Canadian small businesses offer advice on successfully scaling your operations

Every small business dreams of growth. But the path from a budding idea to a thriving enterprise is rarely a straight line. Ask any entrepreneur who has travelled it, and they’ll tell you it’s a journey full of tough decisions, tempting distractions and the constant need to adapt.

So, how do you scale your business without losing your way? We asked these successful Canadian small businesses (and former Canada Post Tales of Triumph contest category winners) exactly that.

Breaking away from the competition

For Le Club to break free of a crowded retail peloton, the Montréal-based brand needed to map its own course. Its journey from a cycling cafe to a premium apparel retailer depended one on simple strategy – understanding and staying true to its core identity.

“From the beginning, we wanted to have our own niche,” said Christophe Perreault, Retail General Manager and Co-owner. “First, as the only cycling café when there were no cycling cafés in Montréal, we wanted to be the only one. Then, going into retail, we wanted to do something that none of the stores did.”

They did just that by expanding beyond the café into selling premium, stylish and high-quality cycling apparel – first virtually via its website, then physically into a retail space next door to the café.

There were temptations to grow in the “wrong” direction, Perreault stressed. For example, Le Club, chosen as the Canada’s Choice winner of the 2024 Canada Post Tales of Triumph contest, could have expanded into selling and repairing bikes. There is a lot of money in that model, but that would have been the wrong path for the brand and driven them closer to the competition.

“We wanted to remain that specialty, left-field business,” Perreault said. “People want to invest in how they look, and they are willing to get geeky about it. We have different kits and combinations that people can use to show off their identity or style while cycling. That’s where we become attractive.”

He continued, “Knowing what you are as a brand, what you aren’t and what you want to be is so important. We didn’t want to be that neighbourhood bike shop and just attract local customers. We wanted to do something unique and fun – and big,” Perreault said.

Success also depended on alignment from all involved.

“Luckily, all the founders agreed on what could make us even more unique, while keeping and growing the community side of it.”

Building lasting relationships

Viet Anh Nguyen, Founder and CEO of Rude Mama Hot Sauce, offers a powerful lesson in scaling by embracing vulnerability and building a “chosen family.”

Having started her business as an international student with no prior experience and no financial safety net, Nguyen learned the hard way that a solo journey wasn’t an option.

“Early on, I started to realize I cannot live my life on my own for the rest of my life. I needed to be open. I needed to talk to people with an open heart and open mind.”

With most of her savings invested in the business, she grew by taking advantage of every program she could find – covering everything from entrepreneurship and accounting to design and marketing. She was a sponge for information on creating a business the right way, leading eventually to Rude Mama being named the Rising Stars award winner in the 2024 Canada Post Tales of Triumph small business contest.

She also leaned on her chosen family for support, bringing those in her life into the brand and seeking their thoughts on its products. Her program instructors, her fellow students, her coworkers – even her doctor, dentist and physiotherapist.

“Everyone was part of the team!” she said.

Her approach to growth wasn’t just about product development, but about profound personal transformation. Her genuine approach fostered loyalty and built a strong community around her brand.

“If you can touch customers without having all the filter, it’s the best way to go,” she said. Emphasizing authenticity is what truly moves people and makes them stay with her for longer.

This strategy of building relationships and community first, rather than just chasing transactions, proved to be a powerful, organic way to scale her business, demonstrating that sometimes the most effective scaling strategy is rooted in human connection and a willingness to be open.

“As a very small business, there’s no certain path for success. You can try a lot of things and still cannot grab success. At the end of the day, the result is the customer.”

This Toronto-based, women-led brand continues to sell in farmers’ markets and popup shops, as well as ecommerce and retail outlets, with eyes of selling in bulk to restaurants soon. No matter how big she grows; however, Nguyen will have time for local markets, as the one-on-one interactions with customers are irreplaceable.

“You get to know them. You talk to them. It’s not an easy way to sell – it’s a lot of work – but it is so worth it,” she said.

Shedding your ego

For Ameen and Surria Fadel, the mother-son cofounders of Cedar Valley, scaling their pita chip business has been a decade-long journey built on patience, strategic focus and a willingness to shed ego.

Early scaling dreams often tempt entrepreneurs to offer a wide array of products to reach as many consumers as possible, Ameen said, but true, sustainable growth comes from deeply understanding and serving a specific customer base.

“Early on, we wanted to get in front of as many people as quickly as possible with a range of products. That was what scaling was in my mind,” he continued. “But true scaling is the complete opposite. True scaling is knowing what we do best, what we are best at, and what will take us to what our end goal is.”

Facing a pivotal moment in its early years, and despite the popularity of its salad dressings, the Windsor-based company made the strategic decision to discontinue them, pouring all their energy into their unique pita chips. This singular focus, targeting a niche where their product truly stood out, unlocked unexpected growth, proving that sometimes, less is indeed more.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to make,” Surria said. “The people who bought the dressings were obsessed with it; we were obsessed with it. But it was ego. Why else were we holding on to it? It was not our bread and butter, and we were fighting a losing battle against the Krafts and Heinzs of the world. Whereas we can be in a category (pita chips) that has had no innovation in the past 25 years. It was a no-brainer in a sense, but it took me a long time to agree to let go of those dressings. I was holding on tight.”

To effectively scale, Surria stressed entrepreneurs must shed the ego-driven notion that their product or service is for everyone. Instead, they must focus on growing the market share among those who truly value their offering, rather than diluting efforts by trying to appeal to a universal audience.

“As you scale, you have to be prepared to pivot,” she continued. “What you start with may not be what you end up with. You can’t be rigid. You have to be ready for the battles and the obstacles and the barriers and the ceilings that you hit. You have got to be ready to break through those and never give up.”

Key takeaways

Core identity

Successful scaling involves understanding and staying true to your brand’s unique niche, avoiding distractions that dilute your focus.

Build relationships

Growth is significantly aided by fostering strong community connections and embracing vulnerability, rather than going it alone.

Strategic focus

Sustainable scaling often requires shedding ego and narrowing your product focus to what you do best, even if it means letting go of popular (but less strategic) offerings.