4 Examples of Risks Leading to Reward Meet the mavericks whose eccentric ideas paid off big.
By David Port
This story appears in the March 2015 issue of Start Up.
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Ryan Carson had spent enough time working for "the man" to know that as an employer, he didn't want to become the man: the soul-crushing boss employees love to hate. So in launching his Portland, Ore.-based online coding school Treehouse in 2010, he decided to try something different: a four-day, 32-hour workweek.
The reaction from the MBA types who had Carson's ear was a chorus of "You're nuts!"
But Carson's approach, as unconventional as it may have seemed, had a near-immediate positive impact on his company's recruiting efforts. He felt vindicated—and inspired to stay the course.
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