{
  "id": 15687592,
  "title": "Every company grows through thorns. Know when one has gone too deep",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/every-company-grows-through-thorns-know-when-one-has-gone-too-deep",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-20T02:00:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "e27",
    "slug": "e27",
    "url": "https://e27.co/every-company-grows-through-thorns-know-when-one-has-gone-too-deep-20261016/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Every fledgling company encounters thorns along the way. These can be investors, customers, or employees who demand too much or leave behind damage. Adversity often sharpens the company's direction, forcing crucial decisions. However, the key is distinguishing useful friction from the kind that compounds. The first institutional investor often poses the first challenge, questioning the business model, while demanding customers expose product shortcomings. Difficult hires can also reveal cultural weaknesses. The trick is knowing when to persevere and when to cut ties.\n\nInvestors who push too hard, customers who are overly demanding, and high performers who cause internal strife can all be beneficial if managed correctly. However, when disagreements shift from business discussions to personal vendettas, it's time to reassess. Overly reliant customers that consume disproportionate resources without contributing back can also be detrimental, especially when they start to lag behind in profitability. Similarly, toxic employees can drain a team's morale and hinder growth if not addressed promptly.\n\nThe line between constructive challenge and harmful toxicity can be blurry. Founders must ask themselves whether a particular friction is pushing the company to improve or merely making it tired. High costs associated with a single relationship or spreading damage across the team, customers, or board are indicators that it's time to reset the relationship, reprice services, or exit the partnership. Similarly, if strong performers start asking to leave or exit interviews consistently mention a single toxic individual, it's a sign that the employee's presence is detrimental.\n\nUltimately, the goal is to identify and resolve issues early, ensuring that any 'scars' are healed scars rather than open wounds that continue to bleed into the business. This proactive approach allows companies to grow stronger, learn from their challenges, and emerge more robust on the other side.",
  "summary": "Nobody builds a company without picking up thorns. An investor who pushes too hard. A customer who demands everything and pays late. A high performer who leaves damage behind every meeting. Most of that friction is useful. It forces decisions a comfortable company would keep putting off. The hard investor sharpens the plan. The demanding […] The post Every company grows through thorns. Know when…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}