Learn how to lead and manage persistent high-growth
Despite a good starting point and a scalable revenue model, many scaleups have difficulty sustaining their growth. Over time, about 2/3 of these scaleups lose their steep growth path or even start shrinking, as they struggle to scale persistently by driving and managing high growth.
Scaleups face many challenges on the road to succesful scaling:
- Scarcity of leaders with the ability and skills to manage rapid growth
- Recruiting and developing specialized talent with the skills and mindset to thrive in a fast growing and changing organization
- Get more out of the core: maximizing and streamlining the current core business
- Developing the next phase of growth: new propositions and accessing new markets and customers to maintain growth momentum
- Professionalizing and ramping up various functional areas and specialized knowledge
- Attracting appropriate growth capital and a clear understanding of finance options
- Creating a collective growth ambition in an expanding company
How do you tackle these challenges as a scaleup entrepreneur? The Build to Scale programme supports your scaleup growth by helping you discover where you want to go, what is possible, and how you can bring your ambitions into practice.
The programme
The Build to Scale programme is designed to educate ambitious scaleup entrepreneurs to excel and sustain steep growth paths over time. In a dynamic mix of practical and technical masterclasses, real-life business cases and workshops you will address company-specific challenges and plans for improvement to accelerate your growth. The programme is developed by leading professors from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, and based on a decade of unique research into succesful high-growth scaleups.
''Scaling up means developing the right leadership capabilities to navigate opportunities and challenges. Based upon our insights we have developed a proven approach to crack the code to scale successfully''
Prof.dr. Justin Jansen, Professor of Corporate Entrepreneurship (RSM) & initiator Build to Scale
For whom
Find out if this programme is interesting for youThe Build to Scale programme has been developed for ambitious scaleup entrepreneurs, who want to continuously work on their personal and business growth. The programme is tailored for scaleups that are currently growing fast and want to sustain this steep growth path over time.
This programme fits your scaleup if:
- Your company has at least 25 FTE and/or 2.5 million annual revenue
- Your company grows at least 20% in FTE and/or revenue per year
Course information
Find out more about the content of the programmeThe 12-week programme consists of a dynamic mix of practical and technical masterclasses, real-life business cases and workshops that address company-specific challenges and plans for improvement. During three interactive one-day modules you will learn from peers and leading professors from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. In between the modules field experts from industry leading companies (Rabobank, KPMG, Deloitte, WeGrow and Endeit) facilitate team assignments and provide coaching to create your own growth plan. During the masterclass day you will gain insights from these leading experts on key themes that arise in scaling. The programme will result in a tailor-made and futureproof growth plan to bring your scaleup and team to the next stage of growth, which you will present during the final graduation day.
Curriculum
Our curriculum is based on a decade of unique scientific research on persistent high growth companies. In three modules participants gain theoretical knowledge and insights on scaling succesfully while also learning valuable skills that are put into practice immediately. Each module focuses on a different but inter-related aspect of managing high-growth: maximizing your core, reorganizing to scale and creating a winning team. In the masterclass day we provide you with the latest expertise on key themes that arise during your scaleup’s growth trajectory. We round off the programme with a graduation day, during which participants present their own company-specific and futureproof growth plan.
Content of the modules
Find out more about the modulesDuring three one-day modules you will gain theoretical knowledge and insights, as well as practical skills that help you to build your scaleup and move to the next growth stage.
Module 1: Maximize your Core
Many scaleups fall behind because they are not able to maximize their core. They diversify too much and lack a clear focus on developing and nurturing the most important growth-driving competences and capabilities. During this module, we will look at which underlying growth-driving competences and capabilities can fuel consistent growth in your business. By identifying additional activities and competences that can strengthen network effects, you can start building your growth platform.
Module 2: Reorganize to Scale
When scaling your business model, you should make sure that the organization can deal with a growing amount of work in an efficient, cost-effective manner. This module will look at what it means to scale organizational resources and activities, and to reorganize activities and roles to move your organization forward in a focused and strategic way. We will dive into how you can optimize local activities and share best practices and resources across distinct organizational units and teams.
Module 3: Create a Winning Team
Withing a high-growth scaleup, your role as a (co)founder will inevitably change. In this module, we help you to answer the most pressing questions surrounding your own role and those of your team in a high-growth context. What complementarities are needed in the leadership team, and how to create unity? When is an additional managerial layer needed, and how to select the best people? With the most recent insights from psychology, we enable you to cope with resistance to change in your scaleup and help you create a growth-story that inspires and activates your team and customers.
Teaching Method
Read more about our learning approachThe programme consists of peer-learning interactions, exercises, mentoring, masterclasses, and interactive modules, resulting in a dynamic and diverse learning experience. Our content is based on a decade of unique scientific research in persistent high growth companies. Combined with masterclasses from field experts and mentoring we help you to readily apply the content of the programme to your own context to boost your scaleup’s growth.
Tailor-made and futureproof growth plan
During the programme, you will develop your company-specific growth plan with the help and coaching of our field experts from industry leading companies. This growth plan will be your guiding roadmap to put the knowledge and skills you gained in the programme into action.
Our inspiring learning environment
The programme takes at the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship campus in the Rotterdam Science Tower. The campus is home to a network of entrepreneurs, academics and creatives, that collaborate in an innovative open area. This entrepreneurial learning environment is the perfect place to work on your scaleup’s growth path.
Faculty
See which academics and practitioners facilitate this programmeTop academics and industry-leading practitioners as facilitators
Renowned academics from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and industry experts from Rabobank, KPMG, Deloitte, WeGrow and Endeit are brought together to facilitate this programme. During the tutorials, team coaches from these industry leading companies facilitate the exchange of feedback on parts of your growth plan.
Justin Jansen is professor of corporate entrepreneurship at RSM. His award-winning research and publications provide new perspectives into the roles of leadership, start-ups, organisational ambidexterity, corporate entrepreneurship, and new developments to improve long-term viability and performance. Justin is scientific director of the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, and is on the editorial board of several academic publications.
Tom J.M. Mom is a professor of Strategic Growth and Implementation in the department of Strategic Management & Entrepreneurship at RSM. His research interests include new business development & corporate growth, ambidexterity, strategic renewal, and strategy execution.
Ferdinand Jaspers is programme director at the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship. His teaching and consultancy activities focus on innovation leadership. Based on his expertise at the intersection of strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship, he teaches courses, masterclasses and boot camps on corporate entrepreneurship, innovation excellence and entrepreneurial culture. He holds a PhD from RSM.
Dates and fees
Read more about the upcoming programmeDates
The Build to Scale programme is taught in English, and comprises of three modules, a masterclass day and a graduation day on the following dates:
- Module 1 – Maximize Your Core: September 6
- Module 2 – Reorganize to Scale: September 7
- Module 3 – Create a Winning Team: Oktober 4
- Masterclasses: November 3
- Presentation of growth plans & graduation day: November 24
Sessions start at 09:00 and end at 17:00. Lunch is included for each of the days.
Fees
€ 6,950 excl. 21% VAT for the three modules; masterclasses after the three modules; mentoring and coaching from industry experts on your company-specific growth plan; access to the online learning system; course books & materials; lunches, social activities.
For partners
Are you already a partner to our mentors and experts (Rabobank, KPMG, Deloitte, WeGrow and Endeit)? Reach out to them to sign up to the programme with a special offer.
Location
The programme takes place at our Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship campus in Rotterdam:
Rotterdam Science Tower, 11th floor
Marconistraat 16
3029 AK Rotterdam
Read more about how to reach our campus here.
Our partners
