Scalerator NEO Blog

“First question: what exactly is Scalerator NEO?”

Isenberg: “Scalerator NEO is a six-month proven scale-up program that invites Northeast Ohio businesses from all sectors to gather into a cohort built for growth. 

To date, 29 Scalerator cohorts have been conducted in nine regions around the globe. We have conducted Scalerator NEO since 2017 and have helped over 72 Northeast Ohio companies get new growth. Scalerator NEO alumni represent well over $500M in sales revenue and over 2,000 new jobs for Ohio. With the upcoming 2023 Scalerator program launching in June, we’re excited to make an even bigger impact.”

“Can you discuss what type of growth Scalerator NEO brings Ohio businesses?”

Isenberg: “In Scalerator NEO, Ohio businesses will have many opportunities to generate new growth, reinforced by a like-minded cohort of highly motivated Ohio business owners. Scalerator NEO includes seven 1.5-day participatory workshops during which business owners and their teams will use the proprietary Scalerator growth tools to hack away at new growth. Between the workshops, participants will undertake exercises to further strengthen their growth. All of this is delivered by a team of faculty with extensive experience growing real businesses themselves. 

Scalerator NEO helps Ohio businesses grow by equipping participants with the skills, tools, and insights necessary to make growth-driven decisions. Part of the Scalerator “magic” is that participants are constantly working on their business growth, making and implementing growth decisions in real-time.”

“Scalerator teaches the 3 Cs of growth. What are these, and how do they make an impact on Ohio businesses?”

Isenberg: “Over the decade of conducting Scalerators, we have developed a proprietary 3 Scale Up Model(™) based on customers, capacity, and cash. 

In our ‘customer’ workshops, we help participants develop both new and long-term customers. Part of that work is strategic: defining sales goals and objectives, building sales systems, strengthening pipeline management, and so on. Part of that is tactical — strengthening selling skills.

In our ‘capacity’ workshops, participants take a hard look at the skills they need in their companies and then build people platforms to support their growth goals. All participants take our proprietary Scale Up self-assessments and talent audits to prioritize the skills they need to see new growth.  Should they focus on replacing or developing current employees, or acquiring new talent? Particularly critical in this unusual labor market we’re in now, Scalerator participants learn how to compete for the best talent in a competitive labor market. 

In our ‘cash’ workshops, we focus on finding, generating, and unlocking growth resources, primarily money, but not exclusively. Whereas most of what one hears in the media is about raising money from investors, in the Scalerator program, we take a more comprehensive and realistic approach. We drill participants on generating a mix of cash sources, and cash substitutes. We focus entirely on helping Ohio businesses get the sources needed to grow, such as discovering hidden internal resources that can be freed up. 

With the 3 Cs, participants learn to grow their top line with quick wins but also scale profitably and sustainably over the long run. In fact, we keep seeing ScaleratorNEO participants implementing the lessons learned four and five years later.”

“Who are the Scalerator NEO faculty?”

Isenberg: “In addition to an amazing cohort of like-minded peers and growing companies in Northeast Ohio, participants have the full support of four very experienced and driven faculty who have been entrepreneurs, executives, and professors with proven experience growing their own companies and teaching others how to grow theirs. Every faculty member has run their own business and worked with dozens of companies just like the Scalerator participants. From former Harvard Business School and Babson College faculty with extensive experience in practical teaching, Scalerator NEO is led by a team of growth experts committed to helping Ohio businesses scale.”

“Who can grow from Scalerator NEO?”

Isenberg: “The typical participating company has 20 to 200 people and $3 to $15 million in sales revenues. Each Scalerator NEO cohort includes businesses and business owners from diverse sectors and backgrounds, ranging from manufacturing to technology to services and more. Since 2017, we have witnessed Ohio businesses from every imaginable sector leverage Scalerator NEO to rapidly get new growth while helping their cohort colleagues along the way.”

“What type of growth does Scalerator bring for Ohio businesses?”

Isenberg: “Scalerator focuses on very quick growth wins, without losing sight of the need for sustained top and bottom-line growth. To do that, we gather cohorts of similar-stage companies — business owners and their teams — to grow together with exercises, self-assessments, extensive coaching, and of course, tools and concepts. All participating companies develop realistic action plans and get feedback from the cohort and faculty. Scalerator provides the tools and framework for Ohio businesses to see near-immediate and long-term growth.

Our program’s success showcases how beneficial our approach is for Ohio businesses. More than 75% of our graduates double their growth rate within only 12 months of completing our program, and many see growth before they leave.”

“How has Scalerator NEO supported real Ohio businesses?”

Isenberg: “Every single Scalerator participant shows some new growth before the second workshop. We are proud to showcase just a few of the hundreds of our alumni’s growth stories, and we celebrate the achievements they’ve made during and after their time in ScaleratorNEO. 

Scalerator alumnus Erik Ludwig, CEO of Pulsar Eco Products, shares his company’s success:

‘Pulsar has successfully recruited and onboarded 10 new hires in Business Development, Product Management, Sales Support, and Global Sourcing. This 50% increase in capacity will directly impact our business – resulting in more infrastructure to support our expanding mass market channel growth of 50% YOY sales. Thanks, Scalerator, the advice we got on building our people platform has been incredibly practical.’”

“How will Scalerator NEO drive success for Ohio businesses?”

Isenberg: “Though Scalerator NEO is a significant time commitment, because our graduates see results within months, this is an investment that has a compelling and quantifiable payback. 

For prospective companies, Scalerator is one of the very best investments an Ohio business owner can make with their time, one that will help them to reach their full potential.”

Apply for Scalerator NEO 2023

Scalerator NEO is here to support Ohio businesses ready to discover the key to sustainable, swift growth. Apply now. The 2023 Scalerator NEO program runs from June to December and it’s important to send in your application soon to be considered. Burton D. Morgan Foundation covers all expenses associated with the program and cohort spots are limited.

Are you a graduate of our program? Share your success and champion fellow Ohio businesses by referring a friend.

MAKE A REFERRAL HERE.