Scaling up with options when small? VIX plays?

Been trading equities direct for a bit, small account, trying to figure out how people scale up without taking on truly insane leverage. I've looked at options, specifically OTM calls/puts for volatility plays, thinking VIX might offer some non-directional upside with leverage, but the decay is brutal. Am I missing something fundamental about using options in a smaller account to generate meaningful returns without just blowing up the account? Or is it really just a grind until you hit a certain capital level?