"Valleys of death" and how to escape them

Scaling a company involves passing through "valleys of death." And escaping those requires us to unlearn almost everything that has brought us success so far. 

Without rebuilding ourselves from scratch, we won't be able to successfully manage a bigger company. And unfortunately, it's so hard that only a small percentage of us can successfully move on to the next "plateau" of stable growth.

After escaping the last "valley of death" and delegating all of my companies into the hands of competent CEOs, I'm ready to share the biggest lessons that have helped me scale my first business by 200% for eight consecutive years. Some of these revelations may be tough pills to swallow, but founders must understand that much of the wisdom acquired in corporate managerial programs or within their LinkedIn bubble may not fit the reality of the startup rollercoaster.