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.

Bobbi Pitre

My small town success is not an “oh I woke up and was the best thing smoking “. I began just like anyone else with a dream and a plan . I had my child Easton at 21 and from that point on – something had to shake . Right after I had him I was working at chase bank and was fired for THE craziest thing (but I won’t get into that ) , then I finally scored a dream interview as a freelance artist at MAC cosmetics. Read more>>

Piret Aava

Grew up in Estonia and I moved to the US in the early 2000s. I started as a Make-up Artist and Certified Esthetician, working across salons and TV sets in the Northeast. Eventually, shifted my focus to becoming a brow expert, became a Cosmetic Tattoo Specialist and opened Eyebrow Doctor. We’re now across three different coasts, Eyebrow Doctor has blown up, and I’ve made a name for myself as someone to see for brows. From one small office in Tribeca, I now have studios in West Village NYC, South Beach Miami and West Hollywood LA. Read more>>

Scottlyn Marie

When I first started my business I definitely had a lot to learn. Being self taught in candlemaking came with trials and humble beginnings to say the least but it also came with not knowing how to handle a lot of the situations that I was facing for the first time while running a business. There are many obstacles that come with the platform , depression was my biggest . Read more>>

GVM Studios

Our studio still has a lot more room for growth, but we are without a doubt more successful now than when we first started. A key point to our success is having a presence on social media. Once we created an Instagram account for the studio and posted on it frequently, we naturally got more followers from classes/events we would host. Read more>>

Elizabeth Thompson

Making A Way Housing was founded by my husband Rodney Bowles. It was Rodney’s dream to have a safe place for recovering addicts to go. What Rodney did not take into consideration was that for that dream to become a reality it took more then just his income. When I took over Making A Way in 2007 it was almost bankrupt, we had a big heart but just not enough funds to provide the caliber of services that we desired. Read more>>

Eleysia Costa

When a person decides they want to start a business, it can seem over whelming. People think you have to invest thousands of dollars right away when that isn’t always the case. When I first started, I was in a small tiny room, Probably about 7ft by 8ft and I had a steamer (about $150), a massage table (about $100) , a towel warmer (about $100), and my product kit from esthetician school. Read more>>