How To Scale Your Business as an Independent

The beauty of striking out on your own is that you can shape your business—and even your entire career path—around the kind of work that nurtures you.

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But even if you thrive on the never-ending hustle of it all, you probably still want to make more money, do less work, and decrease risk to your income. Scaling is a common way to pursue these goals. Here’s what you need to know about the when, why, and how of scaling your business as an independent consultant. 

The 5 phases of business evolution

Generally speaking, independent businesses tend to move through five distinct stages of maturity. This starts with your idea to go independent and—depending on your goals—potentially culminates in the long-term in big moonshot projects, like producing a documentary or driving change on a social issue close to your heart. 

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Although you won’t technically pursue scaling initiatives until later in the process, you’ll start laying the groundwork for your expansion early on—and understanding how each phase sets you up for successful scaling can help you make decisions that support your goals along the way. 

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From interviewing hundreds of independents, we’ve broken it down into these phases:

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• Phase 0 is all about validating your business idea. You’ll focus on getting your first clients and use those initial engagements to confirm that you like the work enough to pursue a career as an independent. 
• Phase 1 business owners have a few initial clients and are focused on finding stronger product market fit and learning core business skills like sales, marketing, and customer service. 
• Phase 2 is all about professionalization. Your core business is running, and it’s time to invest in paid tools and external help that can increase your efficiency and set you up to scale.
• Phase 3 is where you start to diversify. You’ll choose a scaling track and get to work on finding PMF for your changing business.
• Phase 4 businesses are mature and profitable, and business owners aren’t looking to scale further. They may be focused on big moonshot projects, like pursuing a professorship or lecturer position or launching a non-profit arm.

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Regardless of stage, remember that you are the core asset of your business—so every decision you make needs to protect and nourish you. If you reach the scaling phase feeling burned out or dissatisfied by the work you’re offering, step back and revisit those choices. You’ll be better served in the long run by scaling a business that aligns with your needs and goals.

Scaling tracks

If you have a background in startups or tech, you might think of scaling as staffing up, taking on more clients, and doing larger volumes of the same work. While this is a viable path to boosting revenue, it’s not the only one. At Pollen, we talk about “scaling tracks,” distinct ways to earn more money without proportionally increasing your long-term workload. 

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In short, we focus on helping you boost profits in a way that suits you, whether that means building and running a large company or looking for other ways to monetize your audience and expertise. Here’s an overview of six common scaling tracks for independents:

1. Adjust pricing

If you're feeling an itch to shake things up and incrementally expand your revenue, you can start by increasing prices. You can also adjust your ideal client profile (ICP) to go up-market. Think of this option like getting a promotion at work—you’ll do more of the work you want for higher pay and without significantly increasing your overall workload.

2. Grow your business into a micro-agency

If you have a steady stream of demand for work, you can add to your team, allowing you to take on more work and boost your revenue. This is a particularly good option for entrepreneurs who enjoy managing people, processes, and the business side of being an independent. Start by subcontracting, then work your way up to hiring full-time employees as demand grows.

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Use this opportunity to expand your team’s capabilities, allowing you to take on bigger projects that require a more diverse set of skills. One way to do that is through communities, where you can build a modular team—a group of collaborators with complementary skill sets who can be mixed and matched for varying client projects.

3. Start a media business

Another popular scaling option involves building and monetizing an audience, or essentially starting a small media business. You’ll use social platforms, newsletters, podcasts, and other free media outlets to gain followers, then monetize your followership by selling sponsorships, ebooks, online courses, webinars, or members-only content. Look to Substack writers Lenny Rachitsky and Mario Gabriele of The Generalist and YouTube personalities like Sonu Sharma for examples. 

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Ideally, you’ll focus your content on the service you provide: You have outsized expertise in this area, and creating related content can create synergies with your consulting work.

4. Monetize a community

If you have an audience, you can also monetize it using communities focused on the skill sets in which you have expertise. Examples include Old Girls Club and Creator Science.  

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This scaling track often (but not always) follows from track three. In both cases, you’ll need to build a community before you can monetize it, so don't underestimate the amount of energy, creativity, and being "on" that these options require. If you don't enjoy social media, networking, and self-promotion, these options might not be the right fit for you.

5. Pursue indie SaaS solutions

You can also use your consulting projects to identify the need for scalable tech solutions: You’ll work with clients, solve their problems, and then build the software you wish you had when you started. For instance, if a client asks you to build a custom Google Drive integration for their internal file storage system, you can then sell this product to other clients from the jump. 

