7 Business Coaches Share Their Top Strategy for Scaling a Small Business 

Scaling a small business often feels like trying to build a plane while flying it. You know where you want to go, but the path to get there seems unclear. Many business owners discover they are spending larger hours without experiencing proper growth. The good news? You don’t have to figure it out alone.

We’ve gathered insights from seven experienced business coaches who specialize in helping small businesses break through growth plateaus. Though they see scaling from different angles, every coach emphasises one thing: being smarter rather than just working harder.

These tested techniques will offer a road map for steady development whether your challenges include time restrictions, lack of systems or confusing direction. 

Let’s go into their finest tips for growing your company without burning out during the process.

Tracy Irwin: The 3Ps framework

Tracy Irwin coaches service-based businesses and shares what she calls the “3Ps Framework.”

“The most powerful strategy comes down to Professionalism, People and Processes,” Irwin says. She grew her own accounting practice from just herself to a team of 15 using this approach.

Irwin’s best advice? “Plan for the business you want tomorrow while building the business you have today. Too many owners get trapped in daily tasks, making growth impossible.” This mindset shift is crucial for anyone wanting to scale.

The 3Ps work together:

• Professionalism: Setting high standards for how your business operates and presents itself.
• People: Finding the right team members and investing in their development.
• Processes: Creating efficient ways to deliver your products or services consistently.

She recommends building systems before you actually need them. This creates the foundation that will eventually let you step back from doing everything yourself. Think of it as planting seeds today for the harvest you want tomorrow.

Irwin’s method works in three steps:

1. Set professional standards that reflect where you want your business to be. 
2. Find and train the right people who share your vision and values. 
3. Free yourself to focus on growth by delegating through clear processes. 

The results can be life-changing. One of her clients, who owned a physical therapy practice, grew their income by 40 percent while working 25 fewer hours each week. Imagine what you could do with an extra 25 hours!

Ramiro Saborio: Strategic goal-setting and quarterly execution 

Ramiro Saborio of Bloom Growth Coach sees a common problem. Small businesses struggle to grow when they’re stuck in day-to-day operations without a clear plan. 

Many business owners are so busy handling today’s problems that they never get around to planning for tomorrow’s growth.

“The best strategy is to remove obstacles and focus on what matters most,” Saborio explains. “I help teams create a 10-year vision, 3-year target, 1-year plan and 90-day priorities.” This nested approach helps break down big dreams into manageable chunks.

What makes Saborio’s approach special is his focus on quarterly goals: “Every quarter, we set 3-5 critical goals that will move the business forward. Weekly meetings keep everyone on track.” This balance of long-term vision and short-term action creates momentum.

The quarterly focus works because it’s long enough to accomplish something meaningful but short enough to maintain urgency. It also allows for regular reflection and adjustment — you’re never more than 90 days away from a fresh start.

This structure creates clarity and accountability. Saborio shares a success story: “One business had never mapped out their strategy this way.

Once they did, they doubled their revenue faster than expected — not because they guessed wrong, but because they had never focused their time and energy at this level before.”

His message is simple: “Growing isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter by cutting waste, clearing priorities and aligning your team.” When everyone knows exactly what matters most right now, amazing things happen.

Adam Wilson: Reverse-engineered revenue planning

Adam Wilson from Stride Group Business Coaches takes a goal-focused approach to scaling. “Set big revenue goals for 20, 10, 5, 3, 2 and 1 year out,” Wilson advises. “Then work backward from these goals to create your growth plan.”

This reverse-engineering approach has a powerful psychological effect. It shifts your thinking from “What can I achieve?” to “How will I achieve this?” The first question limits you to what seems possible. The second assumes success and focuses on finding the path.

Wilson shares several key practices:

• Learn from others who have achieved what you want — success leaves clues.
• Read ‘E-Myth’ to understand working on vs. in your business — a critical distinction.
• Put 10 percent of revenue into marketing — always — even when times are tough.
• Monitor all marketing efforts (80 percent on proven tactics, 20 percent on new ideas).
• Track key financial metrics regularly — you can’t improve what you don’t measure.
• Outsource tasks strategically, including to overseas teams — to free up your capacity.

Wilson also stresses the importance of consistency. “The businesses that win aren’t necessarily doing anything magical,” he explains. “They’re just doing the right things consistently over time.”

Wilson’s approach mixes long-term vision with practical steps — creating a roadmap for sustainable growth that balances ambition with financial discipline. By starting with the end in mind, you ensure that your daily actions align with your biggest goals.

Karl Schwantes: Organic lead generation through Google reviews

Karl Schwantes focuses on a specific growth strategy: getting more leads through Google Reviews. “I help businesses grow using Google Reviews to generate organic leads,” Schwantes explains. In today’s digital world, how you appear online can make or break your growth.

His action plan includes:

• Optimize your Google Business Profile (33 percent of local search ranking) — fill out every section completely.
• Get more Google reviews with keywords (16 percent of local search ranking) — quantity and quality matter.
• Add surprise moments in your customer experience — to encourage positive reviews.
• Train your team on core values focused on serving clients — service worth talking about.
• Build customer loyalty through special in-house experiences — turn customers into advocates.

