20 Aug
Look at this RV.
Kayak strapped to the side. Boxes piled on top. Barbies hanging off every edge. A globe, a telescope, lamps, an inflatable raft. Solar panels. Teddy bears. A guitar.
It’s chaos. And somehow, it’s still moving.
This is what a lot of companies look like on the inside.
They didn’t plan to look like this. It happened gradually. One thing at a time.
They needed to track something new, so they added a spreadsheet. Then another tool. Then a workaround because the tool didn’t quite fit. Then a person to manage the workaround. Then a process to manage the person.
And now? There’s a kayak on the roof and no one remembers why.
This is what I call the Barbie RV Problem.
Companies add things onto their operations instead of taking a systemic look at how things need to be redesigned as they grow.
It makes sense in the moment. Adding is faster than redesigning. It’s less disruptive. It gets you through the quarter.
But every bolt-on adds weight. Adds complexity. Adds drag.
And at some point, the RV can’t turn anymore.
Here’s the thing about growth:
More revenue, more headcount, more customers, more products. All of it leads to more complexity. And complexity doesn’t announce itself. It accumulates.
What worked at $10M doesn’t work at $30M. What worked with 20 people doesn’t work with 80. The systems that got you here won’t get you there.
But instead of redesigning, most companies just keep adding.
Another tool. Another role. Another layer. Another strap holding the kayak in place.
At some point, you have to stop and ask:
What are we actually carrying? Do we still need all of this? Is this RV designed to hold what we’re asking it to hold?
Because the answer might be no. And if it’s no, no amount of straps will fix it.
The companies that scale well don’t just add. They pause at key inflection points and ask: does this still work? They redesign before they have to. They take things off the RV instead of just piling more on.
It’s harder. It’s slower. But it’s the only way to build something that can actually handle the road ahead.
Take a look at your RV. What’s strapped on that doesn’t belong anymore?