What’s Next After You Outgrow EOS?
As a business owner, you’ve likely heard of, if not leveraged, the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to bring clarity and discipline to your company, driving impressive results in its early growth. With its six key components—Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction—EOS is a powerful framework for small businesses, particularly in the early stages of growth.
However, as your business scales beyond 20-50 employees, the simplicity of EOS can start to feel limiting, especially in the critical transition of Stages 3 (Delegation) and 4 (Professional) of The ReWild Group’s Seven Stages of Growth.
Organizational ReWilding, with its 11 Elements and adaptive tools like the Stages of Growth Matrix, offers a scalable solution that evolves with your business through all stages, from Start-Up to Visionary, covering revenue from under $1 million to $250 million.
In this post, we explore why businesses often outgrow EOS around Stages 3 and 4, how ReWilding supports continued growth across all seven stages, and why Organizational ReWilding is the ideal next step for EOS graduates seeking a framework that adapts to the increased complexity of a growing enterprise.
The Power of EOS in Early Stages
EOS is a game-changer for businesses in Stage 1 (Start-Up, 1-10 employees) and Stage 2 (Ramp-Up, 11-19 employees), providing a structured system to align teams and drive execution. Tools like the Vision/Traction Organizer (V/TO) define a clear purpose and goals, the Accountability Chart ensures the right people are in the right roles, and weekly Level 10 Meetings with quarterly Rocks foster accountability. With 83% of EOS users reporting increased clarity and 76% noting improved communication, EOS helps small businesses cut through chaos, standardize processes, and build a strong foundation. For Stage 1 and 2 owners, EOS is a lifeline, enabling rapid alignment and growth with minimal resources. Its simplicity is a key strength, making it accessible for small teams navigating early challenges like cash flow and team alignment.
However, as your business grows into Stage 3 (Delegation, 20-34 employees) and Stage 4 (Professional, 35-57 employees), and even into the more complex Stages 5 (Integration, 58-95 employees), 6 (Strategic, 96-160 employees), and 7 (Visionary, 161-350 employees), EOS’s standardized approach can start to feel insufficient. Businesses need a framework that adapts to increasing complexity, and that’s where Organizational ReWilding shines.
When EOS Starts to Feel Limiting: Stages 3 and 4
In Stage 3 (Delegation), with 20-34 employees, a leader’s focus shifts to empowering 3-5 managers, reducing owner dependency, clarifying roles, and maintaining cultural cohesion. Stage 4 (Professional, 35-57 employees) requires professionalizing operations, aligning departments, and building scalable systems to prepare for further growth. While EOS’s tools—like Rocks for goal setting and scorecards for accountability—remain effective, their simplicity can fall short in addressing these nuanced challenges:
Leadership Development: The People component ensures role fit with GWC (Get it, Want it, Capacity to do it), but it offers limited tools for developing your managers’ skills or fostering a cohesive leadership team, critical for Stage 3’s delegation needs and Stage 4’s professionalization.
Cultural Depth: The Vision component aligns teams around core values, but it lacks the depth to sustain culture in Stage 4, where employee engagement and departmental alignment become essential.
Scalability: The limited scope of EOS’s system often does not fully address the strategic and operational complexity of Stages 4 and beyond.
These limitations don’t diminish EOS’s value—it’s a phenomenal system for getting businesses to Stages 3 and 4. But as complexity grows, you need a framework that evolves with your business, supporting not only Stages 3 and 4 but also the advanced needs of Stages 5, 6, and 7, while proving effective even in Stages 1 and 2.
Organizational ReWilding: A Framework That Grows Through All Stages
Organizational ReWilding, built on over 30 years of research across 1,500+ businesses, offers a dynamic, adaptable framework with 11 Elements: Culture (Brand & Core Values, One-to-One Process), Strategy (Business Growth Framework, Business Model), Leadership (Strong Management Team, Interdepartmental Planning), and Infrastructure (Business Development Structure, Key Performance Indicators, Organizational Structure, Master Processes, Meeting Structure). Unlike EOS’s one-size-fits-all approach, ReWilding treats your business as a living ecosystem, considering your organization’s unique strengths and challenges along with its current Stage of Growth.
The Stages of Growth Matrix ensures ReWilding is tailored to your business’s specific stage, prioritizing the most impactful Elements for immediate results. The ReWild Business Assessment, priced at just $995, analyzes your business’s health and provides a customized roadmap, making implementation manageable and effective. ReWilding’s flexibility allows it to support businesses at every stage:
Stages 1 and 2 (Start-Up and Ramp-Up): For small teams, the Matrix prioritizes Elements like Brand & Core Values to define a strong identity, Business Model to ensure market fit, and Organizational Structure to deliver clarity for every team member. These deliver quick wins, such as a clear distinction in the marketplace and a highly engaged team, while building a foundation to scale. Additional insights from the Matrix help leaders avoid the hidden barriers that keep most businesses limited to these initial stages.
