The Science of Scaling

Using Data to Decide When-and How Fast-to Scale Revenue

By: Mark Roberge

Narrated by: David Stifel

Are You Ready to Scale Sales? How Fast?

These two questions are mission critical to the success of any startup, product launch, or market expansion. Yet, too often we rely on gut feel―or let irrelevant signals like a recent fundraise or comparisons to past unicorns―to drive our decisions.

The Science of Scaling offers a rigorous framework for founders, executives, and investors to calculate the answers using their company’s actual performance data―not wishful thinking.

Drawing on insights from hundreds of startups over the past twenty-five years, Mark Roberge, founding CRO at HubSpot, reveals the five most common reasons revenue acceleration efforts fail: premature focus on top-line revenue over consistent customer value creation; inadequate, non-data-driven definitions of product-market fit; misunderstanding the GTM capabilities needed before hiring salespeople; front-loading sales hires instead of pacing hiring based on readiness; and confusing temporary spikes with lasting competitive advantage.

Whether you're a founder starting to scale, an investor guiding your portfolio, or a GM launching a new product, The Science of Scaling is your operating manual.

©2026 Mark Roberge