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The path ahead
Great founders are often great at product but terrible at operations. As you scale, systems matter more than founders. This path teaches you how to build scalable processes, hire consistently excellent people, set competitive compensation, and measure what matters.
Follow this path to build operational discipline that lets you scale without burning out your team.
Step 1 of 4 · 4-6 hours
Step 1: Create Standard Operating Procedures
Templates for hiring, customer support, and fulfillment.
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Coach's Perspective
Start with your highest-friction processes. Write procedures as if teaching someone new—if it's unclear, the SOP is incomplete. Include decision trees for edge cases. Update SOPs annually and whenever processes change.
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Coach's Perspective
Use the same scorecard for all candidates in a role. Have multiple people interview each candidate and compare scores. Document everything. This protects you legally and ensures you hire the best person, not your favorite personality.
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Coach's Perspective
Use Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn Salary to research. Set salary bands with a range (e.g., $80-100k for a role). Pay at the high end when you have few people. Consistency prevents resentment and accusations of bias.
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Coach's Perspective
Track: time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, retention rate, and process cycle times. Compare month-over-month to spot trends. When metrics worsen, fix root causes immediately rather than ignoring the signal.