When Slow and Steady Wins the Race In an era of breakneck scaling, one company's commitment to slow, steady growth reveals the power of patience and purpose in building a sustainable business.

In a world where speed often defines success, founders Caroline Gowing and Vicky Matthews of Chesire-based Pink Spaghetti, a virtual assistant company, took an unconventional route: slow scaling. "We chose slow scaling over rapid growth because we wanted to make sure we were doing everything absolutely right," says Gowing. "We weren't chasing growth and profit at all costs but aiming to build the best values-driven, sustainable business we could."

Founded in Cheshire in 2009, Pink Spaghetti sold its first franchise in 2012, followed by a deliberate limit of two new franchises per year for the next three years. For Gowing and Matthews, this measured pace was crucial. "This enabled us to fully support our early franchisees with their own new businesses and gave us the time we needed to fully test and understand how the business worked before scaling up," explains Gowing.

But embracing slow growth wasn't without its difficulties. The pair found themselves in a perpetual startup mode, often shouldering all responsibilities alone. "For a long time, it was just Vicky and me running Pink Spaghetti Franchising. It was certainly a relief once we eventually started employing people who could take on some of the load," Gowing recalls.

The psychological toll was another hurdle. "Even with a decade of experience behind us, we still didn't truly believe we were experienced co-founders of a mature business despite the evidence!" Gowing admits.

Looking back, Gowing is largely confident in their approach, though she acknowledges some room for improvement. "Slow, organic growth suited our values and the low level of risk we were prepared to take. We were never going to take out a £30,000 bank loan to accelerate us to the next level—it's just not the kind of people we were," she says.

However, Gowing concedes that they may have been a little too cautious. "Doing it all again, I think I would speed up the process a little as I feel we didn't quite get the breadth of experience we needed quickly enough," she reflects. It wasn't until around year eight that Pink Spaghetti committed to faster growth. The shift paid off: today, the business boasts 55 franchisees nationwide, a spot on the Elite Franchise 100 list, and recognition at the British Franchise Association awards.

Despite the challenges, Gowing and Matthews never wavered in their vision. "We never felt any external pressure to grow faster than we did. Franchising was very male-dominated back in the early 2010s, and we didn't feel like we fitted in," Gowing notes.

What kept them going was a clear plan and consistent progress. "Motivation was never an issue as we always had a plan that we stuck to. We never, ever stagnated. Each month, we could see that we were moving forward and growing—just slowly and deliberately, which suited us perfectly."

For Gowing and Matthews, success wasn't just about scaling—it was about balance. "We both had young families when we started the business, and maintaining a reasonable work-life balance was always going to be our main priority," Gowing says.

Their journey proves that there's more than one way to grow a successful business. By prioritizing sustainability, values, and family, Pink Spaghetti has charted a path that's as thoughtful as it is inspiring.