Are you prepared to risk burn out for Accelerated Growth?

... it turns out I'm not! Sustainable (slow) growth is just fine for me! Let me explain.

Accelerated growth sounds fantastic, every startup's dream, right? As a startup founder, you work hard to get to a position where your business products and services are in demand. The general belief is that you must see accelerated growth to succeed. When it finally comes, all will be well. 

At Midships this year, we have had the privilege to work with some of the most prominent financial services organisations across South East Asia (DBS, Standard Chartered, Trust Bank, Prudential, Kiwibank, BDO etc.) on marquee projects. It has reached the point where I have to turn away work (which, for those who know me, this goes against every fibre in my being!). 

We have been riding this accelerated growth wave for the past six months. During this period, we have successfully met client expectations (we even completed the first two parts of a significant migration for one of the largest banks in South East Asia with zero incidents raised following each go-live (yes, I am boasting, and to the cynics out there the call centre phone number was operational after the go-live, I checked!). I am, of course, proud of what the team have achieved, but I am ashamed of how we have done this. I wish someone had explained to me (shaken me until I understood) the cost of accelerated growth before we rode this wave. 

In a startup, accelerated growth means taking on more work than you necessarily have the capacity for. This is because most startups do not have the finances to have a bench of resources ready to ride the wave when it comes in. Also, you never really know when this accelerated growth will happen (we all convince ourselves it is just around the corner). Hiring is a process that takes time, and it is almost impossible to recruit fast enough (especially when you consider the fact that prospective employees will have notice periods).

Midships has zero debt and zero external investment. Recruitment is done in a way that can give certainty around job security. The implication is that we recruit slowly and carefully, as I want to avoid making job cuts due to bad planning. Remember, our employees are taking a risk by joining a startup like Midships, so the least we can do is offer them job security. Also, I am very conscious that when we hire someone, it isn't one person we are responsible for but their whole family. This is not a responsibility I take lightly.

Accelerated growth has led to most of our team working long hours without breaks and many working away from home at client sites. I have been blessed to have a team of conscientious individuals who take pride in their work, make our client challenges their own, have each other's back, and they each have supportive families that have been godly in every respect. 

Sadly this has meant they have worked without complaint, and I convinced myself this was okay! This was further validated by me working as hard as the team and saying to myself if I can do it, so can they.

So why am I ashamed, everyone is okay. 

Simple, I have a duty of care to look after every team member (even if they are okay with what's happening). The fact that none of my team has fallen ill has been sheer luck. What the team have had to do for the last four months is simply inhuman and superhuman all at the same time. I should know better; in 2003, I almost died from working similarly, and I got lucky. At the time, I vowed I would never place my team in the same position, yet I did!

So why did we do it, and why couldn't we stop?

I took on the work as it was an opportunity to onboard a client whom I had been chasing for more than six months, and this would inevitably accelerate Midships's growth and give us long-term security. Before taking the project on, I already knew how difficult the project was going to be. For this reason, I explained the challenge to the whole team (during our daily huddle) and the implications of this project. I then asked them to all vote (believing that if they agreed to this after being told what was required of them to achieve this, it absolved my responsibility - it doesn't!). Two team members voted against this project, but the rest wanted to move forward, given the possible upside. 

Once we started, as I predicted, the hours increased, and before I knew it, we were working eighteen hours plus a day, seven days a week. (As I write this, I feel disgusted about what my team have been through). Many times during delivery, we should have stopped and walked away. However, doing this would almost mean the end of Midships (even if they didn't sue for breach of contract, our reputation would have been mud), so we ploughed on. The team also agreed we should see this through to the end, and I used this to absolve myself of responsibility - which was wrong... 

What does this mean going forward?

Midships must change and become the organisation the founders always intended it to be and the organisation our team is proud of working for. We are on a journey, and we always knew we would make some big mistakes before we got it right, but I never thought I'd write an article like this. We will lean into this, reflect/learn from it and act without fear. Whatever the outcome, I'd rather build an organisation that I am proud of and reflects my ethics and beliefs than be part of an organisation that may make me a lot of money, but I am ashamed of.

Wish me luck! Writer’s Overview

Ajit Gupta – Co-Founder & CEO, Midships  

Ajit leads Midships Group’s transition from a specialist identity consultancy to a portfolio of autonomous, AI-native business units. He focuses on long-term business relevance through platform thinking, customer outcomes, and scalable operating models.

Short bio: Ajit is a strategic founder with deep expertise in IAM, platform delivery, and AI services, driving Midships’ expansion across Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.

📧 ajit@midships.io  

🔗 LinkedIn: Ajit Gupta