You’re Growing, But You’re Tired | The Real Difference Between Scaling and Growth| Kurt Uhlir

You’re Growing, But You’re Tired | The Real Difference Between Scaling and Growth| Kurt Uhlir

From The ThriveWell Journey | Entrepreneurship, Leadership & Life After Disruption by L. Michael Burt | ThriveWell Journey - Entrepreneurial Leadership & Life After Disruption

April 20, 2026 · 1h 11m · Season 1 · Episode 68

About this episode

Kurt Uhlir discusses the critical differences between scaling and growing a business, emphasizing the importance of leadership and trust in handling increased demand.

A lot of people say “scale” when they really mean “grow.” In this conversation, Kurt Uhlir breaks down the difference in plain language and gives you a simple test that tells the truth fast: If your business got 10X customers tomorrow, would it survive or would it break you? We also get into the real-life side of leadership under pressure. How to hear “no” without turning it into rejection. Why documenting what you do is the first step to handing it off. The difference between authoritative leadership and servant leadership, and how leaders shift from controlling tasks to driving outcomes. Kurt also shares the moment that forced him to change how he treated people, and why trust is the foundation for teams, customers, and long-term growth. Key Takeaways Growth is adding more. Scaling is when what used to work stops working The 10X test that exposes whether your business can actually handle demand “No” is information, and often the first time you learn what’s true Start building systems by writing down the steps while you do the work Servant leadership focuses on outcomes and development, not control Burnout awareness: measure yourself, build community, get real accountability…

People in this episode

Host: L. Michael Burt

Guest: Kurt Uhlir

Topics covered

  • scaling vs growth
  • leadership
  • business survival
  • trust in teams
  • servant leadership
  • burnout awareness

Keywords

  • scale
  • grow
  • 10X customers
  • leadership
  • trust
  • servant leadership
  • burnout
  • business systems

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