Growing and scaling a business is hard and we wanted to hear from business owners who have successfully scaled a business. Below, you’ll find our conversations on scaling with some very talented and insightful folks.

Emily Moore

Scaling Isn’t Glamorous, It’s Gritty—but It’s Worth It

People often assume I had a big break or some shortcut that launched my businesses into success. The truth? There was no overnight miracle—just the long, uncomfortable, and often invisible middle. The stretch where you’re clocking 14-hour days, fixing what breaks before anyone notices, and constantly evolving. Read More>>

Martha Ponce Ayala

Dear Canvas Rebel,

First of all, thank you so much for the space to share my journey in the high-end service industry in México.

It all started as a coincidence when I was invited to work at a wedding celebration as a hostess freelancer when I was only 21 years old. Read More>>

Keren Nedivi

When I first started filming weddings, I treated it only as a side job. I was a new mom and didn’t want to give up on my filmmaking dreams. I graduated NYU film school and didn’t feel a job as a wedding videographer would live up to my expectations I had for myself. Read More>>

Josh New

Every business is unique but a lot of small business share the common thread of the founder being the heart and soul of the work that gets done. As a photographer, my business started with just me. I was a high school teacher during the week but I started to take on photo clients on the weekends and over the summer breaks. Read More>>

Fonz Morris

People see where I am now and assume it all happened fast. It didn’t. There was no viral moment, no lucky break. Just years of putting in the work—building, failing, learning, and repeating. Read More>>

Jess Hellmich

When starting Dueling Axes, the intention was always to scale up to multiple locations. However, even the best-laid plans take hard work and time to execute. For us, the ability to scale is largely focused on developing an exceptional team with the right complementary skill sets to facilitate growth, and picking the right real estate that would help our locations be successful. Read More>>

Jessie Metzler

I started my business in 2014, but two years earlier, I had begun freelancing and handling social media just as something to keep myself busy until I found a “real job.” At the time, I never imagined social media marketing would evolve into the career it is for me today—I genuinely saw it as a temporary arrangement until someone hired me for a traditional role. Read More>>