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What happens when you build the business you thought you wanted… only to realize you’ve started to hate it? In this honest and eye-opening conversation, Ruma Mazumdar, founder of Key Esquire, shares the moment she almost walked away from the firm she worked so hard to build. After years of growth, hiring, and increasing revenue, Ruma discovered a shocking reality: despite the success on paper, her firm was only producing 2% profit — and she was more burned out than ever.

Instead of quitting, Ruma stepped back and examined what had gone wrong. She realized that rapid growth, over-hiring, and a lack of clear systems had created a business that no longer aligned with the life she wanted. Through difficult decisions — including restructuring her team, returning to core operations, and reassessing pricing — she rebuilt her firm with a leaner structure and a stronger focus on profitability, clarity, and intentional leadership.

Ruma also shares the deeper mindset shifts that come with entrepreneurship: separating self-worth from revenue, redefining what “scaling” really means, and learning that becoming a CEO is as much a personal evolution as it is a business strategy. Her story is a powerful reminder that success isn’t just about growing bigger — it’s about building a business you actually want to run.

1:08 The biggest risk founders don’t talk about
2:16 The reality of her four-year business growth
4:41 Discovering the firm was only 2% profitable
6:04 Making difficult decisions and restructuring the team
7:10 Building a lean business instead of over-hiring
8:21 Why knowing your numbers changes everything
9:26 Auditing time and energy as a CEO
10:28 Raising fees and finding the right pricing
12:49 Redefining what it means to be a CEO
14:50 The messy middle of entrepreneurship

Tune in to today’s episode and checkout the full show notes here.

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