Entrepreneurs Share Secrets to Scaling
Business owners and community leaders gathered last Thursday in Glens Falls for a dynamic panel discussion, “Solo to Scalable: Growing Beyond the Owner-Operator Stage.” The event, co-hosted by the New York Starters Coalition and WorkSmart Coworking and Meeting Space, brought together four successful regional entrepreneurs to share candid insights on the challenges and rewards of transitioning from a solo operation to a thriving, scalable business.
The event, held in the WorkSmart boardroom on Glen Street, featured a diverse group of panelists: Joe Grohowski, President of Praxis Technology, Cara Greenslade, Co-founder of Sidekick Creative, Kim Feeney London, Co-founder of Farmhouse Food, and Jared Humiston, President of Adirondack Technical Solutions. The discussion was moderated by David Dammerman, Director of the Grove Center for Entrepreneurship.
The core of the discussion centered on the transformative shift required for growth. All panelists echoed the sentiment that growth is more than simply increasing in size; it is a strategic evolution. A key piece of advice was the necessity for owners to build teams and develop processes that enable founders to focus their energy on the areas where they provide the most value. The burden of performing all business roles, they explained, is unsustainable. Panelists shared feelings of freedom and relief that accompanied the hiring of their first employees, allowing them to finally leverage the strengths of a team.
While approaches to growth differed among the entrepreneurs, a common thread was the strategic importance of building strong personal networks. The panel highlighted how partnerships and collaboration have been essential to allowing their businesses to reduce fixed costs, remain flexible, and consistently deliver quality to clients.
The conversation also delved into the difficulties of team expansion. All speakers emphasized that hiring is a challenge, and they stressed the importance of patience, careful attention to cultural fit, and actively seeking individuals whose strengths complement the owner’s own weaknesses.
The presence of the panelists themselves served as a powerful testament to the region’s entrepreneurial potential. Having all successfully built their businesses locally, they presented tangible evidence to the audience that “you can do it, and you can do it here.”
The audience for the event included several entrepreneurs as well as notable community and state figures. Among the attendees were Jeff Flagg, Economic Development Director for the City of Glens Falls, Nicole Clarke, Legislative Director for New York State Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, and Zack Pacenak, Director at New York Ventures, New York State’s venture capital arm. The successful turnout underscored the vitality of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem and the importance of small business growth to the region’s economy.