Not All Growth is Equal
Growth. Growth. Growth
Growth.
Growth.
Growth.
Everyone wants it, but not everyone understands.
We chase it relentlessly in life, business, and personal achievements.
Yet, pursuing growth without understanding its true nature can lead to diminishing returns or misdirection.
Okay, I have something to share.
This week, one of our partners, the CEO of a company in our holding (I will share exciting news soon), scheduled a meeting with Michael and me.
During the meeting, he looked us in the eye and said our contribution to the company we founded together pales in comparison to what he does daily.
That hit.
Not All Growth is Equal.
Obviously, a lot happened behind the scenes for that company.
Starting from the very Foundation. Legal. Finance. Product. Support. But still, most operations rest on the CEO’s shoulders. In a small company, that is the reality.
At the start, and often later, being the founder and CEO means you do everything.
You do what you should not have to do, but you must. That is the way.
There is no scenario in which a CEO in the early days of a company does something but not everything.
I’ve noticed a sort of equity hangover in some founders and CEOs in the early days.
Founders often become overly focused on cap-table percentages, who controls the majority, who holds the minority, while the company still can’t ship, and the pipeline remains unclosed.
Ownership of zero is still zero. Build something that works, then argue and question.
When Growth Goes Wild
There’s growth that adds value. Real, sustainable, meaningful.
Then there’s growth for growth’s sake, boosting vanity metrics and hiding deeper problems.
Growth can get out of control. You plan for steady results, but the noise takes over. Instead of progress, you get distractions.
In business, these distractions look like:
Rapid customer acquisition, collapsing retention.
Revenue spikes, shrinking margins.
Headcount scaling faster than infrastructure or culture.
Big numbers, easy headlines. But distractions kill results.
Why do 9 out of 10 startups fail?
Chasing vanity growth instead of real traction.
Running out of cash because margins were ignored.
Scaling headcount before processes exist.
Founder conflict that freezes decisions.
Copy-pasting someone else’s playbook without context.
Ignoring customer retention while obsessing over acquisition.
Over-engineering the product before finding the product-market fit.
Refusing to pivot when the market shifts.
Depending on one channel or one whale client.
Burning the team out with speed, forgetting sustainability.
Quick Personal Check
Try this.
If growth were to stop tomorrow, could you keep moving forward, or would you panic?
Are your closest relationships stronger than they were last year, or just more numerous?
Could you handle a setback, personally or professionally, without everything falling apart?
Are you overly reliant on any single element, client, channel, or partner?
What’s more challenging right now: starting new initiatives or managing what you already have?
If you don’t like the answers, maybe you’re growing the wrong stuff.
What Quality Growth Really Feels Like
Depth over breadth – meaningful engagement beats surface attention.
Profitability over revenue – healthy margins buy future bets.
Sustainability over speed – culture and process first, fireworks later.
At Belkins, I learned this firsthand: growth that feels painfully slow yet purposeful builds the strongest foundations.
Now we are scaling patiently, optimizing deliberately, and choosing lasting customer relationships over quick wins.
Yes, we could have inflated our numbers more quickly—but it wouldn’t have lasted.
My experience
I approach any problem, especially unsolvable ones, with positivity…and always understate the problem. Purposely.
This is why people love me. I can find the way, and I can lead the way.
After eight years and fifteen bootstrapped companies, the pattern is clear.
I am starting to believe that it is extremely hard to find a like-minded person or a person with similar skill sets; they are probably all busy.
All pathways to growth aren’t equal, but all are challenging.
Each person chooses how to grow. This belief is why, in my first company, Belkins, we built a culture of growth.
Uncompromising growth—all the way to the top.
Movement, only forward.
Never stop.
I believe that when you grow, everything around you grows. People want to talk to you, hang out with you, and build with you.
Growth attracts growth.
Find your way.
Don't listen to the business books; those random stories are not your playbook and never were. They reflect someone's luck, someone's experience, and so on.
Be unique.
Real growth is measured in stability, depth, and long-term resilience.
The right kind of growth compounds.
The wrong kind collapses.
Post-credit scene
Still here? Love it. Let’s grow together. Thanks for taking this deep dive with me. Today, there's just content to watch, inspire, and recharge.
🎬 Watching
Succession. How ego‑driven growth ends.
Love, Death Robots. New season arrived.
Silicon Valley. Never acquire’s old
Best,
Vlad