Start, grow and scale: entrepreneurship lessons you need to know

Entrepreneurship is often associated with the stereotypes we see in popular media – the college dropout that becomes a billion-pound unicorn, the bold risk-taker who walks away from everything safe to build something revolutionary, the person who lands that once in a lifetime deal on live television. These narratives, while compelling, are far from the reality for most entrepreneurs. Many entrepreneurs are highly educated and start their ventures, often a bit later, drawing on the experience and network from a successful career. The journey is often one full of many different possible roads, and the pathway to success is never straightforward.  

Behind every successful venture lies a series of quiet decisions, grinding perseverance, personal transformation and strategic pivots. Vivien Wong of Little Moons ice cream company and Elizabeth Scarlett Petrides of the Elizabeth Scarlett nature-inspired accessories company stand out as accomplished founders, not only for their commercial successes but also for the foundational principles that shaped their entrepreneurial journeys.  

Little Moons launched in 2010, and is now available in 36 countries worldwide and was honoured with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2022 to recognise its export success. Elizabeth Scarlett launched in 2015, fusing its founder’s passion for painting (she studied at Central Saint Martins, part of the University of the Arts in London) and deep affection for the natural world. It is now stocked in more than 1,000 stores globally and has raised over £500,000 for wildlife conservation.  

These entrepreneurs exemplify how dedication to quality, a strong brand narrative and strategic partnerships, whether through social media or philanthropy, can catapult a niche product into the mainstream, fostering rapidly growing ventures that resonate with customers worldwide. In this article, I look beyond their impressive outcomes and toward the lessons their paths illuminate for anyone embarking on the road of entrepreneurship.

Why passion alone isn’t enough in entrepreneurship – the power of commitment and perseverance 

We often hear that successful entrepreneurs are passionate, and often this passion will begin long before the venture itself. For Vivien Wong, Little Moons started a long time before the actual venture. The first seeds of an entrepreneurial spirit were planted in her youth, absorbing it from her family. Her parents ran a small bakery, and she witnessed firsthand how they navigated the balance of supply, demand and business ownership. That early exposure gave her an innate sense that if you keep your eyes open and stay attuned to opportunities, a person can flourish by turning a passion into a profession. Her initial fascination with Japanese desserts – specifically the chewy, ice cream-filled specialty mochi – eventually led her to start producing and selling them in partnership with her brother. With the trend for Japanese food, she was able to first launch as a white label before launching as their own brand and going viral on social media.  

Passion is not just about liking something. It’s about deep, almost stubborn alignment with a cause, a product or a purpose that keeps you grounded when the honeymoon stage of building a business wears off. For Elizabeth, the love of painting and nature was not a hobby. It was her lens on the world. That personal connection made the work meaningful, and that meaning made the struggle bearable. A background in art and design primed her for running her own enterprise. Growing up, she was immersed in creativity, painting wildlife and nature scenes from a young age. Her parents and grandparents, each with their entrepreneurial leanings, proved that running a successful venture was an attainable goal rather than a distant dream. This early environment helped her see that one’s own resourcefulness, combined with unwavering commitment, can create a path where none seemed to exist. It was a passion for painting and wildlife that really drove her business creation and a central core of her brand ‘Elizabeth Scarlett’. 

Your business must be rooted in something that resonates with you emotionally. Passion alone doesn’t guarantee success, but without it you’ll likely run out of energy before you reach product-market fit.

The leap from corporate world to entrepreneur 

Despite the stereotype that many entrepreneurs are university dropouts, the reality is that a lot of entrepreneurs start later in life, drawing on the experience and network of a successful corporate career. Therefore, many aspiring founders face the classic dilemma: give up the security of a stable job for the uncertainty (and freedom) of entrepreneurship, or remain in a more predictable environment and wonder “What if?”  

Elizabeth had started a career pursuing creative roles but ended up in a corporate environment – Tesco’s graduate scheme – where she learned a great deal yet felt stifled by the structure. She dreamed of designing her products, creating her own brand and having creative control. That tension between security and the desire for independence propelled her to experiment with small product launches, typically cushions or pouches featuring her nature-inspired designs. Eventually, demand for those items overwhelmed her side-hustle approach, prompting her to launch her brand and leave the corporate world formally.  

Vivien also made the shift from the corporate world. She once had a comfortable City of London finance job before venturing into her mochi dessert enterprise. While her former career was stable, it was not fulfilling in the way she wanted. She felt an urge for self-determination, to shape her own hours, product lines and brand identity. Yet she also faced doubts – both self-imposed and from people around her. Some questioned whether leaving a good salary for an unproven dessert venture was wise, but she could not shake her conviction that her idea had real traction.  

Although their backgrounds vary, both founders highlight the same lesson: stepping into entrepreneurship can require leaving behind a reliable paycheck and comfortable routine. Doing so involves facing a swirl of fear, scepticism and limited resources. However, both believe that if your vision and grit are strong, the payoff of forging your path can be priceless.

Finding a place in the market through novelty and social media 

One of the trickiest problems that early-stage businesses face is carving out space in a competitive landscape, particularly in the consumer goods market, as both Vivien and Elizabeth entered crowded marketplaces with big, well-known market players. The question is: how do you stand out? Both founders leveraged the novelty of their products to build a cohesive brand story. Each founder identified a gap. For mochi, it was the opportunity to bring a novel, high-quality dessert to Western markets. For accessories, it was the chance to offer colourful, nature-inspired products with charitable tie-ins.  

