What Actually Happens Between Startup and Scale

What if the messy middle of scaling feels so hard because we’ve been thinking about it all wrong? In this episode of Found-HER, I sit down with Miranda Lievers, co-founder and former COO of Thinkific, where she helped grow the company from four people around a table to a team of hundreds and a billion-dollar IPO. Now a founder coach and advisor, Miranda shares what that journey taught her about growing alongside your company, building a people-first culture, navigating changing roles and titles, and creating the kind of feedback loops that allow your team and leadership to get better as the business grows.We also unpack what Miranda calls “the scaling fallacy”: the belief that scaling is simply about SOPs, systems, and doing more of what worked at startup. Miranda explains why the messy middle is actually its own stage of business, why you shouldn’t systemize something until you’ve done it enough times to know it works, and why founders have to grow personally just to keep pace with the companies they’re building. We close with a powerful conversation about stepping away, rediscovering yourself beyond the business, and Miranda’s realization that she “wouldn’t give up the understanding of me for anything.” If you’re building a legacy business and trying to find your footing somewhere between scrappy startup and true scale, this conversation will make you feel deeply seen. Tune in to the full episode, share it with your business bestie, leave a review, and connect with me on Instagram @Kimberley.Hiebert to tell me what you’re navigating in your messy middle.Website: https://mirandalievers.com/ https://torchtheplaybooks.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirandalievers/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mlievers/Links: Hey Bestie, Sign Up for Our Found-Her Newsletter! Website: https://found-her.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberley.hiebert LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberleyhiebert Door Gurus: https://doorgurusfranchise.com Substack: https://kimberleyhiebert.substack.com/subscribe?params=%5Bobject%20Object%5D