Operator Notes: Growth Demands Everyone to Evolve

We’re growing faster than ever — but not everyone, or everything, is evolving. Here’s an honest look at what breaks when people, partners, and systems don’t grow at the speed your business demands.

👋🏼 Hi, I’m Shantanu — I run Xandro Lab, a science-first longevity brand in Singapore.

We started with a single product and a mission to make longevity research more accessible. Today, we’ve grown into one of Singapore’s fastest-growing longevity brands — with a strong repeat base, a lean team, and a product line that keeps evolving with science.

I write this newsletter to document the behind-the-scenes of what it really takes to build and scale a consumer brand from Singapore — the high-conviction decisions that move us forward, and the quieter, uncomfortable realities that demand more from us every few months.

Last year, we were fighting to survive week by week. Every dollar mattered, every Friday felt like a final exam. Now, we’re profitable, growing 2.5x from where we were. Survival mode is done and a different kind of challenge has taken over.

The Xandro lab team in May 2025

Now, the real tension is not just “how do we grow bigger?” — it’s “how do we evolve?” Because growth at this stage demands that everyone, everything — people, partners, systems — must keep up with what the next level requires.

If one piece stays stuck, it holds the rest back. And that’s what I’m wrestling with now: the friction that shows up when people don’t grow as fast as the business does — and what to do about it before it drags us down.

Today’s reading includes

1. From Survival to Evolution

2. Changing Requirements

3. Where Friction Shows Up

4. In-House vs. Outsource

5. Who Stays, Who Goes

6. The Reality of Stages

7. Building Better Systems

8. Preserve and Grow

---

1. From Survival to Evolution

In 2024, every week was about staying alive. Cash flow was a daily puzzle — we would run a campaign, stream live for hours, receive payments, pay bills, clear salaries, and watch the bank account drop back to zero each week. Each week started with zero cash, and ended in zero cash. Banks refused loans when looked at our bank statement. It was terrible, to say the least.

The pressure forced us to do things lean, fast, and scrappy. It made everyone operate with urgency — because there was no other choice.

Among the worst months of June 2024 (exactly a year before) - we had no money to pay salaries, and no sight of incoming money. I called the team into a room, and informed that we are trying our best and we will aim to pay within 2 weeks. It was the most anxious month for me - I was questioning all the choices I had made and my ability to run a business. I was ready to quit after I paid the dues. That was then.

By end of June 2024, we had flipped the story. We figured how to make TikTok streams big. We never looked back. Month end Tiktok streams remained our biggest revenue play for the next 8 months, until we figured out double day sales.