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.

Nirva Tervil

The Entrepreneur journey is one that is constantly growing, and changing. The success of a brand to many others can be viewed as something easy, but nothing about this journey is easy. Yes, there are great days where all I want to do is work because the creativity juice is flowing unconditionally and there are other time where the most I want to do is climb into bed and sleep the whole day. Read more>>

Erica Dike

For me, the most impactful thing I did to grow my business was show up. I used all the resources and knowledge I had to show up as my best self while actively seeking ways to improve. I took a risk and jumped into this business a year after being laid off, so I had very little money. I did however have talent and I knew that all I had to do was prove myself. So that’s what I did. I focused on building my portfolio. Read more>>

Michele Padron

When I first started Emmy’s Paw Spa, I began as a house-call groomer. My dream was to have a mobile grooming van one day, but financially, house-call grooming was better suited for me. I only had a small handful of clients that had followed me for years, but that small selection wasn’t a big enough clientele base to make a living off of. I made a couple social media accounts, bought some products to start off with in addition to the grooming equipment I already had, and made appointments for my starting clientele. Read more>>

Sonny Nguyen

First, we need to define what is a “successful business.” What defines and/or is a benchmark of “success”? In the beginning, I never got into fitness because I loved or had a “passion” for fitness. I was a jock, played sports and grew up in a weight room, while attending college, did not have any idea what I wanted to do. One of my teachers at Southwestern College was head of the “Fitness Specialist Certification” program, so pretty much followed his advice and enrolled in the program. Read more>>

Kayma Englund

When I first started my business 14 years ago I was renting out small offices for my Reiki Practice. I promoted myself by hanging up flyers around my Brooklyn neighborhood and relying on word of mouth. Read more>>

Eric Neilson

For the first year, our “sessions” were produced in my livingroom. I opened up my home to musician friends as a virtual platform to share their music. After all, almost all venues were closed due to the pandemic. In June 2021, Rachel and I caught wind of an open mic being held in Ocean Beach on Thursdays. It was being held at the Template! When we found our way over to Niagra Avenue, walked inside the cafe, we were both amazed. Read more>>

Crystal Hood

Lazy Susan Meal Prep started out as just a fun way to make some side money while I was living in Asheville, NC. I was cooking for only a few friends and it was a great way to make ends meet. When I moved to Woodstock GA, I joined an amazing gym where I saw a serious need for healthy meal prep. I started cooking for a few people, once again on the side for a little extra money. Read more>>

713 Hebrew

Scaling up your business, and quickly, is a entrepreneur’s dream. Having strong systems and processes in order is the formula to scaling. However, scaling was the last thing on my mind when I started BLKJEW™️. My initial mentality was simple….”Get everyone wearing BLKJEW™️..” I accomplished this through simply gifting people I knew and even strangers my merch while I took my time to understand the business side of my clothing line. Read more>>

Jerry and Kelly Sinclair

Our business philosophy has always been to hire good people who continually exceed the expectations of our customers. In our 32 years we have always had a staff that wants to be successful and cares about their fellow teammates. Read more>>

Rebecca Sims

When I first started baking it was more of a hobby and I would bake for family on the holidays & for my kids and I was living in Augusta, GA at the time. I moved to Covington, Ga in 2017, Once I started to take my baking & custom treats to another level in 2018 I came up with the name Sweeter Than Sweet Treats. Read more>>

Ron Morabito

I started V Group shortly after I moved to California in 2007. I did not have a friend, let alone a client. All I knew was that I was beyond excited to be living in California, and was determined to make it work. I had a similar business in New York prior to moving to CA. Read more>>