#204: Bo Burlingham is a legendary business journalist, former editor-at-large at Inc. magazine, and a contributing writer at Forbes.

Starting a business today is both easier and harder than ever. Founders have more tools and advice, yet often overlook the basics—like cash flow, culture, and knowing what to say no to. Bo has spent decades studying the rare founders who get this right, as told in his classic book Small Giants.

Get ready to learn what most founders get wrong in 2025, the story behind his connection with Tim Ferriss, why profit isn’t a dirty word, what Bo learned from 55 years of marriage, how to keep your company’s mojo, how to get employees to think like owners, why some founders regret selling, what happened with Clif Bar and The Body Shop, what open-book management really means plus a lot more...

Timestamps

(02:17) What Most Founders Get Wrong About Business

(05:58) Why Profit Isn’t a Dirty Word

(11:14) The Metrics That Matter Early On

(14:00) Approaches on How to Start a Business

(23:45) Tim Ferriss, Princeton, and the Small Giants Connection

(24:37) How to Build a Company That Keeps Its Mojo

(26:20) The Most Powerful Business System Bo Ever Saw

(31:43) Business Story

(38:50) The Billion-Dollar Clif Bar Story

(42:25) How The Body Shop Lost Its Soul

(44:35) Bo’s Lessons From 55 Years of Marriage

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