Stage 3 (Delegation): The Matrix identifies the key changes needed to transition from being owner-centric to enterprise-centric—including where the leader needs to focus his or her energy, the balance between confidence and caution, and which leadership style is the most effective. The Non-Negotiable Rules provide a “to do list” of items needed across the functional areas of a business to ensure proportional growth. Elements like the One-to-One Process foster manager-employee engagement, and Business Development Structure moves the organization beyond word-of-mouth revenue generation, directly addressing delegation and owner dependency.
Stage 4 (Professional): Elements like Strong Management Team develop managers with the skills and mindset to create effective departments, while Master Processes deliver the principles and tools to develop scalable operations, preparing for Stage 5’s integration challenges. The Matrix continues to guide the leader with insights on the changes needed at this level of complexity, like adjustments to the CEO’s leadership style and which layer of the organization should be the main driver.
Stages 5, 6, and 7 (Integration, Strategic, Visionary): As complexity grows, Business Growth Framework guides the management and leadership teams on how to maintain alignment with the rules associated with each successive stage, helping the company to avoid becoming stuck. Interdepartmental Planning supports integrating siloed departments into an enterprise-focused team, Strong Management Team provides the management team with shared language and common vision, and Meeting Structure enhances decision-making. These Elements support Stage 5’s need for functional integration, Stage 6’s focus on competitive positioning, and Stage 7’s visionary leadership, ensuring ReWilding remains relevant for larger businesses.
ReWilding’s roadmap highlights the reality that you don’t need to implement all 11 Elements at once. The Matrix and ReWild Business Assessment guide you to start with 2-3 prioritized Elements, delivering immediate results while building a scalable foundation, making it effective for businesses of all sizes, from 1 to 350 employees.
Why ReWilding is the Next Step for EOS Graduates
For business owners who have used the EOS program for a few years and are facing the growing pains of Stages 3 and 4—or looking ahead to Stages 5, 6, and 7—ReWilding offers a natural progression. It builds on EOS’s foundation while addressing the sophisticated needs of larger, more complex organizations. Here’s why ReWilding is the ideal next step:
Clear Guidance on What Changes: The Business Growth Framework provides a roadmap for where the organization is currently, what misalignment exists, and accurately predicts what’s coming next. Knowing what adjustments are needed along the way eliminates the need for wasting years of trial-and-error. Instead, the lightbulb is turned on and you see the contours and obstacles of the new Stage.
Robust Leadership and Culture: In Stages 3 and 4, Strong Management Team and Brand & Core Values go beyond EOS’s People component, fostering effective managers and a cohesive culture. These Elements remain critical in Stages 5-7, supporting leadership alignment and employee engagement at scale.
Strategic Scalability: Business Growth Framework and Business Model provide strategic tools to navigate market shifts and adjustments needed because of increased complexity, ensuring competitiveness in Stage 4 and strategic focus in Stage 6, where EOS’s Vision may lack depth.
Targeted, Cost-Effective Implementation: The $995 ReWild Business Assessment prioritizes the Elements needed based on your organization’s unique situation. The cost for ReWild Group Advisory services is comparable to EOS Implementer fees, with many clients spending $1,000 per month. The immediate improvements result in greater profitability, which serves to fund ongoing investments.
Adaptability Across All Stages: ReWilding’s ecosystem approach supports businesses from Stage 1’s startup chaos to Stage 7’s visionary leadership, unlike EOS, which may feel insufficient beyond Stage 4. For example, Stage 5 businesses benefit from Interdepartmental Planning to integrate siloed functions, while Stage 7 businesses leverage Business Model to maintain strategic advantage.
Complimenting Both Systems
Both EOS and ReWilding are invaluable for business owners. EOS is unmatched for its simplicity and rapid results in Stages 1 and 2, aligning small teams and driving execution with tools like Rocks and scorecards. Thousands of businesses have thrived with EOS, and its impact on clarity and accountability is undeniable. However, as you navigate Stages 3 and 4, or look ahead to Stages 5, 6, and 7, Organizational ReWilding provides the flexibility and depth to sustain growth over the long haul. Its adaptability also makes it effective for Stage 1 and 2 businesses, prioritizing Elements like Business Model and Brand & Core Values for early success. For EOS graduates, ReWilding is the perfect framework to carry your business forward, no matter its size or stage.
Taking the Next Step with ReWilding
If you’re feeling the constraints of EOS as your business grows, Organizational ReWilding is your solution. Start with the $995 ReWild Business Assessment to pinpoint your challenges—whether in Stage 3’s delegation, Stage 4’s professionalization, or beyond—and prioritize Elements like One-to-One Process, Business Development Structure, or Master Processes. These targeted steps deliver immediate improvements, such as stronger management skills, repeatable revenue generation strategies, or streamlined operations, while preparing your business for future stages. ReWilding builds on the foundation EOS provided, ensuring you thrive from Start-Up to Visionary.
Ready to scale with ReWilding? Contact us today to learn more about the $995 Business Assessment and how the 11 Elements can support your growth journey post-EOS.
To see more articles comparing the two frameworks, click here.