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Better vs Complexity

Completed so far:

Better, Simplicity & Growth

Growth vs. Scaling: Understanding the Difference (the efficiency factor)

Growth (Without Fixing Complexity)

Scaling (After Reducing Complexity)

Revenue and costs both rise

Revenue, gross profit margin both rise faster than costs

More people, more problems

Leaner teams, positive pressure and clearer processes

Quality and customer experience suffer

Quality and experience improve or hold steady

Decision-making slows

Decisions remain agile and fast

There are no rows in this table

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Kodak Story lessons & our monsters

Remaining ideas I need to work through

3. The Benefits of Tackling Complexity First (BRING IN MONSTERS)

Faster, more confident decision-making

Lower operational costs and fewer errors

Stronger customer experience and retention

More innovation and adaptability

Smoother, more sustainable growth trajectory

What you need to remember, we do not always get it right, but keeping complexity under control gives us the space to do it more often than not. If we get right more often then not or at least more then our competitors that is a competitive advantage!

Also maybe worth mentioning even if you are happy with the current size, doesnt it makes sesne to become more simply, efficient - end up with more profit for less work...or if NGO more service delivered at less cost is more value to the mission.!!!

Better is not more—it is less, made meaningful

Comparing "better" and simplicity to the monster metaphors from your last chapter is a compelling storytelling device. Each creature reveals how complexity operates beneath the surface, while simplicity serves as the hero that tames them.

Story-Driven Framing

Each monster is tamed or dissolved when a business chooses "better" through simplicity—not by ignoring complexity, but by cutting through it directly and purposefully.

Simplicity is not the absence of challenges, but the presence of clarity and decisive action that prevents monsters from growing unchecked.

"Better" is the hero's tool—the ball of thread that guides through the Minotaur’s maze, the sword that prevents new Hydra heads from spawning, the daylight that makes the Chameleon visible.

Use for Your Chapter

Open the chapter by recalling these monsters, then narrate how "better" (simplicity) is the strategy that stops them in their tracks—turning intimidating threats into manageable steps forward.

Show practical shifts: from endless approvals (Minotaur) to fast decisions, from legacy drag (Kraken) to agility, from silent problems (Chameleon) to full visibility.

This approach will help your readers see "better" as active, heroic, and achievable, connecting emotionally and logically to the monster metaphors of complexity.

"Simplicity is the relentless pursuit of removing what stands between people and goals."

"Every step taken towards simplicity is a step towards a better business: one that thrives because it is nimble, clear, and adaptable, not tangled in its own processes."

What Else Can This Chapter Do?

Remind the Simplicity is actually harder, then just letting the growth mosters take over - but like all epic stories Simplicty needs a champion - a monster tamer or slayer. Someone who will challenge the way we do business

Preview the payoffs: Use real-world anecdotes or mini-case studies showing businesses that paused to simplify and then grew faster and more profitably.

Offer a checklist: Help readers self-assess—“Are we ready for growth, or do we need to fix complexity first?”

Frame the mindset shift: Emphasise that “better” isn’t the enemy of “bigger”—it’s the enabler.

Set up the next chapters: Promise practical tools and stories for hunting and eliminating complexity, reinforcing that the journey to “better” is the path to sustainable “bigger.”

Why Fix Complexity Before Growth?

Complexity is the silent killer of growth. As businesses expand, complexity creeps in, often unnoticed, until it begins to slow decision-making, hinder innovation, and inflate costs.

Growth amplifies existing problems. If your business is already struggling with inefficiencies, bottlenecks, or unclear processes, rapid growth will magnify these issues, making them harder and more expensive to fix later.

Efficient scaling requires simplicity. Remembering that just because its simple it can still be complex. True scaling means increasing gross profit margin and impact without a proportional increase in costs or headaches. This is only possible when complexity is under control—otherwise, each new customer, product, or employee adds exponential strain.

