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.
Crystal Fletcher
I started my business with no clients, no resources, and a dream. For 15 years, I’ve dedicated myself to doing hair, pouring in blood, sweat, and tears—even after giving up twice. I began as a home-based stylist, unable to provide hair, and faced countless setbacks, losing more money than I made at times. But I stayed committed. I worked hard, stepped out on faith, and refused to give up on what I truly wanted. Today, I operate out of my own suite and provide everything my clients need, proudly serving hundreds of loyal, returning customers. My journey is proof that perseverance and faith can turn a vision into reality. Read more>>
Nicole Ward
You know, people love to talk about the glow-up — the ribbon cuttings, the headlines, the partnerships. But what they don’t often see is the grit that happened in the shadows.
When we founded the African American Women Trucking Association, it wasn’t some grand launch with investors and media coverage. It started with a real need — to create a space for African American women in trucking to be seen, supported, and successful. But building that? That was the hard part. Read more>>
Jarvy Sanchez
Our scaling journey wasn’t overnight magic but built on the foundation of client trust. When we first started, we focused intensely on quality, products, and ethical practices with our initial clients. This investment paid dividends as these satisfied clients became our most powerful growth engine through their referrals. Each successful project multiplied our opportunities organically. Read more>>
Everette Penn
The Teen And Police Service (TAPS) Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that started from the Houston Police Department through a U.S. Department of Justice grant in 2011. We started off in a very good position with a $400,000 grant. Through thrifty spending and partnerships we stretched two years of funding into three years. In 2014 with demand high for our program to bring the most at-risk youth together with police in a mutually equal environment in which both learn from each other to answer questions, reduce their social distance and build community we had a pressing question in front of us: do we end TAPS Academy on the high that we had exceeded expectations of the initial funding and served hundreds of youth in the Houston area? Read more>>
Whitney Miller
Business has always a passion for me, but as an entrepreneur we have new ideas every day and before you know it, we have several different windows open while spreading ourselves thin trying to feed all of those ideas. I started out selling clothes, to selling hair, to opening a storefront for making wigs, to becoming a stylist installing them. Once I finished school, I realized that my mind was all over the place lol I had to narrow down a skill, master it, then close in on my target market. I figured after actually learning about the history of hair that I wanted to get into the process of growing it. Anybody can be a good stylist, but who is actually caring for our hair? Read more>>
Yohan Vajifdar
In 2024 we broke our 1st $100K in revenue !
TxTikka started with 1 yellow tent and $300, we sold out on our 1st farmers market making a whooping $358 and that was the biggest achievement for us!
When I rooted the idea of starting TXTikka my plate was full with other financial and emotional responsibilities towards my family, it was not an overnight decision, we talked about it back and forth for almost 2 years before the name was picked for the business. Read more>>
Yolanda Gibson
When I first opened my family day home, it was just me, a few children, and a deep desire to create a nurturing, safe, and enriching environment for little ones to grow. I started small — in my home, with limited resources, juggling everything from lesson planning and food prep to diaper changes and bookkeeping. It was overwhelming, but also deeply fulfilling. Read more>>