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.
Caroline Lenher
When I started my business in 2017, my goal was to support individuals and teams in their professional development through training and eventually coaching, once I was certified. The universe had a different plan, which is usually the way the world works, and in ways that bring us to where we are today.
Prior to founding CKL Strategy, Inc., I worked in advertising and communications agencies, serving clients ranging from live entertainment/Broadway Musicals and Plays (the first fifteen years of my career) to social cause clients, including government and higher education clients in the last few years of my corporate career. I had built a great network and nurtured it over the years, which ties into your question of how I built my business, two different businesses, really; the one that launched me and disappeared with Covid in 2020 (this would be the major twist and turn along the way!) and the one I always wanted, which I have now. Read more>>
Rudabeh Pakravan
Like many small businesses, we were thrown into the deep end. Back in 2017, Kristen (my business partner) and I were working out of a tiny basement office. With small kids at home, remote work wasn’t an option—and the only space we could afford was downstairs under an accounting firm. Every day, we’d carve out a few hours to work on our two residential remodels. The rest of the time we were teaching architecture, parenting, and hustling to line up our next project. Read more>>
Vanessa Young
About four years into my business, I had what looked like my most successful year ever. I was booking clients left and right – weddings, corporate events, pop-up activations – the works. From the outside, it probably looked like I had ‘made it.’ But by January 1st – and I literally had a New Year’s Eve wedding the night before – I was completely burnt out and exhausted. Read more>>
Cortnee Pinski
I should start out by saying that I did not start the juice pub. A woman named Allison Dickman was the original creator. When the juice pub was created and when I bought it after 2 years of operation it had 1 fridge, 1 freezer, a frother, 1 blender, a POS system, a dishwasher, a juicer, a hand washing sink and a 2 compartment sink and of course retail and other little necessary things. It was also started in about a 100 square foot space with a bit of storage in the back. Now we are in a 1,000 square foot building with 5 fridges, 1 freezer, an ice machine, a POS system, 2 hand washing sinks, 3 other sinks, a juicer, 3 long work tables , an espresso machine and 3 blenders. Read more>>