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.

Amelia Cohen-Smith

We started small, showing up everywhere: bars, liquor stores, markets, and local events. From me to the CEO, we did tastings ourselves, creating connections that made customers fall in love with Besa and earned the trust of our accounts. That momentum snowballed as friends brought friends until our events were packed. I built an ambassador team to do the same, connecting with customers, inviting them to events, and growing our digital community, especially among young women. Leadership belongs in the field, as being face-to-face keeps us in tune with trends, our audience, and our accounts. As we expand, we are entering new markets the same way. Read more>>

Ligia De Jesus

I took a cake decorating class out of boredom, became a Wilton instructor after than. When a family member asked me to make a 3 tier baptism cake for her daughter, it led to more family members asking me to make their custom cake & their friends after that. When I was making a bunch of cakes every weekend, I started looking for a spot to open my own shop. We went into a 1000 sq foot space to a 3000sq foot space within 6 years. It was tough at first, triple the space means triple the expenses. We grew into the space in the last 8 years. We are now a one stop shop for cake & dessert tables. Read more>>

Shannon Jones

My, how things have changed over the past few years! The last time we talked, I was just starting to offer stretch mark and scar camouflage. Now, I’m a full service permanent makeup artist. I do eyebrows, lips, and, of course, stretch marks and camouflage. Read more>>

Holiday Thompson

I had to work harder and longer than everyone else to achieve and scale one of the best Tattoo Shops around the triad. It takes discipline, dedication, talent, obsession, communication, and some business skills to reach the highest level I could. We are still growing! My first shop was in the middle of no were and I advertised so much on social media and tattooed any and everything I could to the best of my ability to give someone the art that would last forever. Read more>>

Bill Cronin

Though our taproom (capacity 338) is now four times the size of our original (capacity 86), we’re still a very modest operation with the same mission to serve our community through the environment of our taproom. We’ve simply scaled to meet demand we sensed while in our smaller space. We still brew less than 1,000 bbls per year, which makes us a very ‘normal’, community brewery.Read more>>

Portia Washington Harris

Doulas Due has grown steadily over the past five years since becoming an LLC in 2020. When I first decided to become a birth and postpartum doula, the world had just shut down due to COVID-19. I had recently lost my job, along with many around me, and was quarantined at home in California with my son. As a single mother also caring for my ill grandmother—who has since passed but always encouraged me to pursue something meaningful—I used that time to focus deeply on completing my doula certification and planning for the future. Read more>>

Angela Ford

From day one eight years ago I decided The Obsidian Collection Archives would be global. I picked a name that worked anywhere, a logo with the strength of a world brand, and I told everyone “soon we will be international.” That one sentence opened doors. Colleagues started introducing me to friends around the world and with today’s tech it was almost effortless to connect. I would wake at odd hours, coffee in hand, ready to meet on video and talk with excitement about bringing Obsidian to their countries. I studied cultures, histories, and exchange rates so I could show up informed and respectful. Read more>>