When businesses are covered in the media, often there is a lot of focus on the initial idea, the genesis moment. Then they almost brush over the middle part – the scaling up part – and arrive at how big and awesome the business is today. It makes for a fun read or in the case of a movie or show an entertaining watch, but it’s also a missed opportunity. The middle part – the scaling up part is where so many small business owners get stuck. It’s the part so many of us need more guidance with and so we wanted to get conversations going on the topic of scaling up.

Chase

I’m still an individual learning the ins and outs of this crazy industry, and when I first started, I knew almost nothing about filmmaking beyond just a love for movies. Getting to where I am today took a lot of mistakes—working with the wrong people, aligning myself on projects that I wasn’t the right fit for, and doing jobs that wasn’t invested in me or my growth. But the biggest shift in my career happened when I started putting my confidence on the line and reaching out to people who inspired me, helping me recognize my own missteps and grow from them. Read more>>

Jamie King

A lot of success stories look like they were made overnight… but I built a multi million dollar business only after years of failure and trying the wrong business models that didn’t work for me, or my family.

We I started my online business in 2014, I thought being a health and fitness coach sounded good on paper because I liked working out and cooking healthy meals for my family. So I spent thousands on certifications only to realize I wasn’t passionate about weight loss and didn’t have a personal connection to the mission, other than I’ve been an athlete my whole life. Read more>>

Courtney Boomer

When people look at my business today, they see a strong team, growing revenue, and consistent client results—but what they don’t see is the messy middle that got us here.

Back in 2020, I made the wild decision to invest my husband’s first paycheck after a 6-month income break (with a 2-month-old in my arms) to get certified as a Director of Operations. We were coming out of the thick of COVID, with no margin for error, but I knew this was the next right step. I had no business “betting on myself” with such high stakes—but I did anyway. Read more>>

Melissa Guida-Richards

Many authors and creators think that a huge viral moment will set you up for success. But for me, it was simply a way to open doors, that helped set building blocks for my business. My Huffpost personal essay about finding out my adoption went mega viral all around the world, and led to more opportunities than I dreamed of, and yet, only profited a few hundred dollars from it. When your platform takes off to that degree it can be extremely overwhelming, especially if you do not know how to properly take advantage of these moments to build your brand. Thankfully, I learned from the first time and was better prepared when other stories went viral on platforms like TikTok, that allowed me to direct my audience to a call to action to purchase my books and take classes on adoption that I teach. Read more>>

Fred Moore

Many people assume success happens overnight, but my journey in the hair industry has been years in the making. When I started Moorestyle Studio, I faced challenges like building a client base, educating people on non-surgical hair restoration, and pricing my services correctly. The key to scaling up was finding my niche, refining my skills, and positioning myself as an expert in hair replacement and precision barbering. Read more>>