CHICAGO, IL, May 15, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In an era obsessed with hypergrowth, marketing funnels, unicorn valuations, and 10X scaling, one marketing strategist is urging mid-sized companies to take a deep breath—and reconsider what "growth" should actually mean. Joseph Upton, a Chicago-based marketing consultant with over 14 years of experience working with businesses generating $1 million to $100 million in revenue, believes the industry's obsession with scale is misleading, and in many cases, dangerously unstrategic.

"There's a widespread belief that growing a company always means scaling as fast and as big as possible," says Upton. "But scale for the sake of scale can actually break a business. For companies in the $1M to $100M range, sustainable growth is more about strategic depth than it is about raw acceleration."

Upton's contrarian viewpoint comes at a time when mid-market CEOs and founders are feeling pressure to keep up with the startup playbook—growth hacks, performance ads, blitzscaling tactics—without the safety nets, margins, or capital cushions that larger firms enjoy. In his latest thought leadership, Upton offers an alternative framework for how growth should be defined, pursued, and marketed—one that prioritizes intention, clarity, and strategic alignment over chasing hockey-stick curves.

Scaling ≠ Winning: The Mid-Market Fallacy

Mid-market companies occupy a unique position in the business landscape. Too large to experiment recklessly like startups, but often not resourced or structured like Fortune 500s, these firms are stuck between agility and complexity. Upton notes that this "in-between" zone often creates confusion about how to grow effectively.

"The term 'scale' gets thrown around like a badge of honor," says Upton. "But the truth is, scaling, by definition, means replicating success. If you haven't clearly defined what success looks like, or if your systems can't handle increased demand, scaling just accelerates dysfunction."

Upton emphasizes that the biggest mistake he sees mid-market companies make is attempting to scale before they've established strategic maturity. That means having:

- Clear customer segmentation and positioning

- A reliable, high-converting go-to-market strategy

- Aligned internal teams and repeatable processes

- Measurable and sustainable marketing channels

- A brand narrative that truly resonates in-market

"Scaling a flawed marketing engine is like pouring gasoline on a misfiring car," Upton warns. "Sure, you might go faster, for a while. But eventually, the engine fails, and you're left with a mess."

What the Wrong Kind of Growth Looks Like

In advising dozens of mid-sized businesses over the past decade, Upton has observed a consistent set of warning signs that a company is growing wrong—signs often disguised as progress:

- Revenue is rising, but margins are thinning.

- Customer acquisition is accelerating, but retention is dropping.

- New hires are increasing, but team cohesion and performance are declining.

- Marketing spend is rising, but ROI is increasingly unclear.

"These are not signs of success," Upton stresses. "They're signs of a business growing in width, not depth; expanding without strengthening."

He argues that many companies mistake activity for progress and top-line growth for health. In reality, a company can be scaling its operations while simultaneously eroding its positioning, exhausting its team, and diluting its value proposition.

The Case for Strategic Depth

Rather than fixating on aggressive scale, Upton advocates for what he calls "strategic depth"—the ability to grow intelligently, deliberately, and sustainably.

"Strategic depth means understanding your market, owning your narrative, and aligning every function of your business, from marketing to sales to operations around a clear strategy," he explains. "It's about growing smarter before growing bigger."

Strategic depth allows a business to:

- Build a brand moat instead of just a marketing funnel

- Improve customer lifetime value (CLTV) rather than chase acquisition volume

- Strengthen operational infrastructure before volume stress tests it

- Create demand instead of only capturing it

- Invest in long-term positioning rather than short-term promotions

Upton is clear: strategic depth is not anti-growth. It's pro-sustainability.

"If you're trying to triple revenue but you don't know why your customers buy from you, that's a problem. Strategic depth is about getting rooted in your core before expanding your reach."

Marketing's Role in Rethinking Growth

This shift from scale-first to strategy-first thinking fundamentally reshapes the role of marketing.

In most mid-market companies, Upton says, marketing is still viewed as a tactical engine: launching ads, redesigning websites, pushing content. But in the new model, marketing becomes a strategic growth function, responsible not just for visibility—but for market clarity, demand creation, and alignment with business outcomes.

Here's how Upton sees marketing evolving for companies pursuing strategic depth:

1. From Campaigns to Systems
"Stop thinking in terms of short-term campaigns and start thinking in terms of marketing systems," Upton advises. "Your email list, your SEO footprint, your brand equity; these are assets that compound over time. Invest in them."

2. From Funnels to Journeys
Instead of forcing prospects through linear funnels, Upton encourages companies to map holistic customer journeys. "People don't buy in straight lines. Your marketing needs to reflect that."

3. From KPIs to North Stars
Rather than chasing vanity metrics—impressions, clicks, followers—Upton recommends defining strategic metrics that align directly with the company's most important goals: revenue quality, customer satisfaction, win rates, and retention.

4. From Hacking to Positioning
"Growth hacks might work for a while, but they won't build a defensible brand," Upton notes. Instead, businesses should invest in strong positioning that differentiates them in-market and creates long-term demand.

Case in Point: The Founder Who Said No to Scaling

Upton recalls a recent client—a founder of a tech-enabled services business generating $12 million annually—who came to him with a familiar request: help us scale fast. After an initial audit, Upton advised a different path.

"They had gaps in their positioning, inconsistent customer experience, and no repeatable marketing engine. Scaling at that point would have compounded their internal friction," Upton shares.

Instead, they worked together to re-articulate the brand narrative, clarify customer segmentation, build a marketing system, and train the sales team around unified messaging. Within 18 months, revenue grew to $16 million—but more importantly, net margins improved by 6%, team turnover dropped, and customer retention nearly doubled.

"It wasn't hockey-stick growth, but it was strong, stable, and scalable," says Upton. "Now they're actually ready to scale. And they're doing it on a solid foundation."

A New Growth Mindset for the Mid-Market

As the business world evolves, Upton believes the mid-market segment needs a mindset shift; one that redefines success not just as "getting bigger," but as getting better, smarter, and more sustainable.

"Real growth is not about scaling chaos," he concludes. "It's about aligning your business to win in the long run, both internally and externally."

For CEOs, founders, and executive teams in the $1M to $100M segment, Upton's message is clear: Resist the pressure to scale before you're ready. Invest in strategy before volume. And trust that depth can be the smartest form of growth.

About Joseph Upton
Joseph Upton is a Chicago-based marketing strategist and founder of Upton Growth Partners. With over 14 years of experience helping mid-market companies drive sustainable growth, Upton advises businesses on marketing strategy, positioning, customer journey design, and revenue optimization. His client portfolio includes private equity firms, scaling startups, professional services companies, and B2B brands across North America. Upton is a frequent speaker on marketing leadership and modern growth strategy.

He lives in Chicago with his wife Emily and their two children. When he's not working with clients, Joseph enjoys reading business history, exploring global cities, and mentoring the next generation of marketers.

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