Tiger BufordYour Orthopedic Industry Expert (free today)

Startup seasons and the rule of 3

29 May 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief monologue, Tiger Buford introduces two core frameworks for navigating startup growth. First, the "rule of 3" suggests that whenever a startup’s key metrics—such as employee headcount or revenue—grow by roughly threefold, the company must reassess and redesign its internal systems because what previously worked will likely break. Second, he outlines the three distinct "seasons" of a startup: (1) the founder/invention phase, where the idea is created; (2) the go‑to‑market phase, focused on product‑market fit and delivering the right product; and (3) the scaling phase, where the business pours additional resources into a proven model to accelerate growth. Together, these concepts provide a practical lens for founders to anticipate operational overhaul points and to understand the evolving priorities as their venture matures.

Chapters

there's a rule of 3. So every time your company grows by 3x, and that could be employees, like 3 to 10 employees, 10 to 30 employees, or it could be revenue, you have to reevaluate all your systems every, every 3x. Because it just, things that used to work don't work anymore. The rule of 3s is kind of interesting. The other thing is there's 3, there's 3, there's 3 seasons in a startup. There's, you know, the founder invention. Season. And then there's the getting it to market, making sure you have the right product. Then there's once you've got everything, and then there's the scaling and, uh, where you just pour more fuel onto the fire because you know what you're doing.