What it takes to run a business

Podcast

Loren and Karen talk with four of EY’s Entrepreneurial Winning Women about opening the books, bootstrapping a tech company, selling a business for more than $100 million, competing with Amazon, hiring hard-to-get talent, and pitching investors: “I've always said, ‘I'd rather be 75 percent of a watermelon than 100 percent of a grape.’” Plus: how much of your life do you have to sacrifice to be successful?

In episode 2, Jay, Karen, and William talk about pricing, custom manufacturing, and content marketing: “There have been people who would have been very good at a job, but they aren't willing to or able to put together content, and that just doesn't work for us.” Plus: the SEO value of an unusual last name.

In episode 1, Karen, William, and Laura talk about being a bad CFO, dealing with a disappointing profit margin, and the true price of growth: “I think our commitment to being cash-based and debt-free has been more important to me than the big number at the end of the year.” Plus: hiring employees vs. hiring contractors.