One of the challenges of a growing, maturing company is figuring out how to make the shift from ‘Scrappy’ to ‘Responsible.’
The habits that help you survive as 2-3 person shop—basically a group of freelancers banding together—have to change as you grow.
The “Give it our all because it’s our baby” mindset very, VERY easily transforms into a culture of burnout as a company grows.
As you approach Dunbar’s number, you have to think not just about rules and processes, but affordances, too. “What do we make easy?”
i.e., “We want healthy work/life balance BUT we make it easy for the team to fall into round-the-clock, interrupt-driven engagement.”
Like a lot of issues, finding and fixing those things is a constant, ongoing process, best approached with curiosity and humility.