ladder up

This phrase has been part of the jargon of finance and business for a while now but I think it is emerging into broader contexts.  We have gone from start-ups achieving this goal and that goal and finally laddering up into a viable business to students getting first one certificate and then another and laddering up to being a good employment prospect.  The idea is that each achievement is a rung on a ladder that the person or the organisation is climbing until they finally reach the top.  Having laddered up to a bigger business you can then ladder down to secure a niche area.  And then you can build a moat, that is, organise protection for your business against any possible competitors to protect your long-term interests and market share.  Warren Buffet is given credit for at least popularising if not coining the term economic moat.