Want to scale faster? Maybe you could work less….
Let's start off the new year with a thought experiment: What if working less was the key to scaling more?
Sorry, you’ve probably spurted your coffee out….
I’ve been scaling tech companies for 25+ years (eek!) and theres something about growth that seems counterintuitive. If one has a constant “foot to the floor” approach, the slower one tends to grow.
A real-world experiment proves this point. In 2019, Microsoft Japan tested a four-day workweek while keeping salaries the same. The results were remarkable:
Productivity increased by 40%
Electricity costs dropped by 23%
Paper usage fell by 58%
Similarly, a four-year study in Iceland found that reducing the workweek to 35-36 hours improved worker wellbeing, reduced stress, and maintained or even boosted productivity.
So, working less doesn’t mean achieving less - it can lead to doing better. When teams are less stretched, their focus sharpens, innovation improves, and businesses often thrive.
There’s always a caveat, if this interests, here’s some tips:
Build systems, not hours: Document your processes. Create clear job scorecards. Make it crystal clear what "winning" looks like for each role.
Measure outcomes, not input: Stop counting hours. Start counting impact. What moves the needle for each person, team and ultimately the business
Create succession plans now: Business growth is so often hampered by reliance upon a few key individuals. Don’t fall into this trap!
The data shows something scary: only 23% of employees report being fully engaged at work (source: 2024 Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report). Think about that. You're probably getting far less than 50% of what your team is capable of.
Want to know if you're on the right track? Here's a simple test:
Could your business run better without you for a month?
If the answer is "no," we should talk.
I help founders build businesses that scale without sacrificing their team's souls (or their own). And I've got two spots remaining for strategy sessions this month. Book a call to chat.
Ready to scale smarter, not harder?
Catch you on the growth side,
Josh
P.S. Got a scaling challenge keeping you up at night? Hit reply. I love a good problem to solve.
