Growth Factorials

Let me share a story from my time in the test prep sector—a time when I asked my senior business leaders to send me on a “career suicide mission.” Sounds dramatic, right? Here’s what happened:

I was given three options for my next role: leading a stable market A where we were already a market leader with a revenue of 20 X, leading a growing market B with a revenue of 7 X, or leading a struggling market C with a revenue of just X, in need of a complete turnaround. Against the advice of well-wishers who warned me it might spell the end of my career, I chose the third option because I saw it as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Upon taking up the role, I quickly realized that the strategies that worked for us in Market A were ineffective in Market C. We were facing serious challenges: poor brand awareness, limited reach, and a misaligned team unaware of the severity of our situation. So, I made it my mission to address these issues head-on.

Our first step was to rally the team around a shared mission: to become the top player in the market. It may have seemed ambitious given our circumstances, but our belief in our goal fueled our determination. With the team fired up and ready to work hard, we received exceptional support from headquarters. We brainstormed creative and cost-effective ways to boost awareness and reach, such as opening seven new centres for the cost of one through innovative thinking.

We also organized numerous events and campaigns to build brand awareness, even catching the attention of the market leader, who sent us a legal notice—a sign that we were making waves. Within a year, we achieved remarkable growth, quadrupling our business and securing the number two position in the market. Our efforts were recognized by the organization, which rewarded the team with two raises in a single year—a testament to our incredible achievement.

Looking back on this journey, I’m convinced of the power of first-principles thinking. By breaking down complex challenges into fundamental truths and building solutions from the ground up, we achieved unprecedented success. This experience taught me that innovative yet practical solutions can be found by embracing a foundational approach to problem-solving.