Scaling for Growth: Insights from Anjaney Borwankar

We had the pleasure of hosting Anjaney Borwankar, Co-founder and CEO of Navozyme, in a recent Goodmorning BSN! session. Anjan is an entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience across the digital and maritime sectors. He shared his journey of building and scaling businesses, offering insights into the challenges of entrepreneurial leadership and the strategies that have helped him succeed. His session was an eye-opener for leaders looking to navigate the often tricky waters of scaling for growth. What can you do to ensure your company scales effectively and sustainably?

The dilemma of scaling vs. growth

Anjan kicked off his talk by addressing a common misunderstanding: the difference between growth and scaling.

“You can grow rapidly, but if your foundation isn’t solid, you’ll collapse.”

Scaling, on the other hand, focuses on building a strong foundation that allows a business to expand sustainably. Anjan likened the process of scaling for growth to a young teenager finding their footing—still young, but dealing with adult-sized challenges.

Entrepreneurial leadership, Anjan noted, is all about making decisions that allow for this kind of sustainable expansion. Leaders must balance speed with patience and freedom with responsibility—delicate trade-offs that can make or break a company’s ability to scale.

Purpose-Driven leadership

At the heart of scaling is purpose. “When you’re scaling for growth, having a strong purpose is critical,” Anjan shared. He highlighted how purpose differs from a mission: while a company’s mission focuses on what it does, its purpose is the underlying reason why it exists. Anjan revealed that for him and his Co-founder at Navozyme, their purpose is to revolutionise the maritime industry by using blockchain and artificial intelligence to improve efficiency and sustainability.

“Scaling isn’t just about growing a business; it’s about creating more leaders.”

Anjan’s approach emphasised the importance of aligning personal and organisational purpose, ensuring that team members are empowered and inspired by the larger vision of the company. He likened this to nurturing the hidden roots of a tree—though often unseen, these roots are critical to the tree’s strength and growth.

Key lessons for scaling leadership

Throughout his session, Anjan provided actionable advice for leaders who are looking to scale their businesses effectively. Here are some of his top lessons for scaling for growth:

Embrace Dilemmas: Entrepreneurial leaders face a constant tug-of-war between speed and patience, freedom and responsibility. Learning to navigate these dilemmas is crucial for successful scaling.
Nurture Purpose: Purpose is the guiding force that sustains companies through challenges. By clearly defining and revisiting your company’s purpose, you can ensure long-term alignment and commitment from your team.
Recruit for Alignment: Quality people are essential for scaling. “Hire people who are as fanatical about quality as you are,” Anjan advised, stressing that scaling is impossible without a team that shares your commitment to the company’s mission and purpose.
Focus on Storytelling: Anjan encouraged leaders to use storytelling as a tool to reinforce the company’s purpose and values. “Don’t just let stories happen. Capture them, document them, and pass them on to the next generation of leaders,” he said. Stories help make abstract concepts like purpose more tangible for team members.

The role of transparency

During the Q&A session, Anjan elaborated on how transparency plays a pivotal role in scaling a company. He shared a personal example: “I’ve done a 360-degree feedback and shared the results with my entire team,” he said, highlighting the importance of openness. Transparency, Anjan explained, builds trust, which is essential for scaling leadership.

“Leadership isn’t just about directing—it’s about creating an environment where people feel safe to grow.”

Anjan also emphasised the importance of feedback in scaling. “As your company grows, you have to step back and let others take the lead,” he said, adding that leaders must balance offering guidance with allowing their teams the freedom to make decisions.

The power of scaling through people

At the core of Anjan’s message was the idea that scaling for growth is all about scaling people. “You can’t scale a company without scaling leaders,” he explained. Developing leadership capabilities within your team ensures that the company can expand without the founder needing to oversee every detail.

By focusing on people, purpose, and storytelling, Anjan’s approach to scaling offers a sustainable model for growth—one that keeps the company’s values and mission intact as it expands.