Question · Growth & Scale
How fast should I grow?
The Short Answer
It depends on environmental stability. Unstable markets reward fast, experimental growth (r-selection). Stable markets reward slow, quality-focused growth (K-selection). The question isn't 'how fast?' but 'what kind of environment am I in?'
Biological Insight
Biology shows two fundamental growth strategies. R-strategists (bacteria, weeds, insects) grow fast, produce many offspring with low investment, and accept high failure rates - optimal when environments are unpredictable. K-strategists (elephants, redwoods, whales) grow slowly, invest heavily in each offspring, and optimize for long-term survival - optimal when environments are stable and competitive.
Key Questions to Ask Yourself
- Is your market defined or still being shaped?
- Are customer needs predictable or rapidly shifting?
- Is the technology mature or still evolving?
- How intense is competition for the same niche?
- Can you survive failed experiments, or is each one existential?
Common Mistakes
- Applying r-selection strategy to K-selection environments (moving fast in markets that reward quality and trust)
- Applying K-selection strategy to r-selection environments (perfecting products while competitors capture the market)
- Assuming your environment type is fixed (markets shift from r to K as they mature)