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. 

Brandon Huyn

I believe we’ve grown to who we are today due to Customer Service, Retention, and Appreciation. Through the years, my brother and I have set standards for ourselves to provide the best quality and 24/7 services to our customers. Read More>>

Lauren Grend

Everyone loves the end result. So many people will say you’re so ‘lucky’ The travel, the luxury weddings, the numbers. What people don’t see is how long I stayed in the “in-between.” I didn’t start in luxury. I started much cheaper. I told couples, “If you cover my travel, I’ll shoot your wedding.” I did that for years. Read More>>

Andrew Goldstein

Scaling Deep Love definitely didn’t feel like some overnight success. It was a lot of trial, adjustment, and figuring things out as we went. In the beginning, one of the biggest challenges was that our product is different. Floral lemonade and mocktails aren’t what most people are used to, so there’s a learning curve. Read More>>

Kelli Vrla

“If eye rolls burned calories, some teams would be in peak condition.” That line gets a laugh. Then a pause. Then the truth hits. Because I’ve been in those rooms—and I didn’t start on big stages. I started with a spark. I’ve always been a lifelong learner. A total motivational speaker junkie. I devoured content from anyone who could make life better, easier, smarter. Read More>>

Jene Freeman

Scaling Selfie Shots Photobooth was a crucial step for our success. In a growing business, focusing on longevity and increased revenue is essential. Our foundation began with refining our target audience. We first identified the clients we wanted to work with, and everything fell into place from there. Read More>>

Shannon Hil

Doggie Bliss has grown over time through consistency rather than rapid expansion. In the early stages, a big part of scaling was learning how to maintain the same level of care as demand increased — which meant being very selective about who we brought onto the team and how we structured our services. Read More>>

Elizabeth Lan

When I first stepped into ownership at Hawthorne House, growth definitely did not happen overnight. For the first year, I was the only full-time day-to-day employee. Read More>>

Nathan Baw

There was nothing “overnight” about it. If anything, the early and middle phases were defined by trial, frustration, and a lot of recalibration. When I started, I didn’t come in with a polished brand or a massive audience. What I had was a strong bias toward action and a willingness to test ideas quickly. That became the foundation for everything that followed. Read More>>

Mark Becker

We started in a 10,000 square foot airplane hangar in Lake Geneva in 2009, and the early days were what you’d probably expect, a little bit chaotic and humbling. The origin story is actually pretty simple. Read More>>