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When it comes to starting a business, waiting for success isn’t an option. Earning it early is.
The women featured here have built their ventures with revenue at the forefront, setting themselves up for growth and sustainability from day one. They open up about the income-generating moves that made a difference and offer practical advice to entrepreneurs eager to create profitable businesses from the beginning.
If you want to turn your vision into a thriving reality, these strategies from members of the Dreamers & Doers community will give you a powerful head start.
Founder & CEO of Chapter tOO, LLC, a data-backed, people-first coaching and consulting practice, helping organizations and people design their best chapters by optimizing performance, engagement, and organizational processes.
@nicolemondestinphotography
I started by researching the market, speaking with financial and business advisors, and aligning my rates with the value I know I deliver. I said no—immediately and without guilt—to work that didn’t align with my mission or margins, including unpaid “exposure” opportunities. Recognizing that my decades of experience is the exposure established a boundary that protects my time and my bottom line.
Commit to your standards, but remember that in order to stand on them, you’ve got to set them. Define your terms: what you charge, how you work, and what you’re willing to entertain. The right clients will follow the discipline you put into practice.
Founder of Jasz Rae Digital, a HubSpot consultancy helping sales and marketing teams ditch the chaos and make smarter decisions with clean data, seamless automation, and scalable strategies.
Diana Galay Photo
Coming from a client services background at a large agency, I knew from day one that I wanted to build a business with a team—not just a solo operation. I priced my services to support that vision early, hiring support on my very first client account.
Too many entrepreneurs wait to hire until they’re overwhelmed, but that makes it much harder to scale sustainably. Price for the business you want, not just the one you have. Think from the start about what it will take to deliver great work without doing everything yourself—and make sure your pricing and structure support that.
CEO & Founder of Ask a Chief of Staff, a boutique executive search and career development platform dedicated to placing and empowering the next generation of strategic operators—primarily Chiefs of Staff—into roles that accelerate leadership teams and scale startups.
Clara Ma
We launched with executive search as our first revenue-generating service, charging success fees to reduce client risk and build trust quickly. Our low overhead and strong LinkedIn presence helped us source both clients and candidates without upfront costs. From day one, our community membership was also paid—intentionally designed to signal value and sustainability from the start.
Don’t be afraid to charge from day one! Pricing your offering from the start reinforces its value and attracts people who are ready to invest. Profitability isn’t just about money; it’s about designing a business that respects your time, energy, and expertise.
Founder & CEO of Leap_year, a strategic and creative agency that gets founders what they need, fast.
Mia Andreoli / @mia_staygold
As the primary earner in my family of five, I had to generate income from the start—and that pressure was a bonus! The number-one priority from day one was to pay myself enough to make ends meet, and then some. But even if you don’t have to reach that milestone right away, I think it’s possible and important for almost any business to generate revenue and profit from day one.
At first, you can do a lot to maximize profit yourself, but it’s important to have a plan to scale after that. If all the processes live in your head, the same thing that makes you profitable from day one can be what keeps you from scaling later. Create SOPs early on, then document repeatable processes so you can get out of the way sooner than later. Also, if you don’t already have one, a house cleaner should be your first hire—not a VA.
Founder of L Leon Virtual Assistance LLC, a boutique, award-winning executive support agency helping stretched-thin founders reclaim their time through emotionally intelligent operations and high-touch executive support.
Natalie Prisla
As a bootstrapped founder, I maximized every available resource, leveraging relationships, organic visibility, and strategic collaborations to generate early momentum. I prioritized high-impact, low-cost actions and reinvested my first earnings directly into the systems and support that would fuel sustainable growth.
Be consistently and unapologetically visible. Talk about what you do, share what lights you up, and spotlight others in your community. Go for the big asks. Get in the rooms you feel unqualified for. Say yes before you feel fully ready. Visibility isn’t just about marketing; it’s about creating connection, building trust, and showing the world why your work matters.
My business grew the moment I stopped trying to do it all alone and started showing up with honesty, courage, and the right support. You don’t have to earn your seat; you just have to take it.
CEO of Marketwake, an award-winning performance marketing and creative services agency headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sarah Sasson (Instagram @sarahbsasson)
We have been among the Inc. 5,000 fastest-growing businesses five years in a row and have grown from one to more than 70 employees in less than eight years without taking on a single dollar of outside investment or debt. I bootstrapped the business and realized that, in order to accomplish this, the entire team had to be aligned with growth and profit. They learned how to read a P&L and, while it is transparent, I treat my team as capable partners and leaders. We implemented The Great Game of Business, and once our annual profit thresholds are met, we then distribute every additional dollar of profit made to our team, allowing them to earn a percentage of their salary in bonuses as each level of growth is achieved.
Learn taxes, tax codes, and accounting early. Even if it is not your strength (it wasn’t mine), spending the time to know our business and how the tax code impacts us as a profit-first business has helped immensely in allowing us to keep more money invested in growth.
CEO & Owner of Canopy Families, providing flexible household support for busy modern families.
Jigar Shah
I constantly updated my financial model to see if I was able to fully cover all costs at the prices I was offering them. When market feedback indicated there was some elasticity and to accommodate my overhead, I raised prices slightly. I was also very careful about spending, keeping it as minimal as possible.
Women tend to undercharge, so know the value of what you’re offering and understand your market. Don’t be afraid to adjust as you learn.
CEO & Founder of The Hive, a business concierge service designed for entrepreneurs and small-to-medium business owners who need structured support to grow without burnout.
