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.

Karla Solorzano

Scaling up a business is a exciting, yet challenging adventure, and my journey as a wedding and event planner has been no exception. In 2015, I embarked on this beautiful venture, driven by my passion for creating personalized experiences and my love for logistics. As I expanded my business, I encountered numerous meaningful moments, obstacles, and valuable lessons that shaped my path. Read more>>

Ernesto Rosa

Greetings, I am Ernesto Rosa, the CEO and Founder of JJ Cosmetics & Spa, where our mission is to “Build an empire of beauty” through our beauty salon and JJ Cosmetics Makeup line. Though I was born in Puerto Rico, I relocated to Syracuse, New York, at a young age and eventually settled in Florida at the age of 22. Read more>>

Les Maginley

We wanted to grow very strategically. We did not want to grow fast. We said from the beginning that we wanted to provide quality stores versus quantity of stores. In other words, we would rather have 25 stores that are all great stores than 100 stores that are all average stores. Our first store was owned by one of the partners but then we quickly realized the best way to scale up was to begin the process of franchising. we understood that owning hundreds of stores one day wouldn’t be the best business model for us and we would rather teach people to fish so they could own and operate their own Krustaceans franchise with corporate support. Read more>>

Samantha Baldwin

As a photographer, I am sure many have heard the famous line from others, “Wow, your camera takes such great photos!”. Which of course my expensive camera takes great quality photos but sometimes hearing that is tough because I promise you, its not just a click of a button. There is so much more than saying “1,2,3, cheese!” and then that’s it. Owning a successful business takes passion, consistency, and discipline. Read more>>

Dricka Carter

Absolutely, the path to success is often a long and challenging journey filled with ups, downs, and countless learning experiences. Achieving significant growth in a business involves much more than meets the eye. It’s about time we share the real and inspiring stories of scaling up. With my personal brand, I was able to scale quickly because I had built successful businesses before but building a personal brand is much harder in my experience. I hired immediately instead of once the business got up and running like I had done before with previous businesses. Read more>>

Birdie Brennan

I knew I was on to something at the end of 2000. I was and had always been an organized person. I knew that others struggled with being organized, being on time, finding their belongings, wasting time and money buying replacements. It was a nugget of an idea, but I didn’t know where it would go. Paying someone in the Midwest to help get organized was unheard of. My Dad even said, they are going to pay you to do what?? Read more>>

Jor’El and Sheth Schustrin

We were getting ready to scale up production in the first warehouse we were growing mushrooms in. Then in 2022 we were impacted by hurricane Ian. We had around 3 feet of water in our indoor farm. After breaking down everything and moving it into storage (mold issues), what we saved atleast, we were looking for a bigger warehouse and came across one that was triple in size. We also wanted to do a deli type style place for the mushrooms and now we are coming up on our first year at the new location. We added more products to the store front. We collaborated with the king herbs of life and we have a new coffee replacement with alkaline herbs and mushrooms, 2 alkaline herbs and mushrooms drinks and also do some meal preps. Local produce and micro greens can also be purchased at our store. Read more>>

Niccolo Fraschetti

SCALING UP ALIVE FERMENTS Alive Ferments started incubating in 2020. First, we had to be sure our products would be viable at high volumes. We were lucky to be able to connect with some key players in the fermentation industry from the FDA. Their invaluable advice guided us in reviewing our process so we could confidently start fermenting large batches. By the beginning of 2021, we already had our workflow down and were ready to go. Read more>>

Yvon Doan

How I Became Fully Booked Within 3 Months of Starting My Journey as a Lip Blush PMU Artist and Scaled to Where I Am Today, 3 Years Later: 1) Identifying the Opportunity: As a broke and bored graduate student, I decided to enroll in a Lip Blush Training Course. Behind this seemingly impulsive decision, there were underlying business strategies that guided my Permanent Makeup (PMU) Venture. Read more>>

Tiana Myers

Tiana Myers, a successful serial entrepreneur, author, and certified transformational coach, we delve into the ups and downs of her journey to building a thriving business empire. Tiana’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and unwavering determination. She shares her experiences, strategies, and the transformative moments that led her to scale up her business. Read more>>

Avery Isernia

When I first started as a Cosmetic and Restorative tattoo artist I spent every spare minute outside of my 9-5 job as an esthetician practicing my craft, building my network and hoping for my first client. The biggest contributing factor to my career has been my commitment to continuing education and navigating the growing pains of a small business. Read more>>

Kayla G.

One key strategy that contributed significantly to the growth of my photography business was my dedication to building a strong online presence through active engagement on social media and consistent posting. Simultaneously, I recognized the value of in-person networking and made a conscious effort to attend events and carry both digital and physical business cards. As a photographer, one of the most meaningful aspects of this journey has been the overwhelming appreciation and support i’ve received from clients and peers after completing each project. While every step of my growth has been without challenges, each experience has served as a valuable learning opportunity. Read more>>

KÄRMA

Accessibility. It is so important to make yourself an asset amongst your peers. I learned throughout my career that keeping the door open allowed me to be as successful as I am today. When I began writing and engineering I consistently worked with new people. It’s imperative in the developmental process of your craft and planting your footprints along the way. The more diverse your clientele, the better. Marketing was my key aspect to breaking through to one of my larger goals. When engineering others work as an artist, you have to find the time and strategies to market just as much as your clients do. Particularly, in sync for more impact and results. Working with quality artists as to not compromise the standard that I held myselt to. Anything made m great has to have a good, solid foundation as an engineer. Read more>>

Renée Strauss

After being in luxury bridal retail in Beverly Hills for 3+ decades and starring in a reality show on TLC entitled Brides of Beverly Hills, the retail market rapidly changed. Bridal designers began opening their own salons selling their merchandise directly to the public, thereby cutting out the middleman — the general retailer — me. Read more>>

Raymond Nwoha

In a sentence, I would say that I Scaled up by garnering Values to my Self and the company at large. You See, I must say that it wasn’t easy. However, the worst regret is not trying to live your dreams early in life and later realised in old age that you could have succeeded if attempted to try. Every Path we take in this Life is not always clearer at onset but becomes clearer and purposeful as we progress. So I would say that the first thing I did to scale up which is also a strategy is to START UP! Read more>>