A lesson many business owners learn the hard way is that chasing growth too early can compromise the quality of a product or service. It can also overwhelm a young company's operations, with potentially disastrous results. So how do you scale a successful business that's inherently difficult to scale?
To answer this question, we turned to three founders whose business models don't readily lend themselves to fast growth: Sarah LaFleur, founder of womenswear brand M.M.LaFleur; Ariela Safira, founder of mental health care company Zeera; and Christina Tosi, founder of bakery chain Milk Bar. All three of these founder-CEOS have faced unique challenges while trying to expand, from struggling with delegation to managing excess inventory to launching during the early days of Covid. Working through these issues has made them better leaders, they say.
Among the takeaways that came out of their conversation are that hiring early helps, and pivoting can unlock growth. But the founders started with questions of scaling: How founders should think about scalability, and whether they factored that into their own business plans when they were just getting started.
TOSI I went to culinary school in New York City and worked my way up to fine dining restaurants, but I really missed that feeling of handing someone a plate of cookies or brownies from your home kitchen, which is why I founded Milk Bar. I've joked that the worst business plan imaginable is to open a bakery and try to figure out how to scale it. Baked goods are delicate-they're meant to be eaten fresh and they're not very resilient.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
2025 FEMALE FOUNDERS 500
THE PANDEMIC DROVE WOMEN OUT OF THE WORKFORCE THEN SPURRED AN ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPLOSION.
HOW TO SELL YOUR BUSINESS IN 2025
If you've been waiting to sell your business, this could be the year to get the deal done. Analysts expect mergers and acquisitions to pick up, especially given the Trump administration's promise of deregulation. So if you're considering selling now, here's what you need to know.
Marina Khidekel You can tap creative funding sources for your startup, but as these founders learned, it's hard work.
Raising capital can feel like a rite of passage for startup founders—a signal that your company is on the map.
UP IN THE AIR
HOW JSX FOUNDER ALEX WILCOX BROUGHT THE PRIVATE JET EXPERIENCE TO THE MASSES WHILE NAVIGATING STRAIGHT INTO A CLOUD OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS. AND WHY HIS RADICAL NEW WAY TO FLY COULD BE IN FOR A BUMPY RIDE.
She's Done With Al. Now Lucy Guo Is Making a Big Bet on People
Inside the Scale AI co-founder's plans to help influencers get paid, like, never-have-to-get-a-real-job kind of money.
Tory Burch Is Better Than Ever.but Don't Call It a Comeback
The fashion veteran's business is hitting its stride— and she says, at 58, she finally feels like a real designer.
ZONE OF CONCERN
Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are as pervasive as they are insidious, afflicting businesses ranging from hotels to breweries to coffee roasters. In taking on this huge problem, entrepreneur Dean Wiltse has found his calling—and an opportunity.
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
HE DESIGNED THE INTERNET AS WE KNOW IT TODAY. SO WHY ISN'T HE IN THE PANTHEON OF SILICON VALLEY FOUNDERS?
SET AND ACHIEVE BIG GOALS
In her latest book, Big Goals: The Science of Setting Them, Achieving Them, and Creating Your Best Life, Caroline Adams Miller shares a methodology for psychology-backed goal setting.
10 WAYS TO GET BETTER AT SALES
Today's customers are overloaded and overwhelmed by too much information, so making any decision is a challenge.