In the mochi dessert sphere, Vivien quickly discovered that novelty can be an advantage. Traditional mochi ice cream was unfamiliar to many consumers, but interest was piqued once they sampled it. Early on, she and her brother targeted restaurants in the UK, starting small. They believed if they got mochi into restaurants – especially Japanese eateries – people would taste and love the product. That, in turn, created word-of-mouth buzz that helped them unlock more doors, including local specialty stores and, eventually, major supermarket chains. 

Novelty alone can be a double-edged sword. It sparks curiosity, but it also demands more explanation and customer education. Little Moons overcame this by positioning mochi as a “fun, bite-sized snack” that was both indulgent and portion-controlled, appealing to the broader trend of mindful snacking. She also tapped real-time feedback from both restaurant diners and store customers, using that data in her pitches to bigger stockists. 

From TikTok virality to influencer marketing, social media can be a catalyst for explosive growth – but it is also unpredictable. Little Moons soared in popularity after an everyday consumer posted a TikTok about “the adventure of finding mochi in stores”, garnering curiosity and excitement. That single viral moment multiplied brand awareness far beyond anything the founder had done with paid ads. However, replicating such moments is tricky, as you cannot just flip a switch and go viral. Instead, her team remains active on platforms and fosters relationships with micro-influencers, hoping that at least some content will catch on.  

Elizabeth Scarlett also saw dramatic leaps in brand recognition when celebrities and influencers spontaneously showcased her products. Early on, she made it a priority to send personalised embroidered pouches to a select list of influencers, forging emotional connections with them. Those who posted about the brand often did so enthusiastically, introducing it to tens of thousands of potential customers. Today, as the brand’s social media presence has matured, they employ a mix of strategy – sponsored posts, user-generated content campaigns, and creative brand storytelling. However, there is still no ironclad formula for virality.  

Having an account on Instagram or TikTok is not enough. You must invest time in creating meaningful posts, engaging with customers and showcasing the authenticity behind the brand. Social media can be a full-time job in itself, so entrepreneurs should treat it with the same seriousness they apply to product development.

Building a cohesive brand story 

Elizabeth Scarlett was built through strong, cohesive brand storytelling. Elizabeth did not want to launch generic items that blended into department store shelves. Instead, her brand originated from her passion for painting nature and wildlife. Her prints stood out in a sea of mass-produced designs, and that uniqueness was nurtured by a consistent narrative about conservation, the environment and giving back to wildlife charities.  

The company’s website emphasises that its purpose both cultivating joy and giving back to nature, with photos of tigers, turtles and baby elephants to draw attention to organisations dedicated to protecting these animals.  

Elizabeth also emphasised the use of ethical materials, such as organic cotton, limiting the use of polyester and reusing production scraps. Through these measures, she signalled to consumers that her brand was about more than simple aesthetics – it reflected her values and personality.  

By highlighting a company’s central purpose through a clear brand narrative, ventures can develop relationships with customers and other stakeholders that go beyond a purely commercial transaction to forge deeper, more meaningful links.

Going from kitchen table to factory floor 

While the spark of an idea may be exciting, a business must also grapple with the realities of manufacturing and supply chain management. Both founders, as product-based ventures, had to tackle the challenges of bootstrapping and then scaling, which required resourcefulness and quite a bit of creativity.  

Making use of the resources to hand was a critical advantage for Little Moons. Vivien initially benefited from her family’s existing bakery infrastructure, leveraging that expertise to produce mochi on a small scale. As demand soared, however, she encountered the complexities of building or expanding factories. For instance, dairy products cannot be easily imported from certain regions, which forces them to produce everything locally. Eventually, her business had 2 factory sites and even invested in a third that they later chose not open, realising it was too large a leap and too expensive to justify.  

Elizabeth started small, partnering with a few specialised local workshops – especially embroiderers – to personalise her pouches. Quality was always of the utmost importance. Early on, she found a single local embroiderer who painstakingly stitched initials on each piece. When orders skyrocketed during holiday seasons, their small embroidery setup could not keep pace with demand, causing shipping delays and customer frustration. Over time, she had to expand to a larger embroidering firm and eventually purchase machines of her own so the brand could control the personalisation process in-house.  

Both entrepreneurs acknowledge that manufacturing is rarely smooth in the early days. You must find reliable partners, adapt your processes and often face the challenge of scaling up before you feel fully prepared. Yet each story highlights how perseverance, willingness to learn, and a strong sense of product quality can help you surmount production hurdles.

Evolving from solo founder to CEO 

One of the most challenging transitions for any entrepreneur is shifting from a hands-on, do-everything approach to stepping into leadership. From hiring employees to communicating with boards, the speakers openly describe the emotional ups and downs. 

Vivien went from making deliveries herself to managing entire teams in production, logistics and sales. To manage the shift, she took courses in executive leadership and found coaches who helped her develop strategies, such as setting objectives and key results, to align different departments. At first, she struggled with the reality that selling more might come into conflict with the operations side trying to optimise margins or limit discounting. That tension compelled her to develop new communication skills and unify teams around shared, clear goals.  

Elizabeth faced a similar journey, but with her creative lens. With an artistic temperament, she felt a natural inclination to personally approve every new design and even wanted to paint each piece herself. However, this was impossible once demand picked up. She had to delegate crucial tasks and trust specialists in marketing, logistics and merchandising. Indeed, at one point, her husband joined the company to oversee operations, allowing her to focus more on product design and brand storytelling. 

Both founders emphasise that effective leadership involves letting go – enabling the people you hire to contribute their expertise and not feeling threatened when they critique or refine the original vision. It also means acknowledging that founders cannot excel at every role. Accepting that fact and finding talented individuals to fill those gaps is a hallmark of sustainable growth.