Patient for growth, impatient for profits (part 1)

At many companies, there is often a tension between growth and profits, driven by the belief that it is necessary to lose money before being able to make money on new initiatives.

In those debates, many growth minded leaders often refer to Clayton Christensen and the 'Innovator's Dilemma', often as a short hand for the importance of embracing the new growth opportunity, whether profitable or not, before it's too late for the company.

But do they know that Harvard scholar (and Innosight co-founder) Clayton Christensen guides innovators to be “patient for growth, and impatient for profits.” 

Relatedly, an HBR article 'The get big quick fallacy' stresses the importance of asking at a very early stage

1. How will you charge enough for a transaction to cover the costs related to producing and delivering a good?
2. How will you generate enough transactions to cover the fixed costs involved in running your business?

The writers suggest that it is less important that the financial output technically meets these criteria, than engaging with the team to confirm that they are at least thinking about the road to profitability. That increases any investor's confidence that the venture ultimately will arrive at an attractive financial outcome.