Breaking $1M in revenue is a milestone few women entrepreneurs achieve. In this edition of Breaking Through: Circles of Growth, we feature Mariya Yurukova, CEO of Charity Search Group, a leading nonprofit recruitment firm helping mission-driven organizations hire top talent.
With a background in fundraising, where she raised over $20 million, Mariya built a scalable business that has placed over 140 professionals across 60+ nonprofits. Her journey highlights the power of strategic hiring, leadership, and sustainable growth.
In this feature, Mariya shares how she scaled past $1M, overcame key challenges, and what every entrepreneur should know about building a profitable, purpose-driven business.
When I started Charity Search Group (CSG), it was part necessity and part passion. I saw the hiring challenges nonprofits faced and knew there had to be a better way. My goal was to help mission-driven organizations find top talent while simultaneously advancing causes I deeply cared about. Today, I’m proud to say we’ve placed over 140 professionals across 60+ nonprofits, and we’re just getting started.
Reaching $1M: A Mindset Shift
Early in my entrepreneurial journey, another female founder told me that only 10% of women-led businesses break $100K in revenue. That became my first milestone. Hitting $1M took longer, but it was always on my radar. The real shift happened when I realized scaling required more than just working harder, it meant building a strong team, refining our client base, and making strategic, sometimes difficult, decisions.
One of the biggest turning points was letting go of our largest client at the time, which accounted for 30% of our revenue. It was unsustainable, draining our team, and limiting our ability to serve other organizations. Letting them go created space for growth and allowed us to refine our services.
Scaling With Intention
Building a scalable business model was a major focus during my time in the Milestone Circles program. I explored the differences between vertical and horizontal growth and ultimately pursued a combination of both. Financial forecasting became a critical tool, and I invested in software that allowed us to analyze revenue trends, expenses, and client acquisition sources.
Hiring the right team was another game-changer. As a recruitment professional, I knew the importance of bringing in people with diverse skills and perspectives. Instead of hiring people like me, I built a team with different strengths and work styles but aligned values. That decision has paid off in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
Key Lessons from the $1M Journey
- Let go to grow. You can’t scale if you’re trying to do everything yourself or clinging to clients that aren’t the right fit.
- Invest in the right people. Surround yourself with a team that challenges you and brings different expertise to the table.
- Sell with confidence. You are always the best spokesperson for your business, and sales should be your top priority until you can sustainably hand it off.
- Charge what you’re worth. Looking back, I wish I had set higher prices earlier. The value we provided far exceeded what we initially charged.
- Focus on data. Tracking key metrics—client acquisition channels, repeat business rates, and marketing effectiveness—helps guide smarter decisions.
The Power of Mentorship & Community
Programs like Milestone Circles and Mentor Makers played a key role in my growth. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received from a mentor was: You are worth it. You deserve it. Sometimes, you need that reminder. Surrounding yourself with other ambitious women and having candid conversations about challenges, goals, and strategies is invaluable.
What’s Next?
Now that we’ve crossed the $1M milestone, my focus is on sustainable growth. That means refining our service offerings, enhancing client relationships, and continuing to innovate. We regularly test new marketing strategies and tech tools to stay ahead in the industry. Some work, some don’t, but every experiment teaches us something valuable.
For women entrepreneurs aiming to break the million-dollar barrier, my advice is this: Think beyond the number. Ask yourself, would a million-dollar business still track clients in a spreadsheet? No. So invest in a CRM and the infrastructure you need to scale. The key isn’t just hitting a revenue goal; it’s creating a business that aligns with your values and long-term vision.
Success, for me, is about more than revenue. It’s about impact. The nonprofit sector employs over 10% of the U.S. workforce – more than 30 million people. My mission is to solve the talent crunch in this sector and elevate its visibility among job seekers. If I can contribute to that, I know I’m on the right path.
