When visitors come to Dream Garden now, they see bright flower gardens everywhere, a walking bridge adorned with heart decorations, boats floating on the river, and a bustling little café.
They usually tell me, “You’re so lucky! Your business grew so fast.”
I smile and thank them. But honestly? Luck had nothing to do with it.
Growing a business requires real work and some tough decisions. Over the past two years, I’ve tried many things. Some failed completely (and yes, they cost me money I couldn’t really afford to lose). But three strategies worked incredibly well.
If you’re wondering how to grow a small business, especially without spending thousands on advertising, let me share what actually worked for us.
Why Most Small Business Growth Strategies Fail
Before I tell you what worked, let me say this: most business advice tells you to “work harder” or “be consistent.” That’s not wrong, but it’s not enough either.
The real question is: What should you work hard on?
I wasted six months trying things that didn’t matter. I designed fancy brochures. I called travel agencies. I posted boring pictures on Facebook.
Nothing happened.
Then I tried something completely different, and everything changed.
Small Business Growth Strategy #1: Be the Pink Boat (Stand Out or Stay Hidden)
Here’s what I learned about small business marketing ideas: If you look exactly like everyone else, customers won’t remember you.
When I started my riverboat business on the Mekong River, there was a problem. Dozens of other boats were already there. They were all wooden, all brown or natural wood color, and all charged about the same price.
I could have tried charging less money than everyone else, but that’s a terrible plan. You just end up broke.
Instead, I spent $20 on bright pink paint and painted my entire boat pink.
The other boat owners laughed. Some called it ugly. One guy asked me if I was serious.
But you know who didn’t laugh? The tourists.
When people arrived at the pier looking for a boat ride, they didn’t say, “I want a boat.” They said, “I want to ride the pink boat!”
That one simple decision doubled the number of people asking about my boat in just one month. We went from about 45 guests per day to almost 80.
The lesson here: Look at what your competitors are doing. If everyone is doing the same thing, do something different. You don’t need a big budget for this. You just need courage.
This is one of the most powerful business growth strategies because it costs almost nothing but gets attention immediately.
Small Business Growth Strategy #2: Give Customers More Reasons to Spend Money
This strategy is simple but powerful: If customers already like your business, give them more things to buy.
When Dream Garden first opened, it was just a flower garden. People came, took some photos, paid a small entrance fee (about $1), and left after 30 minutes.
I realized I was missing something obvious. These customers were already here. They were happy. But they were also hungry and tired.
So I started adding things slowly:
Step 1: We planted lots of colorful flowers (people paid entrance tickets to see them).
Step 2: We built a small café (people bought food and drinks).
Step 3: We started offering boat rides on the river (another service people wanted).
Step 4: We built small, colorful guest houses for overnight stays.
Now, one customer doesn’t just spend $1 anymore. The same customer might spend:
- $1 for entrance
- $7 for lunch
- $3 for a boat ride
- $15 for an overnight stay
That’s $26 from one customer instead of $1.
And here’s the best part: I didn’t need to find thousands of new customers. I just served the customers I already had in better ways.
The lesson: Ask yourself, “What else do my customers need right now?”
If you run a coffee shop, maybe sell pastries too. If you’re a tour guide, maybe offer transportation or lunch packages. If you do garden design, offer garden maintenance services.
This is how to grow a small business without needing a huge marketing budget.
Small Business Growth Strategy #3: Build Things People Want to Photograph
Let me ask you something: When was the last time you posted a photo online?
Probably recently, right? Everyone does it now.
So here’s my question: What if your business became the photo people wanted to post?
Marketing is expensive. I couldn’t afford TV commercials or big billboards. So I decided to let my customers do the marketing for me.
When we built our “bamboo heart” decoration and our “stairway to heaven” photo spot, we didn’t just make them pretty. We designed them specifically for smartphone cameras.
We checked how they looked at sunset. We made sure the angles were perfect. We added lights for nighttime photos.
The result? Every single visitor took photos and posted them on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Their friends saw the photos and asked, “Where is this place? I want to go there!”
Just last month, a group drove five hours from Phnom Penh to visit us. They told me, “We saw your bamboo heart on our friend’s Facebook and had to come see it ourselves.”
That’s free marketing. The best kind.
The lesson: In 2024 and 2025, your customers are your marketing team. Give them something beautiful or unique to photograph, and they’ll help your business grow for free.
This is especially important for marketing strategies for small tourism businesses or any business that depends on foot traffic.
How to Grow a Business Without a Big Budget: My Honest Advice
People always ask me, “How much money do you need to grow a business?”
The truth? You don’t need millions. You don’t even need thousands.
You need:
- One different idea (like a pink boat)
- A willingness to try new things
- Patience to grow step by step
- The courage to look silly sometimes
We didn’t build everything at once. First, we planted the flowers. Then we painted the boat. Then we built the bamboo heart. Only later did we add the guest houses.
Growth is like climbing stairs. You take one step, then another step, then another.
Don’t try to jump to the top all at once. You’ll just get tired and give up.
Instagram Marketing for Small Businesses (And Why It Matters)
I want to talk about social media for a minute because it changed everything for us.
We don’t pay for Instagram ads. We don’t have a professional photographer. We just post photos of our garden, our pink boat, and happy customers.
But here’s the trick: we make sure everything looks good in photos before we build it.
When we designed our bamboo heart, we built it in a spot with good natural light. We made it big enough that people could stand inside it for photos. We painted it bright red so it would pop in pictures.
Now, every day, people tag us in their Instagram posts. Their followers see it. Some of those followers become our customers.
That’s Instagram marketing for small businesses that actually works—and it’s free.
What Are Some Examples of Successful Growth Strategies? Here’s My Summary
After two years of trying, failing, and trying again, here’s what I learned:
Strategy #1 – Be Different: Don’t try to be better than competitors. Try to be different. Paint your boat pink. Use weird colors. Do something people can’t ignore.
Strategy #2 – Sell More to Current Customers: If people already love your business, give them more reasons to spend money with you. Add new products or services that they actually need.
Strategy #3 – Make It Instagrammable: Design your business so people want to take photos. Those photos become free advertising when they are shared online.
These aren’t complicated business growth strategies. They’re simple ideas that anyone can use.
You don’t need an MBA. You don’t need a trust fund. You just need creativity and the guts to try something new.
Start Small, But Start Today
So here’s my challenge to you: What’s one small thing you can do this week to make your business different?
Maybe it’s painting something a crazy color. Maybe it’s adding one new product that your customers keep asking for. Maybe it’s building one spot that’s perfect for Instagram photos.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be different from what you’re doing now.
Because here’s the truth: how to grow a business without a big budget isn’t about doing huge, expensive things. It’s about doing small, brave things consistently.
I started with $20 and a bucket of pink paint. Two years later, we’re hosting visitors from all over Cambodia and beyond.
What will your pink boat be?
Have you tried any of these small business marketing ideas? I’d love to hear your story. Leave a comment below and let’s learn from each other.
