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.
Craig Reid
My journey into freelancing started at the tail end of 2019, when I was in college studying Digital media. There was a program called Bridge 2 Business asking students to apply, and it would take 6 students from across colleges in Scotland to Holland on a 3 week entrepreneurship. I applied a day before the deadline, I thought “what’s the worst that can happen? They say no and my life goes on.” Read more>>
Sandy Levine
The main thing we’ve done over the years to scale up is a) we never paid ourselves nearly as much as we could have. Putting profits back into the business helped us save funds for future endeavors. In most cases, after 2-4 years of profitability, we’d have paid down the loans and saved enough for a down payment on another loan (for a new concept). We also never rushed into anything. For the first 2 years after opening any of our now 5 concepts, we wouldn’t even entertain the thought of expanding. Once we both had a hearty chunk of savings, and our other place(s) were operating smoothly at high levels without much day-to-day assistance by ownership, we’d begin looking for new spaces to expand to. Read more>>
Mike Alberding
We’re still in the process of scaling, but we’ve come a long way from where we started. The idea for Motiv Engineering began in our college dorm rooms, me at Kansas State University and Isaac at the University of Kentucky. We had worked on projects together in high school and quickly realized we had a complementary way of thinking. Our skill sets meshed almost perfectly, allowing us to solve problems together in ways we couldn’t alone. Read more>>
Justin Moss
Breaking into new markets was a big challenge. Early on, there’s no momentum when you launch in a new city—you’re starting from scratch every time. And what worked in one location isn’t guaranteed to work in another.
Nightlife communities are surprisingly tight-knit, even in bigger cities. Over time, we learned that the best way to gain traction in new markets is by building the right relationships. Bar owners, promoters, and local influencers shape the nightlife scene, so we’re intentional about who we partner with. Showing them the value that we bring is the secret sauce. Read more>>
Arpita Syed & Sapna Joshi
Our business name, Tahana Designs, is a blend of all three sisters’ names, reflecting our deep family roots. While only two of us run the business, our third sister is our biggest cheerleader, always supporting us every step of the way. Family is at the heart of everything we do, and that spirit shines through in our brand.
When we first started our jewelry business, it was just the two of us—two sisters with a passion for beautiful, handmade pieces and a dream of turning that passion into something bigger. We had no idea how much work it would take to scale up, but we learned that success isn’t just about talent or creativity—it’s about persistence, smart decision-making, and being willing to adapt when things don’t go as planned. Read more>>
Crystal Barragan
BlueBridge Improvements wasn’t always the established remodel and renovation company it is today. In fact, it started humbly as a painting company during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. My husband and I had always dreamed of starting a business together. With his knack for building companies from scratch and my background in social sciences, coaching, the arts, body language, and micro-expressions, we knew we had the tools to create something unique. But figuring out what to create was the tricky part. Read more>>