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.

Selim Wehber

In the beginning the focus was just bringing this company to life. I spent a lot of time looking into what I needed to do to become a small business owner in my city/state. Once I got the ball rolling and committed to paying for the licenses and trademark, I was faced with new problems. As a graphic designer, my strength was coming up with new designs but I never had any experience in sales or marketing. Read more>>

Juan Carlos Barreneche

From 2018 to 2022 I was able to scale my real estate business from $12,000,000 in annual sales to more than $80,000,000+. During the same exact time period, I was also able to remove myself from the business so that I was actively working less than 5 hours a week. What was my secret? It was leverage. Leverage comes in two forms: systems & people. Read more>>

Jess Nelson

One of the first methods I used to build brand awareness for Persist Publicity was self promotion in the form of a branded website and active social channels. Especially during the early days of COVID, getting my name out there and showing people my expertise was all done virtually. Then came the networking. I never turn down a conversation with a potential client or someone who is interested in learning more about PR. Business is all about relationships, so I always make time to establish them and foster connection. This process has also allowed me to create a strong support network of fellow PR and marketing professionals, which has been invaluable. Read more>>

Parker Cates

Scaling was not particularly difficult for us in the first few years. We grew from 1 location to over 9 in about 4 years. The hard thing for us was making sure we maintained the quality of service and had adequate staff. I suppose sticking to our principles allowed us to find a sweet spot of growth while continuing a great quality of service. Read more>>

David Merritt.

Starting my pad making business was honestly not intentional at first. I made my own pads for my drag body and received a lot of attention in Houston. Slowly people started asking me to make theirs and eventually you couldn’t go to a drag show in Houston without seeing at least 1 queen with my pads on. Once it looked like the Houston clientele was going to start running dry, I made a Instagram feel about the process. Read more>>

Maya Brown

When I started MB Strategies, I was more focused on the professional delivery of services than the operational components of running a business. Like most entrepreneurs, it was just me until capacity constraints required scaling up. The good problem was that I was landing clients, but I had to simultaneously build the plane while flying it. Scaling up for this firm meant recruiting talent to assist with client management and building out the administrative side of the business, which required me to manage a unique balancing act of time and resource management. Read more>>

Casey Steel

When I first had the idea of a thrift shop and vintage resale I looked straight into the online market and industry. I found apps such as Depop, Grailed, and Whatnot. With an online platform such as anyone that I mentioned it takes true dedication and time to be able to put all of your inventory into each one of those. I spent hours taking pictures, ironing, and editing photos just to post on each of these online platforms. Month after month I found myself hitting my goals but I needed to take my thrift to another level and expand. I decided to go on Instagram and become a vendor with Montrose Market, a vintage resale market located in Houston, TX. Read more>>

Kelly Bauman

Success definitely doesn’t happen overnight, and as a business owner I really had to strategize my plan for growth. KB Sweet Treats was born in December 2011. After a few years of trial and error (finalizing what items I wanted to bake and sell, sharpening my decorating skills, setting up an ordering system) I launched as an official bakery 3 years later, at age 13. Read more>>

Antonette Jemelka

I have been doing photography for about ten years now, but three years ago I changed my business model when my new husband looked at my numbers and discovered that I was making about four dollars an hour. Truthfully, that didn’t surprise me. I’m a creative, and I didn’t know how to run a business. So I avoided running numbers and figured, ignorance is bliss! That was fine while I was single and living at home, however when you get married, have a honeymoon baby, and wish to live in Colorado with your, extremely left brained, new husband, four dollars an hour definitely doesn’t cut it. Read more>>

Kayla Klein

My business partner, Connor Foltyn-Smith, and I started Kreativ Alchemy as a side hustle while working at our 9-5 corporate jobs. We’d wake up early, work before work, take calls on our lunch breaks, and work when we got home. We wanted to scale up and match our corporate salaries before we resigned to run Kreativ Alchemy full-time, but some potential conflicts of interest arose that forced us to resign far earlier than intended. When we left our corporate jobs to run Kreativ Alchemy, we were making around $500 per month (and living in expensive Southern California). Read more>>

N. Chloé Nwangwu

“What got you here, won’t get you there.” Literally EVERY everyone in my corner of the online business world says this. And it’s *frustrating* It’s also true (and I admit this with great bitterness haha). I’m the sort of person who’s first, second and third response is to grind. I’m smart, and I’ve almost always been able to solve a puzzle if I really put my mind to it. So I thought, “Oh cool, let’s just do what you’re doing now but more and maybe with some assistance from a VA.” Read more>>

Cleopatra Davis

I started Krouned Body Care in 2020 because at that time I was still serving in the US Navy, and it was the peak of COVID-19. Because everything was shut down, I was basically getting paid to stay at home. I wanted to create a business from something that I enjoyed doing and I couldn’t think about anything but the Skin Relief Cream I created to treat my son’s eczema. The Skin Relief Cream was the inspiration of Krouned Body Care. my son had extremely bad eczema since about 3 months old, the doctors would prescribe steroids that would literally strip his skin. Read more>>

Dara Krovetz

Throughout the years, as my business grew, I learned that many of my clients never actually printed the images that I would create for them. I wanted to ensure that the children I photographed would have their gorgeous portraits to pass down to their children. For the past 9 years I have specialized in fine art maternity, newborn, children and family fine art photography and provide my clients with the best customer experience. Read more>>

Sonia Robles/ Angelita Brinkley

When we started our company 4 years ago, it was out of a need that we understood Houston could have benefited from tremendously. Mobile Soft Play was not an industry found here, but seemed to be doing well in other states. As we gained momentum, we soon found that a variety of themes and color schemes were not available for us as owners to purchase. We did lots of research on how the manufacturing side of making the equipment works, and decided to make our own based on the colors our clients use. As that part of the business began expanding we found another need in the industry that hadn’t been met., Read more>>

Eileen Dong

Many see the glamorous side of my life: dressing in beautiful gowns, wearing the Ms. Texas sash and crown, and showing up to galas. Few see behind the scenes how hard I have worked. Hope Pyx Global is a non-profit organization based in the Greater Houston Area which serves people from all backgrounds who are victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault. It is a 100% volunteer organization, founded in 2018. Read more>>

Naina Ingleshwar

If someone would have told me in college, that I would have a baking business in future, I probably wouldn’t have believed them. But I guess life always has different plans for you, doesn’t it? I always liked baking but rarely got a chance to bake in my mom’s kitchen. I loved making brownies when I was younger and still think they are probably the most comforting food. The smell of chocolate, the lure of it and the possibilities of it are endless. Read more>>