What No One Tells You About Going from 8 to 80?

Going from a small team to a mid-sized one is like switching from a scooty to a tempo traveller — more people, more noise, and a whole lot of learning along the way.

Let’s rewind a bit.

Someone once scribbled feature ideas on a chai tissue — and two weeks later, it was live. We sat around one table, shouted across the room for updates, and took chai breaks together.

Fast forward to now — we’re 80+ strong. It’s exciting, but if we had the chance to go back and redo a few things, oh boy, we absolutely would.

Here’s what we’ve learnt the hard way, and what we’d do differently if we had a time machine (and better Google Sheets back then).

We believed that cool perks = happy team = strong culture. And yes, it worked… for a while.

But somewhere between the 20th and 40th hire, the glow faded.

The perks stayed, but something felt off.

People appreciated the freebies, but started asking deeper questions:

1. Where am I headed here?
2. Does my work even matter?
3. Why is feedback so rare?
4. Is anyone actually listening?

That’s when it hits us, perks get attention, but purpose builds connection.

1. We hired more intentionally, not just urgently🚀 In the early days, we were in “get-things-done” mode. Roles were fuzzy, and if someone was enthusiastic, we’d say*“haan bhai, join kar lo.”*

But as we grew, we realised that early hires shape everything — your culture, your speed, your communication, and your team’s vibe.

***What we’ve changed:***We now set clearer expectations for roles. We prioritise attitude over just skill.

And we’re more thoughtful with every “yes” — sometimes saying no is an act of respect too.

2. We fixed communication before it broke us🗣️ When you’re 8, a ping or a chai pe charcha is enough. But with 80+, things slip. You think you told everyone — but did you?

There were weeks where multiple people were solving the same problem. Or worse, no one was. Because “I thought someone else was on it.”

***What we’ve changed:***We’ve introduced weekly check-ins, async updates, and shared team docs. We treat communication systems like oxygen — not admin work.

3. We protected founder bandwidth✨ In our rush to do everything, we did everything. From product to plumbing. That’s a great hustle — but not sustainable.

Founders need space to think, build, and spend time with people — not just put out fires.

***What we’ve changed:***We delegate faster now. We’ve started building second-line leadership. And yes — we block calendar time for nothing (it’s magical, seriously).

Growth is messy, but it’s where the magic happens 🔮🪄

We’ve made our share of mistakes and we’ll probably make a few more. But what’s changed is how quickly we notice, adapt, and act.

That’s the real progress.

Scaling from 8 to 80+ didn’t just grow our headcount. It grew our perspective, our patience, and our belief in people.

If you’re in the middle of building something whether it’s a team, a product, or a culture, take a moment to pause and ask:

1. What have we grown through?
2. And what are we growing towards?

Because in the end, the numbers are just a milestone. The real story is what you become on the way there.

🚪 P.S. We’re still growing. If this sounds like a journey you’d want to be part of, we’d love to meet you. 👉 [Click here to exploreopen rolesat Saleshandy]