[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

By Claudia Snyman 

When I started my first business, I believed growth was only about getting more clients, scaling faster, and automating as soon as possible. Years later, after building companies both successfully and unsuccessfully, I’ve learned that growth is rarely linear — and almost never glamorous. It’s messy, uncomfortable, and deeply personal. But it’s also the most rewarding journey I’ve ever been on. 

Here are some of the lessons that have shaped me as a founder and leader. 

1. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable 

You can’t grow a business, or yourself, without stepping outside your comfort zone. For me, that meant picking up the phone and selling when all I wanted to do was hide behind product development and my financial model.  

And here’s the thing: don’t try to outsource sales too early. When your product is still maturing, you need to be as close to your customers as possible. Hear their pain points. Understand how they interpret your value proposition versus how you think you’re communicating it. These insights influence not just your sales pitch but your product roadmap. 

The temptation is to say “yes” to every customer request just to close the deal. But that can lead to what I call a “Frankenstein product”: a messy patchwork of features that no longer serves your mission. Staying close to your North Star, even when revenue is on the line, is one of the hardest, but most important calls you’ll make as a founder. 

2. Do things that don’t scale (At first) 

Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator and one of the most influential voices in the startup world, famously said, “Do things that don’t scale.” He was right. 

In the early days, hyper-personalise everything; your outreach, your onboarding, even your check-ins with clients. It might feel time-consuming and inefficient, but it’s how you truly understand your customers and refine your go-to-market strategy. And this principle isn’t limited to sales or customer feedback. It applies to process automation too. Run process workflows manually first. Automate only after seeing exactly where the process breaks and why. Build your systems around the friction points you’ve personally witnessed, not guesses to avoid overengineering everything. 

3. Build a team you trust (and let go of control) 

One of the greatest joys of entrepreneurship is watching people grow under your leadership. Hiring ‘mindset first’ works. Values, culture, and attitude matter far more than checking every experience box. 

In my experience, hiring graduates and early-career talent can be powerful: they’re hungry to learn, adaptable, and often bring fresh ideas – and they’re lighter on budget too. But juniors shouldn’t be your exclusive hire. You also need experienced professionals who can shoulder responsibilities, relieve pressure, and accelerate delivery. 

One other important thing I’ve learned about building a team is that people need to feel safe to take risks and, yes, sometimes to fail. A truly high-performing team is one where mistakes become learning opportunities, not reasons for blame. Kim Scott’s Radical Candor captures this perfectly: great leaders “care personally and challenge directly.” Caring personally builds trust, and challenging directly pushes people to grow and do their best work. Together, these create a culture where people feel empowered to take ownership, bring forward bold ideas, and course-correct quickly when things don’t work out. 

When you combine that trust with true delegation, giving people the tools, context, and space to solve problems their own way, you unlock both creativity and accountability. The result is a team that not only performs well but feels invested in the success of the business. 

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https://www.topbusinesswomen.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/creative-designers-working-project-together-scaled.jpg” title_text=”Creative designers working in a project together.” admin_label=”Image” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

4. Focus creates momentum 

One of the hardest challenges in a small business is deciding what not to do. In a growing venture, the impulse to chase every opportunity is strong, but spreads your energy too thin. There will always be more opportunities, feature requests, and ideas than your team or budget can handle. 

Create space to step back, reflect, and make decisions from clarity, not from panic. I’ve found that using simple prioritisation frameworks like RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) or even a “must do, should do, nice to do” list can bring clarity. Focus on the initiatives that meaningfully move the needle; whether that’s keeping cash flow healthy, closing a lighthouse customer, or building the one feature that will unlock your next growth stage. 

Focus isn’t just about your clarity, it shapes the team’s, too. Explaining why a pivot is necessary or goals have shifted, gives everyone a line of sight into the bigger picture. That shared clarity keeps energy aligned and morale high, even when growth isn’t linear and it gets tough at times. 

5. Keep going but stay self-aware 

There will be dark patches where you wonder whether there’s a viable business at all. I’ve been there; more than once. And every time, I had to ask myself: do I pivot or do I quit? 

In a talk for Y Combinator, Kevin Hale offered a piece of advice that stayed with me: don’t give up while you’re still having fun. But he also acknowledged that circumstances are deeply personal: your family, health, and wellbeing matter as much as your P&L. 

For me, the test is this: am I still learning, growing, and excited about solving this problem? If yes, I keep going. If not, it might be time to rethink the business or my role in it. 

6. Innovate by building bridges, not burning them 

At my current venture, MyBento, we’re challenging an industry that has operated in much the same way for decades, even centuries. Pushing against the status quo can be tough, disheartening, and often feels like an uphill battle. Change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time for existing players to adapt, and for customers to discover possibilities they never knew existed, to feel ready to embrace new approaches, and to find the courage to adopt them. 

But disrupting doesn’t mean derailing. True transformation comes from working with the ecosystem, not against it. I owe much to the wisdom of those who helped shape the industry into what it is today. Their experience helps me understand what must be preserved even as we innovate. This is what I call collaborative disruption: respecting what has come before, while carefully steering it toward a better future – always with the customer at the center of every decision. 

Claudia Snyman is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of MyBento, a South African fintech company that is redefining how businesses, employees, and advisors engage with employee benefits and wellness.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]

[/et_pb_code][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]