Karen Richardson, CEO of E.piphany, talks briefly about her family background, and the attitude any entrepreneur should adopt.
Course
E.piphany: Public vs. Private Companies
11 Lectures
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Richardson provides a short description of E.piphany's background and business model.
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Richardson describes the mood in Silicon Valley during the 1990's when companies were hurrying to grow and go public.
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An entrepreneur with a successful venture may be faced with the choice of keeping the company private or moving ahead with an IPO. Richardson talks about the preliminary stage in that particular decision making process.
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Richardson talks about how asking if you are a private or public person may help in determining the path your company should take. She outlines pros and cons for both options.
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Richardson talks about how a major factor when deciding whether or not to go public is the cost. Sarbanes-Oxley has affected the cost for public companies significantly.
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Richardson explains the rigorous reporting expectations created by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and their effect on a company.
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Richardson reviews the pros and cons of going public versus staying private. She gives an example of a successful private company, as well as a few well-known public companies.
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Richardson talks about how prior to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, unethical behavior in companies was considered standard practice. She explains ways in which to stop those practices and maintain a level of ethics within a company.
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Richardson discusses what it is like to be one of only a handful of female top execs of large companies in the U.S.
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At various points in her career, Richardson has been part of companies that have failed. She talks about the lessons she learned from those failures and how they have shaped her career.