Starting a business is hard because it’s a fight with yourself, an internal battle – gaining the courage to get started, etc. Scaling a business is different – the challenges you face are mostly external to yourself. Each challenge has a million mini-challenges. We wanted to create a space for conversations and stories around growth and scaling. Below, you’ll find stories and insights from successful entrepreneurs across a variety of industries and markets.

Emily Haines

I started my business wondering if I would even be able to pay my rent and my expenses after striking out on my own. The first few months were slow but steady work. But by six months in my phone was ringing off the hook and my inbox was overflowing and I began to see the real potential I had to grow something big. Over five years in business I’ve averaged about 70% revenue growth year on year. That amount of growth is quite astounding. Just last month I had revenues that were greater than my entire first year of business and it is pretty mind-blowing. I had the good fortune of stumbling into a very niche market with growing demand. Read more>>

Savannah Conley

I first started photographing when I was in high school, under the wing of my photography teacher. She showed me the ropes, taught me the ins and outs of lighting, composition, and how to properly use my camera. She graciously allowed me to second shoot a few weddings with her to get some real life client experience and I began to build a portfolio. Within about a year I was recruiting all of my friends, begging them to let me take their senior portraits. I grew up in a pretty small town, and word spread quickly among my younger sisters class that I could take some pretty decent portraits at a really decent price. By the time I graduated high school I had a substantial senior portfolio and had shot a couple of weddings as the lead photographer. I decided to pursue photojournalism in college, and took every opportunity paid or not, to shoot. Read more>>

Shawn-Auston Johnson

Where do I even begin…The secret I would say is not one most people tend to accept or understand. Success for me came or should I say started from reading. Yes I said it, reading. There are success principles out there for everyone. You just have to read and apply it in all areas of your life. I read books like the Magic of Thinking Big, The Greatest Salesman in The World and What to Say When You Talk to Yourself. From these books I learned the mindset of success which allowed me to build up to where I am today and continuously growing. I learned to GIVE my services away. Read more>>

Katie Brinkley

I never expected to be an entrepreneur. I was fortunate to land my “dream job” right out of college where I was the post-game radio reporter for the Colorado Rockies, Denver Broncos, and Denver Nuggets. While I had my share of writing and journalism classes, the amount of business classes I had equalled… zero. I moved on from radio and found my next passion in marketing. I had a wonderful boss, great perks, and loved every aspect of my job. Leaving never crossed my mind. Read more>>

Jemerris Giles

Good Afternoon Everyone ! I Hope And Pray All Is Well. My Name Is Jemerris Giles Or Better Known In The Fitness World As “ Jay The Goat. “ I’m 26 Years Young And I Am A Certified Master Trainer And Founder And CEO Of GYM 55 In My Hometown Of Hampton , Ga. I’ve Been Training Now For Twelve Years Now. I Started Training In My Parents Two Car Garage At The Again Of Fourteen. I Started Out Training Myself Before I Fully Started Training Others As I Struggled With My Weight As A Younger Kid. I Was Always Active And Always Was Good At Sports , But Loved To Eat More And Lacked Confidence As I Started Getting Bigger. Read more>>

Angela Giles

For me when it comes to scaling up my business, I had to take a hard look at combining passion with strategy. My biggest ah ha moment came when my garage almost burnt down and I realized that playing at my business wasn’t going to cut it. This was a big wake up call. I was a couple years into my business. At that point, I decided to get serious with my business. I was working from home with three small kids and running a day care on the side. I hired a nanny to live in for the summer. Read more>>

Matthew Bernier

Starting a business is easy. Total piece of cake. Running the business on the other hand and turning it into a successful endeavor is a whole different ball game. At the start of my business, I spent ample amount of time figuring out the products I would offer, how they would work, learning about new systems, tactics, and technology. All this work, so I thought, would result in us getting loads of customers and lots of revenue. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out the way I thought they would. Read more>>

Paulo Josepetti

PAULO JOSEPETTI I began drawing fashion sketches before I was old enough to attend school, thank you to my grandfather who taught me how to draw sketches of women. My mother took note of my fascination with design and gifted me a sewing machine when I was 6, telling me that it was a toy. From that day forward, I began creating. As a child, I loved to spend time outside creating life-size designs on the street with chalk. One day while I was playing outside my mother went to deliver a gown to a client’s house. Read more>>