Build Systems That Scale So You Can Keep Doing Things That Don't

Every VC firm faces the same issue:

The work that truly matters (founder relationships, strategic guidance, pattern recognition) doesn't scale.

The work that scales easily (reviewing decks, sending emails, sharing content) rarely creates true differentiation.

In order to solve this:

"Build a system of scale so you can keep doing things that don't scale."

Here's how it applies to your fund:

The Centre Asset - Your Fund's Identity

At the centre of your ecosystem sits your fund's core identity - your thesis, your reputation, your unique approach. This is your scalable core that everything else revolves around.

For VCs, this is your:

• Investment thesis

• Track record

• Network

• Knowledge base

• Brand reputation

When you properly systematise and communicate these elements, they become your scalable foundation - it works while you sleep.

The Non-Scalable - Human Connection

Around this core, you engage in activities that don't scale:

• Founder coffee meetings

• LP relationship building

• Deep industry research

• Thesis development

• Thoughtful deal memos

• Community building

These high-touch activities are precisely what differentiate your fund, yet they're inherently limited by time and attention.

What This Looks Like In Practice

Think about what happens when a founder discovers your content and already understands your investment approach before your first meeting. You've scaled your thinking. Or when an LP reads your analysis and feels FOMO before you even pitch them - your reputation has scaled beyond your physical presence.

Build systems that capture and amplify your non-scalable work.

I was working with an emerging manager recently who was having incredible founder conversations in a specific vertical but struggling to close their fund. After dozens of these chats, they noticed a pattern in how early-stage companies were approaching a particular market.

Instead of keeping insights locked in their head, we:

1. Wrote up a simple framework capturing this pattern

2. Shared it in a concise + crafted notion

3. Created an internal knowledge base for their portfolio

4. Referenced these insights in LP updates to demonstrate their pattern recognition

A founder then reached out specifically mentioning this framework, and existing LPs were able to forward it onto their peers.

Non-scalable conversations become scalable assets that attract the right audience.

Try This Next Week

Want to put this into practice? Here's where to start:

1. What's your "proof of work"? - Look at your calendar from the last month. What non-scalable activities are actually demonstrating your edge? Founder meetings, that sector research, the network building...
   

2. How could you transform these into assets? - Could that insight from your last five founder meetings become a framework? Could your diligence process become a guide? Could your network become a searchable database?
   

3. Let your thinking do the filtering - The right content acts like a filter, attracting precisely the founders and LPs who resonate with your approach.
   

4. Complete the loop - Use these new, higher-quality conversations to generate fresh insights that strengthen your central asset.

Non-scalable work becomes your most powerful scalable advantage.

Laurie, Refinery Media

If you made it all the way through, thanks so much for reading! A few hundred VCs now open this every week. If it’s helped you think differently about marketing, Venture, or storytelling, please send it to someone in your orbit.