Chapter 10 — Finally, How to Begin
Who you need in the room
The first ingredient is the Growth Lab Team: a cross-functional group of three to seven of the company's superstars. Not the most senior people by title — the people most likely to do the thing.
Felix's specific recommendation:
- The founder or CEO. Always.
- The head of the largest revenue-generating function (usually client services or delivery).
- The head of new business or sales.
- The head of operations or finance.
- One or two rising stars from outside the leadership team.
Critically, the team is small enough to fit around one table.
The order of work
The chapter lays out the order of work for getting started:
- Two-day off-site to build the Strategy Map with the GLT. Travel, food, a flip chart, and time to think.
- Populate the Strategy Map segment by segment: Year 3 first (the unifying goal and the supporting destination state in each segment), then Year 2 (what must be true a year out), then Year 1 (the candidate tasks).
- Order and weight the Year-1 tasks against the SWOT and the dependency graph.
- Map the first quarter into the 2Y3X Roadmap. Up to five tasks, each with a single named owner.
- Define the Research, Prototype and Implement outputs for each Q1 task.
- Set the meeting rhythm: annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily.
- Communicate the plan to the rest of the company — but only the parts that affect them, in the language that matters to them.
The first ninety days
By the end of Q1 the company should have visibly:
- Implemented timesheets, if it didn't have them.
- Stood up a weighted pipeline, if it didn't have one.
- Run a Client Satisfaction Score for the top customers.
- Implemented the meeting rhythm.
- Made measurable progress on two or three deeper Roadmap tasks.
What good looks like by end of Year 1
- Revenue is clearly trending towards the Year-3 unifying goal.
- The leadership team can run the business without the founder being in every meeting.
- Discount factors for sale (if relevant) have been systematically reduced.
- The GLT has become the locus of company change, not the founder.
When to bring outside help
Felix is even-handed about this. Most companies can run the 2Y3X process themselves with the book. Some companies benefit from the structured eight-week Scale at Speed Accelerator. Companies that want done-with-you delivery, with an experienced operator alongside the GLT for the whole two years, work with the 2Y3X programme. Founders who want personal counsel from Felix directly — typically those running larger agencies or groups, or preparing for premium exit — engage him via felixvelarde.com.