Decontrol Studios
Early on, I billed by the hour and did all the work myself while leaning heavily on my network and referrals to avoid marketing costs. As I built a steady client base and created some margin, I hired a college student to help with tasks part-time. Eventually, I brought on someone to handle marketing for both me and my clients—never spending a dollar before it was earned, and only investing once the business could actually afford it.
I’ve fundraised and bootstrapped, and I firmly believe you should bootstrap as long as possible. Prove real customer interest before you raise capital. Most businesses aren’t built to sustain the pressure of debt or investment, and we’ve lost track of that in today’s growth-at-all-costs mindset. Focus on building one block at a time until you have the successful business of your dreams.
Founder & CEO of saltwateragency.ca, the creative agency brands call when they’re done chasing trends and are ready to build a presence that’s clear, consistent, and true to who they are.
Liz Salzman Photography
We focused on building offers that were profitable and proven before adding anything flashy. No fancy office, no bloated overhead—just strong client work that funded our next steps. We kept things lean, smart, and sustainable.
Don’t spend money you don’t have trying to look successful. Don’t let the comparison game mess with your head. Trying to keep up with what you think a successful business should look like will have you spending money you don’t need to spend. Focus on doing great work, staying scrappy, and building something real. Profit follows clarity, not aesthetics.
Co-Founder & CEO of Relatable Nonprofit, helping nonprofit professionals launch consulting careers so that they can build lives with freedom and impact.
Maxson Media
Coming from the nonprofit world, I had a lot of baggage around charging for my work. In our first service-based consulting business, we gave away a lot for free, which helped us build trust but delayed our growth. With our second business—a high-ticket online coaching program—we charged from day one and increased prices as we refined our offer. No free work, just clear value and confident positioning.
Price like your work has impact, because it does! Start charging early—even if it feels uncomfortable—and raise your rates as clarity and results grow.
CEO of Wake Me Up When I’m Famous, helping clients build partner programs that fill their pipeline with buyers and not busywork.
Wake Me Up When I’m Famous
When I had zero time, two tiny humans to care for, and no interest in hustling for every sale, I set up channel partner relationships to generate leads and revenue without constant outreach. Instead of going one-to-one, I built relationships with agencies, consultants, and service providers who already had my ideal clients’ trust. I made it easy for them to refer me by telling them exactly what to say, share, or send. Some even built me into their process as the go-to for a service they didn’t want to offer in-house. This strategy filled my pipeline while I was still figuring out nap schedules and pricing models— and I’ve been using it ever since because word-of-mouth at scale beats cold outreach every time.
From day one, consider how money will come in without you constantly chasing it. Build in repeatable offers. Create referral or channel partner systems. Package your brilliance so people can say yes without a pitch deck. Most importantly, charge for the transformation instead of for your time. You’re not being paid to be available. You’re being paid to solve a problem. Profit follows clarity and confidence. Start with both.
CEO & Founder of Jam, an AI-powered shared calendar and organization app that streamlines the logistics of modern family life and reduces the mental load for all.
Brandon Andre
Rather than relying on ads or waiting years to monetize, we launched Jam as a consumer SaaS from the start. That decision not only generated early revenue, but also gave us more control over our growth, kept our focus on serving families, and ensured we could meet the highest standards for privacy. It also meant we were building a business, not just a platform.
Build for the person who’s willing to pay on day one—not someday. When you charge early, you learn faster, grow smarter, and avoid building in a vacuum.
Founder & CEO of Cydnee DeToy Coaching, career coaching, and speaking to equip ambitious millennial women with the mindsets and strategies to create and thrive in the career they want.
Meg Heriot Photography
I didn’t overlook service-based businesses. As a coach, I hung my shingle and was able to monetize simple one-on-one coaching services right away. This gave me the financial and time runway to experiment with and build other revenue streams that needed a longer lead time to build brand recognition and partnerships.
There will always be just one more thing—another training, tool, or expertise—that the internet wants you to believe will change the trajectory of your business. Invest in some of them. For example, you need a scalable infrastructure. But be discerning and aim for a mix of brass-tacks, must-have resources and a few experimental bets. Don’t over-invest too soon or you’ll erode your profit.
CEO & Co-Founder of Rentana, an AI-powered revenue intelligence platform purpose-built for multifamily owners and operators, founded by alumni of Stripe, Airtable, and Airbnb.
Rentana
I bootstrapped Rentana in the first year, focusing on delivering immediate value and true impact to our customers, optimizing their revenue while enabling them to make faster, smarter decisions.
Solve a real pain point and build with your customer—not just for them. We ship new features weekly based on customer feedback. Stay close to their needs, innovate fast, and create value that’s tailored to them.
Owner & Bespoke Wealth and Tax Management Planner of Green Bee Advisory, offering bespoke wealth and tax management services to high-achieving breadwinner women.
Brit Perkins
I’m a big believer in Profit First for early entrepreneurs. It provides a great basic framework through which to think about your earnings and income potential, as well as how to allocate funds for growth and taxes.
But it all starts with believing in yourself. Take risks. Fail. Get up. Fail again. Pivot. Create a team of advisors—wealth, accounting, legal, and industry cohorts—that will support you and cheer you on!
Dreamers & Doers is an award-winning community that amplifies extraordinary women leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs by raising their profile through PR, forging authentic connections, and curating trajectory-shifting resources. Learn more about Dreamers & Doers and get involved here.
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