#43 The Art of Scaling

Meet the formula for living a rich life (1 + 1 = ∞)

May – June 2025, Switzerland

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What comes into your mind when you read the word “Scaling”?

Exponential growth, SaaS, unicorns, billions?

For me, scaling means:

“increasing my impact, while putting my life energy into things that truly matter to me.”

Scaling organizational and societal impact

What is my role as a facilitator and a guide for my clients when I accompany them on their journey towards living strategies and collaborative organizational development?

It is guiding.

It is listening.

It is sharing back and encouraging them to do.

In most cases, it is a safe space for all participants to fully be as they are, to hear, see, feel and listen to what is present.

Just this morning, I had a check-in on a mandate and my clients shared that they will take most of the next steps by themselves.

A part of me was briefly insecure. Wow, it only took a few hours with the leadership team and now they can continue on their journey. I am not needed in that part of the process.

Another part of me is beaming with pride and joy. That is the essence of my work. I help organizations and individuals tap into their fullest potential and drive their transformation through their own actions.

Not PowerPoints, not concepts, no dependency on an external voice.

Rather a spark, to ignite and further feed that passionate fire, through my presence, a few tools and a space for reflection.

Reflection is my absolute favorite source for scaling potential.

Because reflection helps to remember what really matters. And then put all hands on deck.

Scaling through network effects

For my own business, I reach scale through my network.

On purpose, I decided to set up a lean one-person company with zero debts and minimal running costs. I have not yet read Company of One on my Kindle (Thank you Elise and Patrick). I think it will reflect quite nicely how I am scaling my business, not through employees, bigger projects or selling maximized hours.

I scale my business by being invited and inviting others to collaborate. My (growing) network of selected partners is the biggest joy of my entrepreneurial journey.

I have partners working with me on strategy mandates, deep transformational journeys or for big group facilitations.

I also have these partners for walking meetings, for spontaneous emergency support when thoughts are stuck, for reflection, for sharing the joy and fear of never knowing how the next three months will look.

In more than one case, I passed on opportunities to make money to others. While it leaves me with a feeling of slight discomfort about how to pay my bills in autumn, it also gives me a deep sense of trust.

When the right mandates knock on my door, the ones that combine business challenges with tapping into the full energy of the people involved, I am there to open and invite them in.

There are better people out there for running deep quantitative analysis, to create wireframes or to provide structured coaching sessions. Through my network, I can connect them with people in search of those skills. My impact indirectly increases through an email or a short introduction.

Scaling love

Ultimately, the most beautiful scaling that is currently unfolding is the love for my son. It was very clear for my husband and me that we want to build a village to raise our children. Even when living in another city than our parents, we want our son to grow up feeling loved and secure with more than just his biological parents.

(Obviously, a mother’s and father’s love are still something very special, that I now know too.)

So we set out to find those people and trusted them to take care of him.

To let go and leave him with them.

Without us fussing in the background.

Without baby monitoring or constant check-ins.

We love to get a picture of him playing in a grandparent’s garden. Yet we do not ask for it.

We love to listen to the day’s adventures when we pick him up from daycare, yet we do not ask for an app to send us hourly updates.

Now, seeing at the tender age of one how safe, how loved and how joyful he is when spending time with his grandparents, his uncles and aunties, his godmother and godfathers, his caretakers and babysitters, my heart warms up.

Because not only does my love for him exponentially grow when we reunite after a period of separation, because I have more patience and more nerves when rested,

because with love the ultimate magic of scaling becomes clear:

1 + 1 = ∞

The more we are giving in to the world, the more we are able to receive.

What are you scaling in your life?

The Art of Scaling by a dandelion (Löwenzahn).

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Yuanfen 緣分 in Chinese means: moments and connections that are meant to be.

In my stories, I share reflections about life and business through a lens of curiosity, exploration and joy. What connections, moments, and learnings unfold when we are truly present with ourselves and others?