If you’re serious about scaling your company, stop doing more. The counterintuitive path to extraordinary growth lies in doing
less—and doing it with laser focus. Two books have shaped how I think about this—and how I’ve helped companies grow:
10x Is Easier Than 2x
by Dr. Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan
The Science of Scaling
by Dr. Benjamin Hardy and Blake Erickson
Together, these books challenge conventional wisdom and present a unified philosophy:
Extraordinary growth doesn’t come from working harder or adding complexity, but instead by narrowing your focus, committing to a compelling vision and structuring your systems and processes so that growth becomes the natural outcome of increased clarity—not increased effort.
In short, scale yourself and your business by doing less, not more.
The central premise of 10x Is Easier Than 2x is that incremental improvement (2x growth) keeps you trapped in your current identity, skills and systems. In contrast, a 10x goal forces you to let go of 80% of what you do, think bigger and operate from
your highest-value capabilities—the activities where you create exceptional results with the least friction.
10x growth is an identity shift, not a productivity hack. You must elevate your standards, surround yourself with people and structures that reinforce your new identity and eliminate anything that dilutes focus. The 80/20 principle becomes a psychological filter: The majority of your current tasks, clients and even beliefs cannot accompany you to the next level.
The Science of Scaling applies that same 10x identity framework. The key insight: businesses can’t scale until they find and fix their core constraint—the one bottleneck holding everything back. Most companies grow in small, staggered increments (adding complexity, offers and systems) instead of achieving large upward momentum.
Scaling effectively, therefore, requires three disciplines:
- Diagnosing the core constraint
- Building simplified, repeatable systems around what already works
- Aligning team, culture and goals with this momentum
Scaling is a science of simplicity and repetition. If a company tries to solve advanced problems before solving the core constraint, it creates internal drag, inefficiency and burnout. But when companies address the core constraint, momentum compounds, morale rises and the right systems “click” into place with far less energy.
The combined message of both books is that 10x growth—whether personal or organizational—comes from subtraction, not addition.
In practice, the non-negotiables are:
- Define a clear, emotionally resonant 10x target that replaces your current identity with a future-driven one.
- Eliminate the 80%—the tasks, projects and relationships that produce the smallest impacts.
- Focus intensely on your 20%—the work that creates your highest value.
- Build systems around strengths, not weaknesses so scaling becomes about amplifying what already works.
- Solve problems in the right order, starting with that one bottleneck that governs all other progress.
- Create self-reinforcing momentum through clarity, focus and simplified structures.
The critical takeaway: let go of the traditional incremental mindset, embrace a bigger vision that forces better decisions and architect your environment—internally and externally—so that scaling becomes the natural byproduct of focus, not
force.
Happy scaling!
Nick is co-founder and President of a number of companies, including Metromedia Marketing Ltd., BrandAlliance Inc. and VEA Office Professionals.
