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.
Brianna Zarins
Money. I’ll just be honest. Have you ever heard the saying ‘you have to spend money to make money?’ Well, it’s true. My very first camera was a cheap crop sensor that I found on sale at Costco. I didn’t have a lot of money and honestly didn’t know enough about cameras. I also bought ‘Photoshop Elements’ from Costco, which is a very condensed and simplified version of Photoshop. Not only did I not want to pay for the full version of Photoshop, but I also knew nothing about it. Not one thing. Read more>>
Erica Covington
Most small business owners have a desire to see their business grow, and while that looks different for everyone, for us, scaling up required fully stripping down. We didn’t add to our employee count, we reduced it; we didn’t enlarge our space, we went smaller; and we didn’t increase our supplies, we were able to cut back. All of that seems counterintuitive, but by doing these things not only did we reduce our overall expenses, but we greatly increased our reach and the impact we are able to have in our community. Read more>>
Kelsa Blaine
Scaling from a small passion project to a six-figure-producing boudoir studio and sensual wellness hub was first about aligning my values as a business, especially a woman-owned business. My values lean heavily on wanting to support other women in my locality and to scale up, you have to hire out; you have to understand your strengths and weaknesses as a business owner at any stage. Read more>>
Kai Boyer
Successful businesses aren’t built overnight, they are a combination of hard work, dedication and usually a lot of blood, sweat and tears for several years before they become big. I think building a good reputation & consistently having happy customers/clients is the biggest key in whether business fail or succeed. Read more>>
Dr. Carla Pierson
My identical twin sister, co-founder, and co-owner, Mary Ford, and I started this business in February 2022. In just under a year, our business reached one million dollars in revenue. A lot of people have asked us how we scaled so quickly, and I think the answer is unique. Instead of a commonality of going all in or taking a big risk, we did the opposite. By starting slow, and starting small, and figuring out the gaps and holes and the needs within our business first, we were able to layer onto a strong foundation, a self supporting model. Read more>>
Morgan Jameson
A membership based organization is about putting members first. Developing relationships, providing intentional and meaningful programming and events, while not getting ahead of their needs and wants. It is also important to take risks if you want to scale. Making strategic investments in community building and partnerships to grow and amplify the organization which provides opportunities for the members. Read more>>
Tallon Nightwalker
The Northern Colorado Wildlife Center (NCWC) in Fort Collins, Colorado, has come a long way since its inception. Over the last six years, NCWC has scaled up and grown significantly, becoming an established nonprofit organization in Northern Colorado. The journey to get here has been full of twists and turns, obstacles, and learning opportunities along the way. One of the most significant challenges for NCWC was obtaining funding to support their operations. Read more>>