Bilbao Built 30X for the Moment a Company Stops Surviving and Starts Scaling. I Think ProjectApp Is Exactly at That Point.
78 million in 6 months. Mexico. Europe. A team that delivers without me in everything. Bilbao would say that's the moment to stop putting out fires and start building for the next scale. What that feels like from the inside.
Project App
Engineering Team
Andrés Bilbao built 30X for a very specific moment in a company's life: when it already survived, when the model works, when there are real clients and a team that operates — but when the founder is still in survival mode because they don't know how to move to the next level without breaking what already works. I think ProjectApp is at exactly that moment. And I want to share it honestly, because it's the blog I would have wanted to read a year ago.
What 'Surviving' Looks Like From the Inside
Surviving in a services company isn't not having money. It's always running after the next client, the next project, the next week. It's not having time to think strategically because the operation consumes all available capacity. It's the founder being in everything because if they're not, something breaks.
"Many companies keep managing as if the environment changes slowly, when today clients, technology and competition move at a completely different speed."
— Andrés Bilbao, Rappi co-founder / 30X CEO
What Scaling Means for ProjectApp Right Now
Scaling isn't growing twice as fast. For ProjectApp right now, scaling has three concrete dimensions: markets beyond Colombia, larger clients with more complex projects, and a team that scales without everything depending on me.
Markets Beyond Colombia
Mexico is no longer a bet — it's a reality in progress. Two advanced prospects, higher tickets, clients who arrive more convinced.
Larger Clients With More Complex Projects
The right type of client for ProjectApp right now isn't the one with the lowest budget. It's the one with a complex operation problem, willingness to invest well, and expectation of real results.
A Team That Scales Without Everything Depending on Me
The best indicator that a company is scaling isn't billing. It's that the founder can take a week without the operation breaking. We're still working on that — but we're heading in the right direction.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
- 1The transition from surviving to scaling isn't an event — it's gradual, and only clearly visible in retrospect.
- 2Real scaling signals aren't just financial: they're operational and strategic.
- 3For ProjectApp right now, scaling means international markets, more complex clients, and a team that functions without depending on one person.
- 4Bilbao is right: there's a moment when the founder has to stop putting out fires and start building for the next level. That moment is now.
78 million in 6 months. Mexico. Europe. A team that delivers. The numbers say survival is behind us. What comes now — real scale — requires different decisions, different horizons, and a different way of thinking about the business. We're in that process. And writing this is part of processing what it means.
If you're at that transition point — between surviving and scaling — and want to talk about how to navigate it from the inside, write to me. That's exactly the conversation I'm most interested in.