The “Good Problem” That Can Wreck Your Business

Welcome back to the 106th edition of Nord Media

Everyone loves to talk about growth.

"Scaling is the dream," they say.

But sudden growth without structure doesn’t feel like a blessing. It feels like chaos.

When demand spikes, most teams scramble.

Not because they’re not excited, but because they were never operationally prepared to handle it.

This is the “good problem” fallacy.

Thinking more sales, more demand, more attention equals progress.

When in reality, it exposes cracks you didn’t know existed.

Today’s newsletter breaks that down:

• Why hypergrowth is one of the fastest paths to operational failure

• A quick growth-readiness calculator for your business

• How to build your “emergency growth” protocol before you need it

Let’s get into it.

When Growth Becomes a Liability

Rapid growth doesn’t just stretch a business.

It exposes every operational weakness at once.

What looks like a positive inflection point can quickly turn into internal breakdown if the right systems aren’t already in place.

Some of the most common friction points we’ve seen:

• Support systems flood instantly

Response times spike, quality drops, and customer satisfaction tanks, leading to public backlash and negative word of mouth

• Ops and fulfillment fall behind

Bottlenecks emerge in warehousing, logistics, and inventory because forecasting wasn’t designed for this volume

• Cash flow becomes unstable

With sudden spend on materials, hiring, or tools, brands burn more cash than they collect, even while sales rise

• Internal communication starts breaking

Leadership decisions lag, accountability gets murky, and speed turns into confusion

• Team morale drops quietly

High-performers get stretched thin, roles get blurred, and the pace becomes unsustainable

Hypergrowth isn’t a win if it forces you into reactive mode.

A Quick Growth-Readiness Calculator For Your Business

Before you chase your next growth spike, pressure test your foundation.

Use this checklist to assess if your business can absorb demand without chaos.

Score each statement from 1–5: 

(1 = Not true at all, 5 = Completely true)

Team & Communication

• Everyone knows their role and decision-making boundaries

• We have SOPs in place, but they’re flexible enough to evolve

• Team communication is clear, fast, and doesn’t bottleneck at the top

Operations & Fulfillment

• Our logistics and fulfillment partners can scale without delays

• We have a buffer of raw materials, inventory, or lead time flexibility

• We’ve documented contingency plans for supplier or shipping issues

Cash Flow & Margins

• We’ve modeled different growth scenarios and know the breakeven point

• We can cover 3–6 months of expenses even with increased demand

• We’re not reliant on short-term financing to fulfill orders

Customer Experience

• Our support team is equipped to handle volume increases

• We can identify and resolve CX issues within 24 hours

• NPS and satisfaction scores are tracked and reviewed weekly
  

Scoring Guide:

• 40–50: You're in a strong position to scale. Refine, don’t overhaul.

• 25–39: You have potential, but you’ll likely hit friction. Shore up weak spots.

• Under 25: Growth will likely stress your systems. Pause and rebuild your foundation before ramping demand.

You should know what pressure your business can realistically absorb without breaking.

How to Build Your “Emergency Growth” Protocol Before You Need It

By the time growth hits, it’s too late to build your response plan.

Here’s how to create a protocol that lets your team respond to growth with control, not panic:

1. Pre-wire your decision-making structure

Define who owns what in high-pressure situations. 

No guessing, no groupthink. When orders spike or systems strain, your team should already know: who can approve hires or vendor changes, who can reprioritize production, who speaks to customers when something breaks.

2. Set performance thresholds for key systems

Map out where things start to bend before they break. 

Examples: support tickets exceeding X per hour triggers shift scheduling changes, fulfillment times crossing Y days triggers warehouse or 3PL escalation, CAC increases over Z% triggers a creative and media review. 

Document these thresholds so your team can act on signals early.

3. Create fast-access playbooks for core bottlenecks
You don’t need a 40-page SOP. You need tight, clear protocols for common failure points: support overflow, inventory constraints, delivery delays, out-of-stock SKUs. 

Think of these as “break glass” guides built for speed, not theory.

4. Align cash reserves with fulfillment timelines

If your turnaround is 4–6 weeks, your working capital needs to reflect that. Build a financial buffer that absorbs a demand spike without relying on last-minute financing or predatory capital.

5. Run growth simulations

Pressure-test your systems with fake spikes: launch a limited-time offer, push a product through paid and email, see what breaks, then fix it. This is the business equivalent of a fire drill. Better to learn in a controlled test than during a real surge.

Emergency growth protocols don’t stop problems from happening. 

They just make sure you’re the one driving the response, not scrambling to keep u.

This is how more brands are making influencer marketing actually work, not just look good on paper.

Final Thoughts

Every founder wants growth, but few prepare for what happens when it arrives fast.

Operational debt isn’t always visible during the slow seasons.

It shows up when things get busy. When demand spikes. When you least have time to fix it.

The best time to build your growth response plan is before you need it.

The second-best time is now.

Want to learn more? Connect with me on social 👇
LinkedIn • Instagram • Twitter 

Thank you for reading! I appreciate you.

Sincerely,
Kody

Disclaimer: Special thanks to Marpipe & TripleWhale for sponsoring today’s newsletter.