What makes this approach powerful is that it builds on itself. Each positive review improves your visibility, which brings in more customers, who can leave more reviews. It’s a virtuous cycle that gets easier over time.

Schwantes shows that growing doesn’t always need huge changes. Sometimes, you can grow by improving how you market and by turning happy customers into ambassadors for your business. The best part? Unlike paid advertising, these benefits continue working for you long-term.

This approach works especially well for local businesses looking to grow in their area by using Google’s powerful search platform to increase visibility and attract new customers. When someone searches for what you offer in your area, will they find you or your competitor?

Evan Goodman: From daily operations to strategic vision

Evan Goodman, Business Coach, understands that growing requires owners to shift from doing everything to leading strategically. Like many coaches in this article, Goodman sees that business owners often get trapped in day-to-day tasks. This makes it impossible to focus on growth.

The problem is simple but profound: if you’re spending all your time working in your business, you’ll never have time to work on your business. And working on your business is where growth happens.

His approach helps entrepreneurs create systems and delegate effectively. Goodman encourages business owners to identify what they do best and focus there. Build teams and processes to handle everything else. This doesn’t mean abandoning quality control — it means creating ways to ensure quality without your constant personal involvement.

By freeing yourself from routine tasks, you can spend more time planning, building relationships and driving growth. This shift from working “in” the business to working “on” the business forms a crucial foundation for sustainable growth.

I still remember talking to a small manufacturing company owner who followed this advice. They spent six months upgrading their production line and training staff before seeking new clients. When a major contract came their way, they delivered flawlessly while their competitors struggled with sudden growth. The preparation paid off in both reputation and profits.

The hardest part of this transition is psychological. Many business owners identify so strongly with their role as the doer that they struggle to let go. But as Goodman emphasizes, “The skills that got you here won’t get you there.” Scaling requires developing new skills as a leader and strategist.

Peter Cheel: Strategic infrastructure development

Peter Cheel, Business Coach, emphasizes that scaling requires the right foundation to support growth. Cheel’s approach ensures that businesses have the capacity to handle more volume before actively pursuing growth. It’s like making sure your car can handle a road trip before setting out on one.

This includes strengthening:

• Technology systems and platforms — to handle increased demand. 
• Team structure and capabilities — to maintain quality as you grow.
• Financial management processes — to track and optimize profitability.
• Customer service capacity — to keep customers happy during growth.
• Supply chain reliability — to ensure consistent delivery.

Too many businesses focus only on sales and marketing when trying to grow. They bring in new business but then disappoint customers because their infrastructure can’t handle the increased demand. This approach prevents that common mistake.

Cheel recommends a thorough assessment of your current capacity. Where would things break if your business doubled overnight? Those are the areas to strengthen before pushing for growth.

By building a strong foundation before attempting rapid growth, businesses avoid the common trap of winning new clients only to disappoint them because they can’t deliver at scale. Remember: a disappointed customer tells many more people about their experience than a satisfied one.

Cheel’s strategy reflects a thoughtful approach to scaling that puts sustainability and customer satisfaction first. Think of it as making sure your boat is seaworthy before setting sail for new horizons. It might take longer to leave the harbour, but you’re much more likely to reach your destination.

Natalia Szubrycht: The power of systematization 

Natalia Szubrycht, Business Coach believes the secret to growth lies in creating systems. “My #1 proven strategy is systematization,” says Szubrycht. “Clear, repeatable processes help businesses grow without sacrificing quality or customer happiness.”

Systematization sounds fancy, but it’s really about creating a playbook for your business. Think of it as writing down the “recipe” for each important task in your company. When everything isn’t just in your head, your business can run more smoothly — even when you’re not there.

Szubrycht suggests three simple steps:

• Find the key processes in your business that you can standardize (like customer onboarding or fulfilment).
• Create step-by-step guides for these tasks that anyone could follow. 
• Use helpful tools like automation software and customer management systems to make things even easier.

Systems make growth much easier. “With good systems in place, you’ll have fewer bottlenecks,” Szubrycht explains. “New team members can also get up to speed quickly without you watching over them constantly.”

For example, a local bakery owner implemented systems for everything from ordering ingredients to training new staff.

When a rush of holiday orders came in, they handled triple their normal volume without a single burnt cookie or missed delivery. The systems they created months earlier made this growth possible.

The beauty of systematization is that it creates consistency. Customers know what to expect, employees know what to do and you can focus on improving the business rather than constantly putting out fires.

Conclusion

The journey to scale your small business doesn’t have to be a mystery. These seven coaches offer different paths to the same destination: sustainable growth that doesn’t depend solely on you working harder.

The common thread through all these strategies is creating space between you and the daily operations of your business.

What stands out across all approaches is the need to work on your business, not just in it. By implementing even one of these strategies, you can break free from the day-to-day grind and create a business that grows beyond your personal capacity. The path to scaling isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing better. Which strategy will you implement first?