Founders in Cohort 3 of the Slingshot Accelerator, a program of the LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship for revenue generating startups, took part in a workshop on product scaling and organizational growth led by Arif Iqbal, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of LAAM. The session was built around the idea that scaling a startup takes more than a great product and requires the right systems, processes and people to support sustainable growth. It brought together founders whose companies already have customers and income and now face the challenge of growing without losing control of quality.
Drawing on his entrepreneurial journey and long experience in technology leadership, Iqbal shared insights into scaling products while maintaining quality and customer satisfaction. LAAM is a fashion marketplace that connects shoppers with designers and brands, and its growth has given its chief executive direct experience of the pressures that come with expansion. The session covered the resources and operational systems that growth demands, including the processes that allow a company to serve more customers without a drop in service, and the choices founders must make about where to invest as demand rises.
A large part of the workshop focused on people. Participants explored strategies for building and expanding teams, a task that becomes harder as a company moves from a handful of founders to a larger organization with defined roles. The session also addressed effective leadership and management practices for navigating organizational change, since growth often forces founders to alter reporting lines, delegate decisions and adopt new ways of working. These shifts can strain a young company if they are not handled carefully, and the founders heard how an experienced chief executive approaches them.
Founders also examined how to approach scaling in a structured and sustainable way as their ventures evolve, treating growth as something to plan rather than something that simply happens. Workshops of this kind form part of the accelerator’s program of mentorship, expert sessions and connections for companies ready to expand, offering practical guidance from people who have already scaled a business. For the Cohort 3 founders, the session offered a framework for deciding how fast to grow, what systems to build first and how to keep their teams and customers aligned as their companies change.
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