Bloop Global LLC

When 20 Felt Like 200

Dela's team hit 18 people, and everything that used to work just... stopped.

At 8 people, everyone knew what everyone was doing. Decisions happened in minutes. The vibe was electric. They'd built a logistics platform that moved faster than competitors three times their size.

But at 18?

Meetings to schedule meetings. New hires asking, "Who do I talk to about this?" Three different people working on the same feature because nobody knew who owned what. Their best engineer, who had been there from day one, pulled Dela aside: "This doesn't feel like us anymore."

The wake-up call hit like a verdict: they'd scaled the team but not the system.

So they did something different....

Week 1: Dela paused all hiring. Called an all-hands. Asked one question: "What made this place special when we were 8 people?"

The answers: Speed. Clarity. Everyone had a voice. You could see how your work mattered.

Week 2: They built three documents:

Who Decides What — A simple chart showing decision owners at different levels
How We Communicate — Slack for quick stuff, Notion for decisions, all-hands for big picture
Our Operating Rhythm — Weekly team syncs, monthly all-hands, quarterly strategy resets

Week 3: They implemented one rule: "No new process unless it protects what made us special."

Six months later? They're at 28 people. They still move fast. Culture is intact. Systems are in place.

The lesson: Small teams don't need less structure. They need the right structure — one that amplifies what made them work, not bureaucracy that slows them down.

The Culture-to-System Audit (Use This Week)

Most founders scale backwards. They replicate "professional" processes without considering their cultural context.

Here's a 20-minute exercise to build systems that actually fit:

STEP 1: Name Your Superpowers (5 mins)
What are the 3 things your team does better than anyone else? Be specific.

Example: "We ship features in days, not weeks" / "Everyone can talk to the founder" / "We solve problems without meetings"

STEP 2: Spot the Breaks (5 mins)
What's breaking as you grow? Where are people confused, blocked, or frustrated?

Example: "New hires don't know who to ask" / "Decisions take forever" / "We're in meetings all day"

STEP 3: Build Systems That Protect (10 mins)
For each superpower, create ONE system that protects it at scale.

→ Download the template: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16oPBIxv4NQ1Vr_-CY6PdPzvRWdDUMTa8/view?usp=sharing

WHAT'S WORKING

These aren't trends. These are systems:

1. Notion (or Coda)
Why it works: One place for everything—docs, decisions, tasks. Searchable. No more "where did we document that?"
Best for: Teams of 5-50 who need structure without complexity

2. Loom for Async Updates
Why it works: Record a 3-minute video instead of a 30-minute meeting. Works across time zones.
Best for: Remote or hybrid teams who waste time in status meetings

3. The "Weekly Wins" Ritual
Why it works: Everyone posts one win in Slack every Friday

. Keeps momentum visible. Culture stays alive.
Best for: Any team size. Costs nothing. Takes 2 minutes.

4. The 1-Page OKR Doc
Why it works: Everyone knows the 3 most important things this quarter. Kills scope creep.
Best for: Teams over 10 people who are losing focus

No complex dashboards. No expensive tools. Just clarity at scale.

Builders Who Get It

"We hit 15 people and I realized I was the bottleneck. Started doing 'office hours' twice a week where anyone can grab 15 mins. Game changer. My calendar is clearer AND the team has more access."
— Enoch, Founder @ Accra-based SaaS startup

"Best decision we made: writing down 'how we make decisions.' Sounds boring but it saved us from so many arguments about who gets final say."
— Amara, COO @ Lagos fintech

Your turn: Reply to this email with one system that's working for your team. We'll feature the best ones in the next issue.

Before Next Friday:

Do this: Schedule 20 minutes with your team (or just yourself if you're solo). Run the Culture-to-System Audit from The Toolbox above.

Ask this question: "What made us special at our best—and what system would protect that as we grow?"

Ship this: Pick ONE system from your audit and implement it this week. Not next month. This week.

Small teams don't scale by accident. They scale by design.

See you next Friday with: "When Your First Product Flops (and What You Should Do Next)"

Build smart,
The Bloop Global Team

P.S. — Know a founder who's scaling and struggling? Forward this. They'll thank you.