Amid accelerating technology disruption, Bill Gates famously once said, "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten."

We tend to use the word "scalability" freely, as though it applies equally to all businesses. Yet, as companies move through the growth cycle, their approach to scalability changes.

Within startups, the leadership team is typically fighting for survival. Management is often hyper-focused on the short term.