What does growth mean if not 'more'?

Time to plant the seeds for a different type of growth

Never has the aspiration of growth at all costs grossed me out more than watching the broligarchs sat in prime position at Trump’s inauguration last week.

Remember I said I’m entering this year with determined optimism?

The type of growth they have mastered and monopolised was coined type 1 growth by futurist and founding editor of Wired, Kevin Kelly.

Rooted in the logic of industrial expansion, type 1 growth is characterised by:

• Being linear: Up-and-to-the-right graphs only, plz!

• Always aiming for more: More dollars, customers, land, markets, stuff

• Extractive: Prioritising short-term gains with little regard for long-term planetary impact

But, as Kelly points out, the word growth has two distinct meanings in the English language. The first relates to type 1 growth (essentially, more). The second refers to an evolution, such as growing up or personal growth.

Type 2 growth is about betterment. It’s about using the ingredients we already have in smarter, more intentional ways. It encourages us to look beyond outdated industrial constraints and explore new dimensions of value creation in the digital age.

Type 2 growth is characterised by:

• Multidimensional growth: Growth can occur in multiple directions, each with its own benefits and trade-offs.

• Asynchronous rhythms: Growth happens in some areas while others rest, recalibrate, or intentionally slow down.

• Holding space for sparks: Creating mini environments that make it more likely for unknown sparks to fly and opportunities to emerge.

In life, type 2 growth is all around us. It’s deciding to go to the party and meeting a lifelong friend. It’s actively enjoying a fallow period of staying at home more during the cold winter months. It’s falling in love with a new to you author and devouring everything they’ve ever written.

All of these things “grow” our worlds but not in a linear, additive sense.

Ok ok but how could those nebulous examples translate to growing a business?

1. If your business is a garden, plant with diverse growth cycles in mind

• What are the veggies you plant to eat this year?

• What are the trees you plant for shade in 20 years?

• What are the flowers you plant because they are simply fun and bring joy?

2. Create space for unexpected sparks

• Foster collaboration and co-creation. You know that feeling when you meet someone and can’t stop chatting because you just click? These convos are the seeds of amazing projects and they rarely happen while sitting alone in your living room.

3. Share what you know

• Knowledge has been treated as a finite resource to be locked away à la Coca-Cola’s secret recipe. But knowledge is infinite and alive; it evolves as it is shared.

4. Prioritise depth over reach

• Focus on doing fewer things, better.

Type 2 Growth isn’t about more; it’s about better. It’s a regenerative approach that values sustainability, creativity, and balance - things the world is pretty despo for if you ask me.

Type 2 Growth in Action

Zoe Scaman

recently published a brilliant report on type 2 growth called Growth², which I highly recommend checking out if you haven’t already.

These two examples from the report illuminate businesses integrating non-linear approaches to growth:

Insight: Share what you know.

Example: Fintech company Stripe created Stripe Press, a system where shared knowledge generates more knowledge. This knowledge platform resists the type 1 mindset of hoarding information as a competitive advantage.

Application: How could you systematically share more knowledge with your peers? Could it look like a mix of online shared libraries and in-person meetups with professionals in your field?

Stripe press open resource

Insight: Prioritise depth over reach.

• Example: Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli uses time as its primary creative medium. Unlike other studios focused on volume, Ghibli goes deep on research and craftsmanship, producing fewer but higher-quality works.

• Application: In which areas of your business could you prioritise depth over reach?

This shift from type 1 to type 2 growth isn’t just about business metrics - it’s about redefining core beliefs like what's valuable and what’s successful. It’s about moving from extraction to regeneration, from one-way to multidirectional, and from more to enough. It’s about planting the seeds of a business that can continue to adapt, bloom and thrive in the face of the broligarchy and beyond.

It’s a collective effort and it will be what we make it. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Chat soon

Matilda

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If you’re interested in learning more about type 2 growth I highly recommend reading:

• Zoe Scaman’s Growth2 report

• Noah Smith’s interview with Kevin Kelly

• Kevin Kelly’s post on Type 2 Growth