Pupa stage

  The third stage of the butterfly is where things get really interesting. As the caterpillar feasts to fill its over-sized appetite, its skin struggles to keep up. Instead of stretching, it sheds the old skin and replaces with a new one.

After five or six of these, it eventually stays inside the last skin, called the pupa.

This is when the entrepreneur has to decide on taking on the next phase in growth of the company. The funny thing with this stage is that it looks as if nothing is happening – the pupa attaches itself to a twig or branch, and lays pretty much motionless until the butterfly is ready to break out. A company cannot stay put at a particular growth stage. Either it grows bigger or slowly falls and perishes. So at this stage, the entrepreneur must introspect, build a cocoon around himself, re-look at the business, pivot, innovate, iterate and prepare the company for scale.

But thinking that nothing is happening will see you miss all the activity inside. The caterpillar?s body is being broken down to change to the butterfly, and all the food the caterpillar ate during its binge eating is what is keeping the butterfly alive now, during the change. This process can take anywhere from a week to a year to happen, depending on the species.

Now think of your business. Your slow time usually comes after your early burst of activity when you are new, as you chase clients and projects down. You use the money from that to help you grow to your next stage.

This is your own pupa stage.

• Look at your business and see what you can eject, and what can grow with you.
• Make sure you save enough from the early activity to see you through quiet times.
• Make the changes slowly and with purpose to take you to the defining moment of your business – the identity.

Pupas are the heartbeat of life for both caterpillars and butterflies, and effect the transition from one to the other. Think of what you can achieve with your business in your pupa stage, as you get ready to unveil the complete you.