Stop Tinkering. Start Building Your Software House Growth Engine.
A playbook for Software House founders that cuts through the noise to show how to achieve lasting growth by building a singular, powerful Growth Engine and applying focused force along clear trajectories.
Most software houses don't fail from a lack of talent or effort. They falter because they lack a singular, powerful Growth Engine. Instead, they chase fleeting tactics, diffuse their energy across too many "priorities," and get bogged down by generic advice that never addresses the fundamental mechanics of sustainable scaling.
I've seen this firsthand over 17 years in the software house world – from coding in the trenches to serving as CEO of a company exceeding $5M+ in annual revenue. I've witnessed the painful gap between frantic activity and real, predictable growth.
This Substack, SH Growth Engine, is born from that experience. It's not about quick hacks or chasing the latest fad. It's about deconstructing the principles and practical steps to build your one true engine for growth.
My core philosophy is simple:
Growth isn’t magic. It’s applied force in a singular direction over time. One engine. Many trajectories.
What You'll Get Here:
This is where we move beyond theory and into actionable strategy:
Engine Diagnostics & Design: Frameworks to understand your current state and design the robust, interconnected components of your unique growth engine.
Trajectory Deep Dives: Analysis of viable strategic paths (specialization, productization, unique service models) and how to select the trajectories that best leverage your engine's strengths.
Deconstructed Case Studies: Unfiltered looks at how real software houses built (or failed to build) their growth engines. We'll examine the specific engine components, the chosen trajectories, and the hard-won lessons.
The "Applied Force" Toolkit: Practical insights on team alignment, operational discipline, saying "no" to distractions, and maintaining focus to make your engine perform.
No Fluff, No Generic BS: Just hard-won insights from the front lines of scaling software development agencies.
This Substack is For Founders & Leaders Who Are:
Tired of the feast-or-famine cycle and ready for sustainable, predictable growth.
Willing to move beyond surface-level tactics and build a foundational system for their agency.
Seeking proven frameworks and real-world examples, not just another list of "10 things to try."
Ready to make the tough choices required to apply "focused force" and commit to a singular engine.
What to Expect & How to Engage:
Free Subscribers Receive: every Thursday, Insightful essays, reflections, and high-level how-to guides exploring the "One Engine, Many Trajectories" philosophy and its application. This will give you a strong understanding of the core principles.
Paid Subscribers Unlock: Tuesday, biweekly, The full playbook. This includes:
Deep-dive frameworks and actionable guides for designing, building, and optimizing your SH Growth Engine.
Detailed, replicable case study deconstructions showing exactly how these principles translate into results.
Downloadable resources (PDFs, templates) to help you implement these strategies.
Access to a private community/Slack, direct Q&A opportunities.
My name is Maciej (Mat) Gren. My high-rate consulting is now highly selective, primarily serving as an R&D lab to uncover new insights and refine these "Growth Engine" principles, which I then share here. This Substack is where my core focus lies – equipping you to build the engine that will drive your software house's future.
Let's build.
P.S. Each year I take four weeks off. During that time, you may notice fewer - or no - new posts. It’s my way of recharging so I can bring you even better content.