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This scaling track isn’t just for software developers. If you’re interested in indie SaaS and don’t have a software development background, you can upskill yourself with no-code solutions (tools that allow you to build applications without prior coding knowledge). Pollen member Aaron Cohn, for example, specializes in “delightful digital solutions,” most of which are built using no-code development.

6. Build VC-backable software

If building more complex software solutions appeals to you, you can also pursue VC funding to support the advanced skills and longer time-horizon needed to scale. This option isn’t for the faint of heart: You may need to give up a share of ownership or creative control, and you might also face increased pressure or conflicts of interest. If you’re considering it, confer with peers or trusted mentors (or leverage Pollen’s community and expert resources) to prepare for the process. 

How to choose a scaling track

The first step in scaling your business is choosing a scaling track. Follow these five steps to choose the right way to scale your business.

1. Reflect on your goals

Start by reflecting on your goals as an independent. What kind of life are you trying to build? How do you like to work, and what responsibilities or limitations do you need to keep in mind? 

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If you haven’t already done so, now is a good time to use our reflective framework for designing your business. Your priorities in life will shape the scaling path you choose.

2. Choose an audience 

Next, decide if you want to build something for your current audience or for a different one. This is related to what expertise you want to monetize, too.

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There are usually synergies if you’re building for the same audience. If you’re a brand consultant and you start a newsletter about branding, for example, you’ll already have a validated expertise in the content area—and in addition to earning subscription or advertising revenue, you can use your newsletter to drive awareness of your consulting business and elevate your professional profile. 

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But, if you’re a brand consultant and want to start a coaching business for startup founders, that’s a completely different audience and skillset.

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If you want to monetize a new audience or skillset you’ve acquired, first make sure you understand your motivation. Have you identified a niche with strong revenue-generation potential? Are you excited about exploring a passion not related to your primary area of business? If you’ve identified a good reason for pursuing a different audience and have the experience, expertise, or research skills you need to provide real value to this audience, you can move ahead—just keep in mind that you’re adding a significant volume of work to your plate.

3. Brainstorm options

Once you’ve identified your audience, start brainstorming ways to serve them. Going independent is a chance to form a career path around your skills, interests, and work preferences—so you can really do whatever you want. If you want to write a book, launch and apparel brand, or host monthly wine dinners—add it to the list. You’ll vet these options further in step four.

4. Talk to peers

Once you have your list of ideas, gather information by talking to people who have scaled up their own businesses. You can use the Pollen community to connect with other independents navigating the process in real time and learn from those who’ve been where you are today. 

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Here are a few questions to consider:

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• How did you choose your scaling track?
• What were the biggest challenges you faced while scaling? 
• What surprised you about the process? 
• Would you do anything differently?
• What advice do you have for someone considering this scaling track?

5. Experiment and test

Once you have a rough idea of how to scale your business, you’re ready for a trial run. Keep in mind that for each new product or service you offer, you'll be on a refreshed journey to find product-market fit (PMF). For example, if your primary business until now has been technical SEO audits, scaling up to add content strategy means you’re essentially targeting a new customer. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking "If I build it, they will come"—instead, use the Pollen approach to finding PMF to identify your product market fit for your scaling initiative. 

Common mistakes

Here are a few common mistakes to avoid when scaling your business:

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• Trying to scale too early. There’s a reason that you don’t scale your business until Phase 3—you want to build on a solid foundation and have processes and systems in place that will support your work. 
• Doing too many things at once. Time is your most valuable asset. Remember that it’s better to do a few things really well than it is to take on too many initiatives and allow quality to drop.
• Attempting to monetize a non-existent audience. Audiences take time to build—and trying to make money off a newsletter with 10 subscribers won’t get you far. If your scaling approach involves monetizing a community, focus on building a following first—and hold off on the monetization phase until your audience is big enough to support your plans. 
• Scaling for the wrong reasons. If your previous experience includes working in a company like a tech startup, you might be conditioned to equate success with scale. Challenge that assumption. Resist the urge to make business decisions out of social pressure or ego. Instead, vet every decision in terms of how it supports your long-term personal and professional goals, and know that if you’re happy, financially secure, and personally fulfilled by your business in its current form, there’s no need to scale at all.

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Wherever you are in the process, Pollen has resources and expertise to help you build a business that supports your goals.

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