start to cost you more than you realize.

Bottom Line:

If your recent growth has come with more pain than progress, take a step back. Ask yourself:

• What values and promises do we need to protect?
• Where do we need to develop new, scalable ways of working to handle our next stage of growth?
• With whom can we compare ourselves to see how they adapted?

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​Judson Armentrout​
FreshOps | Practical Insights for Fresh Food Operations

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