Closing Challenge

End the chapter by inviting readers to commit: “Before you chase the next big milestone, ask yourself: have you made your business better, or just bigger? The rest of this book will show you exactly how to make ‘better’ your growth superpower.”

In summary: This chapter is your final argument for why simplicity, clarity, and operational excellence must come before ambitious growth. It reassures readers that fixing complexity is not a detour—it’s the fastest route to the kind of growth every SME wants: sustainable, profitable, and rewarding.

Founder is the hero or the champion of complexity. Every business needs one. Apple had Steve Jobs and now Tim Cooke. Amazon has Bazeos Telsa Musk

Simplicity is the ultimate efficiency. (from insanely Simple Ken Segall Chapter 2 notes)

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AI suggestion on finishing

Complexity is hard because it is structural, emotional, and political work—not just a “project” to delegate. It asks a leader to question sacred cows, unwind habits that once worked, and hold the line when others push for “just one more” exception, product, or workaround.

Make Them Feel The Weight

You can sharpen the section before “The Benefits of Tackling Complexity First” by briefly spelling out why most businesses avoid this work:

Complexity fights back: every simplification reveals more hidden knots, trade‑offs, and awkward truths about past decisions.

It is thankless at first: nobody throws a party when you kill pet projects, shut down legacy reports, or standardise how work is done—yet these moves unlock future scale.

One bridging line could be: “Complexity is heavy, stubborn, and deeply woven into how your business works today—which is exactly why it needs a champion.”

Introduce The Champion

Then pivot into the “hero” idea and make it personal:

“If you are still reading this, chances are you are either the champion your organisation needs—or you know exactly who it should be.”

“Complexity cannot be outsourced. Consultants can map it, measure it, and recommend changes—but only someone inside can choose what to stop, what to simplify, and what to scale.”

You can link to your earlier monster metaphors: the hero is the one who is willing to face the Chameleon, Hydra, Minotaur, Kraken, and Medusa head‑on, rather than pretending they are not there.

Qualities Of The Complexity Champion

Offer a short, sharp list of traits, keeping it grounded for SME founders:

Clarity addict: Obsessed with making things easier to understand—for customers, for teams, and for themselves.

Brutally curious: Asks “why do we do it this way?” more than “how do we do it faster?”.

Politely ruthless: Willing to stop pet projects, remove steps, and say no to “just this once” complexity, while respecting people.

Systems thinker: Sees how a change in one area ripples through products, processes, and people, and designs with the whole system in mind.

Calm under pressure: Holds the line on simplicity when growth, urgency, or ego try to drag the business back into shortcuts and clutter.

A line to connect: “Every great company has had a simplicity champion—someone who protected focus as fiercely as others chased growth. Your business needs one too.”

Tie To Famous Examples (Lightly)

You can then reference well‑known leaders, but keep it to their role not their legend:

“Apple had leaders who fought relentlessly for fewer products and clearer experiences.”

“Amazon’s leadership principles codified a bias for long‑term, systems‑level thinking.”

This lets you show that even giants needed someone to guard simplicity as they scaled.

Bridge Into Benefits And The Rest Of The Book

To round out the chapter and lead into “The Benefits of Tackling Complexity First” and the rest of the book, you might use a short progression:

Complexity is hard, and it will not fix itself.

It needs a champion—and if you are reading this, you are already halfway there.

When you choose to champion simplicity, the benefits compound: margins improve, decisions speed up, teams gain energy, and scaling becomes safer and more profitable.

You can then land on your closing challenge almost as‑is, with a small tweak to connect their new identity as the champion:

“Before you chase the next big milestone, ask yourself: have you made your business better, or just bigger? As the complexity champion in your organisation, your job is to make ‘better’ your growth superpower. The rest of this book will show you how.”

That way, the chapter:

Makes them feel that complexity is serious work.

Appoints them (or someone they choose) as the internal hero.

Promises that the following chapters will give that hero the tools, language, and step‑by‑step plays to actually do the simplifying and scaling.

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