Scaling Up

With the new client agreement locked in, Ethan's team could finally breathe. The constant tug-of-war over shifting demands was over—replaced by structure, something they desperately needed.

But structure came with a harsh realization:

They were understaffed.

"We're stretched way too thin," Ryan admitted one evening, his webcam flickering from poor dorm Wi-Fi. "If we're serious about scaling, we need more developers. I can't keep being the whole tech team."

"And we need someone to own project management," Priya added, her voice tight with exhaustion. "I'm juggling research, client calls, and half our admin work. I'm one Slack message away from losing it."

Ethan had seen this moment coming, but hearing it out loud made it real. Hiring meant payroll. Payroll meant reliable income.

Their deal with the startup was a great milestone, but not enough to fund a larger team indefinitely. Still, Ethan knew hesitation wasn't an option anymore.

"Alright," he said, leaning into his chair. "We'll bring in two junior developers to back up Ryan—and a part-time project manager to handle client comms and process. But that also means we need to start hunting for another big client. Fast."

Recruitment turned into its own battle.

They weren't a hotshot agency or a trendy startup with perks to flaunt. Just a scrappy college-founded business with more ambition than reputation—and a budget tighter than Ryan's bug-ridden code.

After weeks of scouring job boards, student groups, and LinkedIn, they found two eager computer science students, Sophia and Jay—bright, hungry, and ready to grind. They reminded Ethan of his own team just a year ago: a little green, but full of potential.

For the project manager role, Ethan took a different approach. Instead of hiring a newbie, he found Lisa, a battle-tested freelancer who'd worked with half a dozen startups before.

Lisa didn't sugarcoat anything. On her very first call, she scanned their workflows like a hawk and said bluntly:

"If you want to scale without collapsing, you need processes—clear delegation, real-time tracking, and a reporting system that doesn't rely on late-night group chats."

Ethan respected her directness. With Lisa's guidance, they rolled out proper task management tools, automated progress reports, and streamlined client updates. Meetings got shorter, responsibilities got clearer, and Priya could finally focus on growth instead of firefighting.

As the weeks passed, something unexpected happened—things got easier.

Ryan wasn't buried under code anymore, thanks to Sophia and Jay picking up smaller tasks. Lisa kept the team on track, acting as both air traffic controller and occasional therapist. Priya had breathing room to sharpen their pitch strategy.

And Marco? For the first time in ages, he had the space to create, refining their design language instead of slapping together last-minute fixes.

Then, one afternoon, Ethan's inbox lit up with another opportunity—a cold email from a bigger company, impressed by the work they'd done for their current client.

Ethan read it twice, barely believing it. This was it—the moment they leveled up again.

He grinned and called the team to a huddle.

"Buckle up, everyone," he said. "We're about to go from small-time to prime-time."

And just like that, the next chapter of their story began.