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.

David Hercenberg

Subcontractor and freelancing with other local talent is a great method to collaborate and stay creative. Once they have the proper training and understanding we can work together to document events and find ways to be strategically aligned Read more>>

Aya Yamashita

After 18 years of experience as a hairdresser in Japan, I moved to New York two years ago and now work as a hairstylist. I have started working in salons, doing cuts and colors, and also at fashion shoots and shows.

When I was in Japan, I mainly worked in salons and didn’t do any shoot work. In my mid-thirties, I became interested in starting work in shooting, but in Japan, it’s too late to start as an assistant at that age. In Japan, assistants are mainly in their twenties and younger. You might be surprised, but there is a culture that is conscious of age. Not always, but it is quite difficult to start something new in your late thirties. Around that time, I met the owner of the salon I work at now. He told me, “You have experience in Japan and should be able to get a visa. In New York, no one asks your age. You can start here.” I decided to come immediately. Read more>>

Niccole Simmons

My business first started in 2007 as an editing service when I realized that there was a significant need for editors specializing in the urban fiction genre. At that time, there were no or few services that specialized in that area.
As my client’s were all self-publishers, the inevitable questions of how to move forward with the self-publishing process always arose, leading us to start providing full self-publishing assistance options to our Authors, including distribution. Read more>>

Ravon Hernandez

The secret to any successful business is to do exactly what you love & learn the laws of discipline. Not saying that it will work out the first time there are times where I wanted to give up and throw the whole ideal of being an entrepreneur away due to the lack of understanding the journey . I have failed many times , I’ve lacked support from close family / friends , I’ve overspent on marketing / products , I’ve sold myself short many times during the early process , not to mention the irritation from putting more in than what I was receiving. I am pretty sure many others who are successful/ stable would agree that being an entrepreneur isn’t easy at all , but it’s a risk that we take which shows our strength and courage to step out of the norm ; I did just that . For the individuals who are looking to start a small business there are simple things that you can do to help you along the way . First you want to get a deeper understanding of who you are as an individual ‘ what brings you passion / excitement & what drains you ‘ it will help you find your hidden talents your Niche . Secondly set goals in your day to day life that you can do to incorporate into your business idea for an example ‘ wake up earlier than you normally do so you will have time to nurture your idea ‘ . Thirdly register your business it’s very important if you’re looking for funding or investors . After you’ve completed the Three main ‘ must haves ‘ it’s time to put your creativity to work , analyze the way you want it to look , find your targeted audiences / like minded individuals, don’t be afraid to ask for help ( your ego has no place here we all fail at that one) , & be confidant in you. Read more>>

Caitie Gallet

Way before TikTok and from the early days of Vine, I’ve been a content creator with a talent and drive for adding a unique twist to everything I saw on the daily. Starting off with small skits, vlogging, and fun impromptu ideas, soon turned into how can I truly make my vision come to life.

As a fitness trainer in group classes for many years, I’ve gained a deep understanding of the human body, focusing on perfect form and overall connection a client would feel from beginning to end. Connecting with people, hyping them up, and revealing their true beauty inside and out is what I live for. Read more>>

Sharnai Fisher

I started my business about 6 years ago. I started it in my third bedroom of my then condo. I only had a iPad, no laptop, or desktop. I worked 12-14 hour days promoting the business and working my cases. In the first two years I would wake up at 0400 drive Uber and Lyft, reach my daily quota then start conducting investigations on whatever case I was retained on. After my case work I would go to local networking events to rub elbows with other business owners. It was my mission to be known in every door I walked in. I was advised of this Government contract so I made contact with the vendor and was added to the waitlist. I hustled for two years to stay above the ground. I also opened a second location in the state of Texas within those 2 years. Once I approached year two I was contacted by the vendor. They wanted me to send in my application. I turned it in and about 4 months later I was awarded the contract. The first year was very hard as I had to adapt to being paid a third of my hourly retained rate but my caseload started to grow. I was able to hire 4 employees and pay them a livable wage. I went from a room in my home to a two person office, moved up to a 5 person office. Now we on the top floor of my building servicing the County where the headquarters is located in Phoenix, Arizona. Read more>>

Makenzie Burrows

When I first started out in 2017, I was getting requests for corsages and boutonnières from my old high school’s proms, micro weddings from friends’ older siblings, and the occasional Trader Joe’s bouquet. Then I went to college, set on becoming an event planner and coordinator, and even started interning as one with a now dear friend, Krista, with Paper Jewels Events. And as much as I absolutely loved the rush of running around a wedding and putting out fires, there was just something about the design and passion behind florals. Especially for weddings, flowers are what makes a wedding beautiful and just that extra special. (I may, perhaps, be a little biased…) Read more>>

David Glessner

Scaling up, for me, means taking on more significant projects rather than increasing the number of employees. We remain a nimble media production crew. Here’s how I started my company as a photography business and scaled it up to a full photo and video production company servicing Denver, Colorado, and beyond. Read more>>

Nico Lau

At the beginning of my online reselling business, I’ve got around two hundreds review, and I soon doubted if I would have thousands transactions. It seemed quite impossible. But I am so glad to achieve that number of sale earlier than I expected.

First of all, I used to go to the thrift store across the street of my home, to search for profitable items to resell. Sometimes I could find nothing even spending hours. So I knew that’s not a way to merchandise. I figured out to go on different websites to purchase designer goods at great price and ship to my home. Then I get plenty of inventory to sell and save my time to do other steps. Read more>>

Miguel Rosas

It all started back in 2015. After living in New Orleans for two years, I finally returned to my home state, Georgia, and settled back in Atlanta. I began 6th grade at a new school, which was a nerve-wracking experience for me as an antisocial kid who didn’t know anyone. Thankfully, one student introduced himself to me when I walked into class, and we’ve remained friends ever since. He showed me some anime edits he made on Vine, and I was immediately captivated by the visuals. That day, I downloaded Vine, eager to watch more of those 6-second edits. Inspired, I decided to learn how to create my own edits. Read more>>