9 Start-Ups and the Hurdles of Scaling-Up
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Alessia Pisoni
Abstract
The start-up world is obsessed by the concept of scalability and exponential growth. That’s why scholars and practitioners started making a distinction between early-stage initiatives (start-ups) and real companies able to produce revenue and employment (the so-called scale-ups). A recently published article by Shepherd et al. (2021) points out how “too often the start-up and the scaling stages are merged (and the difference ignored), [this] has obstructed knowledge creation”. Moreover, in this field of research “wisdom of practice” is often more advanced than theory. Therefore, in an attempt of providing a clear-cut picture of the topic under investigation, we adopt the double-side perspective of practitioners and academics, who have been focusing their research efforts on this field for decades. In the end, the chapter also provides an overview of the main hurdles characterizing the scale-up process.
Abstract
The start-up world is obsessed by the concept of scalability and exponential growth. That’s why scholars and practitioners started making a distinction between early-stage initiatives (start-ups) and real companies able to produce revenue and employment (the so-called scale-ups). A recently published article by Shepherd et al. (2021) points out how “too often the start-up and the scaling stages are merged (and the difference ignored), [this] has obstructed knowledge creation”. Moreover, in this field of research “wisdom of practice” is often more advanced than theory. Therefore, in an attempt of providing a clear-cut picture of the topic under investigation, we adopt the double-side perspective of practitioners and academics, who have been focusing their research efforts on this field for decades. In the end, the chapter also provides an overview of the main hurdles characterizing the scale-up process.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
- 1 Fostering Digital Entrepreneurship by Developing Entrepreneurial Mindset 5
- 2 Digital Innovation and Incubation Process 23
- 3 Digital Sustainable Entrepreneurship Business Model and Its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals 35
- 4 Digital Technologies in Entrepreneurship and Shifting of Entrepreneurial Trajectories 45
- 5 Entrepreneurial Orientation: An Assessment of Empirical Evidences from Italy and Some Hints for Further Research 67
- 6 Gender Contribution to the Competitiveness of Social Media Entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia: Context of the National Transformation 85
- 7 How to Locate Resources in the Personal Networks Along the Entrepreneurial Processes? Follow-Up of a Nascent Digital Nomad Entrepreneur 109
- 8 Managing Conflicts to Improve Performance in Start-Ups: A Theoretical Analysis 129
- 9 Start-Ups and the Hurdles of Scaling-Up 145
- 10 New Technologies as a Lever for the Scalability of Italian Start-Ups 157
- About the Editors 171
- Index 173
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
- 1 Fostering Digital Entrepreneurship by Developing Entrepreneurial Mindset 5
- 2 Digital Innovation and Incubation Process 23
- 3 Digital Sustainable Entrepreneurship Business Model and Its Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals 35
- 4 Digital Technologies in Entrepreneurship and Shifting of Entrepreneurial Trajectories 45
- 5 Entrepreneurial Orientation: An Assessment of Empirical Evidences from Italy and Some Hints for Further Research 67
- 6 Gender Contribution to the Competitiveness of Social Media Entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia: Context of the National Transformation 85
- 7 How to Locate Resources in the Personal Networks Along the Entrepreneurial Processes? Follow-Up of a Nascent Digital Nomad Entrepreneur 109
- 8 Managing Conflicts to Improve Performance in Start-Ups: A Theoretical Analysis 129
- 9 Start-Ups and the Hurdles of Scaling-Up 145
- 10 New Technologies as a Lever for the Scalability of Italian Start-Ups 157
- About the Editors 171
- Index 173
