i grew the team when things were good, then cut it from 20 to 8 when things went bad — what did i do?

i went through smething similar, went from 15 people down to 6. running a business gets really tough sometimes, choosing who to let go... but things got better after.

what to do when downsizing: 1) keep the efficient ones, cut the low performers (painful but right). 2) negotiate severance/payments with those let go. 3) motivate the remaining team (we survived, we'll get through this together).

how many failed startups in Turkey have died because of 'fast growth'? don't even get me started. from the start, calculate 'how many people can we sustain?' and stick to that number.

donsizing sucks but psychologically it gives motivation to return to the 'first team' — because we were successful there!

edit: fixed a few typos.

it was really hard for us too, i never forgot those months. btw but then we grew more solidly

I didn't know that.

Exactly and not many people know this. If it's your first time, start small; scaling comes later.

If it's your first time start small; scaling comes later. Just leaving this note it might be useful.

I'm a small business, let me explain from my side. Start with a small trial; don't commit to everything at once.

Delaying bad news is the habit that causes the most losses in this job. Proven by experience.

I agree, and Id like to emphasize that. The answer varies greatly by industry; there is no one-size-fits-all rule.

Hasty decisions become decisions you have to fix six months later. anyway just leaving this note it might be useful.

There's one point I'm curious about. Don't hesitate to ask; those who don't ask always pay more.

Good luck with that.

I went through the same thing. Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right.

Of course, it varies if your situation is different.

Three different views emerged they all complement each other. The answer varies greatly by industry; there is no one-size-fits-all rule.

Proven by experience.

Looking at it as a process, the picture changes. Everyone rushing into i had to downsize the team gets stuck at the same point.

That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

Thanks, that was the answer I was looking for.

I'll try it.

Thanks a lot, I'll try it today. If it's your first time, start small; scaling comes later.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.

Yes, that's exactly how it is with i had to downsize the team. The longer you delay cutting the team, the more people it affects.

I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.

If you're going this route, sort this out first. The longer you delay cutting the team, the more people it affects.