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.

Shunttina Edge

Starting a mobile painting party business was a dream I knew I had to pursue, but like any entrepreneurial journey, it wasn’t without its challenges. I faced numerous barriers, from finding reliable customers to scaling beyond my local area. However, persistence, creativity, and a willingness to adapt allowed me to turn these obstacles into opportunities. One of the first barriers I encountered was building a customer base. Unlike traditional art classes, mobile painting parties are all about convenience for the client, which meant I needed to find people who not only loved art but also loved the idea of hosting an art experience in their own homes or venues. Marketing was another challenge. I had to get creative, using social media, word-of-mouth referrals, and local partnerships to spread the word. Budget constraints often meant I had to be my own designer, which stretched me thin at times. Read more>>

Amelia Paulson

Rebel Paw started in August 2019 with our first event at Yappy Hour, our booth included a folding table and clothes line of about 30 bandannas. We were so excited when we sold our first bandanna for $15 to an adorable miniature Australia Shepherd. We sold a few others that night and at the end of the event felt inspired to grow our inventory and participate in a few other festivals that year. Over the winter we started making a few dog treats and tried a birthday cake for our 15 year old dog. With the help of social media we were able to build a small following and started preparing to be a vendor at the Wheeler Farm Farmers market. During the summer of 2020 we grew like a wild fire! The Wheeler Farm Sunday market was a huge success, we had a 10×10 tent set up with bandanas hung on clothes lines and a small bakery case with a select few treat options. So many dogs and their humans discovered our unique style of bandannas and small batch treats, our booth was often full to the brim with dogs and their humans. We made great friends, met a few future employees and really started to grow our customer base. We participated in a few pet specific events and festivals throughout the rest summer and started to feel that our small business concept was something people were excited about. We ended 2020 with big plans for the next market season.  Read more>>

Linda Nuanlaoong

I picked this question because at many times, we could have chosen to expand and/or start up more shops. However, we always felt that would affect the specialized experience we provide our clients. When clients come in, they know who will be working on their vehicles, our reputation. It’s the same consistent experience everytime because we remain a small yet well-known company. And that makes all the difference – that we never scaled up anything but our efforts to continue to serve our loyal customers. Read more>>

Samantha Shelton

In 2019, Samantha Shelton took her first steps into the Wholesale Channel with a clear vision: to one day become a business owner. A year later, she formed an LLC, planting the seeds for what would eventually become Align Lending. It was a bold move, but Samantha’s entrepreneurial spirit and determination were already setting her on a path that would defy the odds. By 2021, with the world grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, Samantha decided it was time to take a leap of faith. After more than a decade as a stay-at-home mom, she jumped back into the career world, starting Align Lending as a one-woman show. It was a daunting challenge—working remotely and navigating the complexities of the mortgage industry alone—but Samantha was driven by her passion and vision. Read more>>

Mariana Ibarra

The pandemic was great fully a great moment for our business. During the first weeks we where trying to figure out how to stay afloat, it was in that moment when we started selling different flavors of cookie dough ready for our customers to bake with our baking instructions. We offered delivery and also curb side pick up at our shop.  They became very popular and we had more than 60 orders per week which helped our brand gane popularity on Instagram and so did our cookies, personalized cakes and treats. This helped us come up with many more options to offer our customers and create better content for our social media. Read more>>

Kwame Johnson

This past year has been a significant growth and scaling year for us. Mayor Andre Dickens declared 2023 as the “Year of the Youth” and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta was honored to partner with the mayor to make our city a better place for young people. We were able to grow our programs significantly, increasing the number of youth served by 43% to more than 1900. This growth was fueled by program innovation, especially through our Level Up program. Level Up is a large-scale mentoring program that utilizes paid mentors embedded full-time in middle schools. Launched in September of 2022, this program grew to serve more than 800 students at five schools in 2023. Level Up grew out of the needs expressed by principals in the community, and I’m proud that we have been able to respond to that need in such a meaningful way. Read more>>

Liz Smith

Scaling up isn’t as easy as it seems in the beauty business world. Getting clients in this economy takes a lot more commitment and you have to provide value for them to spend their hard earned money. One of the biggest factors that has taken me from 20 clients to a six figure business is my marketing, personal touch, and social media. I kept putting myself out there daily on social media, showing up, and showing my work. I gained over 50 clients by doing this. I also made it a priority to reach out to clients and check in. I value my clients and want them to know that I care so I will always be involved in asking about them and making sure they are getting the most out of their services with me. When it comes to marketing, I would send routine emails advertising my specials, updates, or anything else that might keep the client engaged. I received a lot of feedback that my clients loved that. I also would put myself out there by networking and by driving bookings through a scarcity tactic. I would say that through all of these things and my actual talent to back my business, has excelled my business in the short two years of me being open. Read more>>