How to Survive in a Scale-Up Business: Master the Human Skills Needed to Thrive in Young, High-Growth...

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Vidya Murali

How to Survive in a Scale-Up Business

Master the Human Skills Needed to Thrive in Young, High-Growth Businesses

Vidya Murali

$398.95 $319.42

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Routledge
20 August 2025

Occupational & industrial psychology; Management: leadership & motivation; Personnel & human resources management; Organisational theory & behaviour; Small businesses & self-employed

Working in a scale-up is exciting, but it can also be exhausting. This book is your emotional survival kit for succeeding in a fast-paced and unpredictable environment.

Scale-ups attract ambitious, driven and hardworking individuals seeking excitement, ownership, freedom and greater rewards. However, these opportunities often come with challenges. Understanding the emotional and behavioural patterns commonly seen in scale-ups – and learning from others’ experiences – can help you move from struggling to thriving.

In this book, author Vidya Murali brings together:

A personal scale-up suitability checklist to help assess and understand whether scale-ups are the right environment for you based on your skills and preferences Guidance on what to look for when interviewing, and how to set yourself up for success in the first 90 days Insights, frameworks and coaching questions to tackle toxic patterns commonly seen in scale-ups Real-life case studies from scale-up leaders with lessons and strategies Practical strategies for introverts, highly sensitive people, ethnic minorities and people with ADHD and/or dyslexia to thrive in scale-ups Tools for building your emotional skills to progress and thrive in scale-ups – including if you lose your job or face a mental health breakdown

A must-read for anyone transitioning into scale-ups or already working in one, this book will be of immense interest to graduates seeking their first full-time role, professionals transitioning from corporate environment, leaders – including founders – as well as HR professionals and coaches.

By: Vidya Murali
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
Weight: 470g
ISBN: 9781032933702
ISBN 10: 1032933704
Pages: 154
Publication Date: 20 August 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Vidya Murali has been working in the UK’s leading tech businesses, including Amazon, and high-growth scale-ups such as Deliveroo. Having grown up in India before moving to the UK in 2006 and completing her MBA at the University of Cambridge, Vidya brings unique perspective as a woman of colour and an introvert navigating high-growth and fast-paced business environments. She experienced significant anxiety in the wake of the pandemic, which prompted her to reflect on what matters most and prioritise her well-being. During this time, she started practising mindfulness meditation and began supporting others through coaching and mentoring. She now holds a leadership position and supports her colleagues and clients as they navigate the exciting – yet chaotic – environment of fastmoving scale-ups, helping them navigate the challenges and seize opportunities, and thrive.

Reviews for How to Survive in a Scale-Up Business: Master the Human Skills Needed to Thrive in Young, High-Growth Businesses

""What a gift for all navigating or considering navigating the world of scale ups! A witty, thoughtful & highly pragmatic handbook for evaluating if scale-ups are the place for you & how to meaningfully look under the hood to interrogate the bluster, deeply consider the risk / reward, chaos / fun, youth / experience trade-offs in scale-up land vs established players & how to tackle your entry into this sometimes messy but often very rewarding world. What I especially loved about this book was the practicality - bursting with frameworks, thought provoking lists of questions to ask oneself, opportunities for reflection & practical tips on how to develop the EQ so essential for success in scale-up land & how to evolve as a leader in this space."" - Catriona King, VP, Commercial, Skyscanner ""Many people feel they can be successful in scale-ups by being smart and having a good track record in other environments, they are often caught by surprise, only to quit or get burnt out. This book provides the much-needed tool kit to navigate the challenges of working in a scale-up. I found the insights valuable - not just reflecting on my own behaviour but how to understand the behaviour of others using frameworks and case studies that bring lessons to life. Think of this as an equivalent of several hours of mentoring and coaching from successful scale-up leaders. This is a must-read for anyone transitioning to a scale-up business or working in one already but struggling with the challenges."" - Dan Warne, CEO at Sessions, former Managing Director at Deliveroo ""This book is a must read for any professional pondering entry into or already navigating the scale-up world. Vidya has encapsulated a wealth of wisdom and insight in an engaging and approachable style enabling a wide spectrum of professionals to benefit from it. These experiences are impactfully wrapped in a narrative that is educational and honest and always provides the reader with opportunities to reflect and apply these learnings. I am sure I am not the first person who thought “I wish I would have had this book 20 years ago,” as I firmly believe I would have approached a number of situations more effectively with this context as a guide."" -Carmen Carey, Experienced CEO/COO for Tech Scale-up businesses across the US and EU