Seth Godin observes that some business are like an Albatross: They take a long time and the right conditions to take off, but once in flight they are very efficient. This includes many social networking businesses, which require a critical mass to form before experiencing explosive growth. However, even most "traditional" businesses work the same way. It takes time to build an accepted brand, a sales pipeline, or just the right product.
Traditionally, this gestation period requires a good deal of capital, patience, and almost blind faith; the familiar pattern of entrepreneurship. Contrast this with boot-strapped small businesses: Food service, small retail, personal services, freelance contract work, etc. These require relatively little time to ramp up, and have lower capital costs as a result. However, their potential and scale are limited. They can quickly get to a steady-state, but can't easily scale beyond that.
The question is how do you achieve the results of a scalable business with the limited resources of an individual?