Built by Margin
Built by Margin is the podcast at the intersection of risk, numbers, and decision-making for founders, CEOs, and high performers. Hosted by CPA, fractional CFO, and author of the upcoming book Risk Worthy, Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA, the show explores how better decisions create better businesses, stronger leadership, and more meaningful long-term outcomes. From financial strategy and entrepreneurship to intelligent risk-taking and growth, each episode helps you think sharper and build with intention.
Episodes
33 episodes
The Power of Intuition in Entrepreneurial Decision-Making with Won Choi
In this episode of Built by Margin, Laurie sits down with Won Choi to talk about burnout, alignment, entrepreneurship, and the kind of decision-making that blends both strategy and inner knowing. We unpack how burnout is often less about...
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Episode 32
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35:54
How AI Gives Founders Their Time Back with Andrea Palacio
In episode 31 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews the visionary founder and CEO, Andrea Palacio, as she shares her extraordinary journey from launching her first e-commerce business in 2016 to scaling and eventually acquiring a la...
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Episode 31
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33:57
How Decisions Compound - Risk Worthy Insights with Laurie Chen
In episode 30 of Built by Margin, Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy - decisions compound. Most people think of compounding only in financial terms, but the same principle applies to the choices...
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Episode 30
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7:26
Start Small and Iterate Fast - Risk Worthy Insights with Laurie Chen
In episode 29 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy. — bold outcomes are rarely built through reckless leaps. Using startup failure data as the backdrop, Laurie breaks down why fo...
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Episode 29
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9:54
Why Numbers Matter - Risk Worthy Insights with Laurie Chen
In episode 28 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy. — Why Numbers Matter — numbers don’t drive the decision—but they absolutely protect it. If Risk Worthy is ...
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Episode 28
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6:15
Building a Sellable Asset with Dr. Greg Pursley
In episode 27 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Dr. Greg Pursley, a business coach, author, and CEO, who discusses the pivotal moment that led him to transform his business into a sellable asset and how he now helps entrepreneur...
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Episode 27
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38:46
Real Estate Investing: Insights with Jaben Makings of Onnix Investments
In episode 26 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Jaben Makings, the founder of Onnix Investments, as he shares his journey of disrupting the real estate investing world by redefining how agents and investors collaborate. Risk Wor...
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Episode 26
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29:52
Navigating Corporate Finance and AI: Insights with Fahim Talukdar
In episode 25 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Fahim Talukdar, VP of Finance at Praetorian, as he shares his unique career journey, starting from commercial and personal banking to his current role in a cutting-edge cybersecuri...
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Episode 25
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38:33
Best Possible Future - Risk Worthy Insights with Laurie Chen
In episode 24 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy. — In this episode, Laurie breaks down one of the core ideas from Risk Worthy: your Best Possible Future — and ...
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6:51
The Power of Mindset and Strategy: Scaling an E-Commerce Brand with Sean Travis
In episode 23 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Sean Travis, a former firefighter-paramedic turned entrepreneur and founder of Ecom for Heroes, based in Hermosa Beach, California, as he discusses the challenges he faced, includi...
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Episode 23
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50:59
Building Trust and Community: The Secrets Behind Let Kelly's Success with Kelly Jedele
In episode 22 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Kelly Jedele, the owner of a multi-million dollar residential cleaning company based in Austin, Texas, as she discusses her company's growth, her financial A-team, the importance o...
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Episode 22
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38:25
Unlock High-Performance in Business and Life with Fraser Bayley
In episode 21 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Fraser Bayley, the founder of Elite Nutrition, as he shares his incredible journey from struggling with mental health issues to becoming a sought-after performance strategist...
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Episode 21
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55:14
Two Fractional CFOs Chat: How Purpose Drives Fractional CFOs with Jim Emerich
In episode 20 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Jim Emerich, Founder of Backbone CFO, as he reflects on the invaluable lessons learned while helping others build their enterprises and emphasizes the importance of taking risks to...
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Episode 20
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35:09
Scaling Smarter: The Future of Accounting with Joe Dunaway
In episode 19 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Joseph Dunaway, Founder of VICI Financial, as he discusses how technology and AI are transforming the accounting landscape, allowing for more personalized and efficient services.
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Episode 19
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42:38
Risk Worthy: Fail Fast with Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA
In episode 18 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy. — This episode shares a never-before-read excerpt on why “Fail Fast” is essential to growth. Laurie reframes failure as delibe...
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5:10
Risk Worthy: Minimizing Risk and Regret with Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA
In episode 17 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy. She discusses risk, regret minimization, and decisions that compound—covering practical risk tolerance (why many successful fo...
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6:25
Risk Worthy: Defining Your Best Possible Future as a Founder with Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA
In episode 16 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy. She explains how to define your best possible future, focus on meaningful returns—not just quantitative returns—and take...
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Episode 16
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8:56
Faith, Finance, and Fitness with Nnamdi Oparanozie
In episode 15 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Nnamdi Oparanozie, a strategic CFO and purpose-driven entrepreneur, who shares how he integrates faith, fitness, and finance into both business and life, and why serving others is ...
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Episode 15
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28:33
Where Finance Meets Operations with Kelsey Daingerfield
In episode 14 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Kelsey Daingerfield, a Powerhouse in Operations and a Fractional COO, as she shares her journey across industries—from aerospace to higher education—and how she discovered her pass...
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Episode 14
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40:02
Risk Worthy in Health and Finance with Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA
In episode 13 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares insights from her upcoming book, "Risk Worthy", emphasizing the importance of making choices that align with the best version of oneself and prioritizing qualitative returns o...
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Episode 13
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7:35
Introducing Risk Worthy: A New Framework for Decision Making with Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA
In episode 12 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares insights from her upcoming book, "Risk Worthy", exploring the concept of risk beyond just numbers. Discover how to evaluate risks in your life and business through a new framework that...
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Episode 12
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5:09
Maximizing Wealth: How to Use Taxes as a Financial Weapon with Tony Hoong, CPA
In episode 11 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen welcomes tax strategist Tony Hoong, the Founder and CEO of The CPA Dude, as he shares insights into the biggest misconceptions about taxes, emphasizing that they don’t have to be a dreaded ob...
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Episode 11
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37:14
Risk Worthy: A Sneak Peek into Laurie Chen's Upcoming Book
In episode 10 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares exciting updates about her journey, including her upcoming book titled "Risk Worthy," set to be published in 2026. Laurie dives into the complexities of decision-making in lif...
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Episode 10
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3:17
Financial Strategies from Samuel Crane on Balancing Growth and Profit
In episode 9 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Samuel Crane, President & CEO at Desert Rivers Credit Union, and Franchise Owner of Cinch I.T., as he highlights the importance of financial planning, the less...
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Episode 9
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36:18
Two Fractional CFOs Chat: The Balance between Maximizing Value and Minimizing Taxes with Byron Wolfe
In episode 8 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Byron Wolfe, a Certified Public Accountant and Founder of The CFO-AF, as he shares his insights on the importance of combining tax strategy with Fractional CFO ser...
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Episode 8
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33:56