Built by Margin

Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA
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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.

  1. 1D AGO

    From Corporate Leader to Intentional Unicorn with Jennie Lopez

    In episode 34 of Built by Margin, Laurie sits down with Jennie Lopez, Founder and CEO of Intentional Unicorn, to talk about what it really means to bet on yourself, build in alignment, and make decisions rooted in authenticity rather than fear. Jennie shares her journey from a 23-year corporate career spanning chemical engineering, operations, and global talent leadership into entrepreneurship, motivational speaking, and authorship, explaining how intuition, intentionality, and bold risk-taking shaped her path. Together, Laurie and Jennie explore the realities of leaving stability behind, writing a book, scaling a coaching business, using AI as a modern entrepreneur, and defining success on your own terms — all through the lens of growth, impact, and building a life that feels fully aligned. Tune in for an inspiring discussion on how Jennie Lopez built an Intentional Unicorn, from chemical engineer to motivational speaker and founder, and leaving a favorite job to build a business. TIMESTAMPS [00:01:05] Leaving a favorite job to build a business. [00:02:04] Chemical engineer with a dual career. [00:04:42] Memoir exercise inspires Intentional Unicorn. [00:08:13] Authenticity plus intentionality equals impact. [00:09:35] Turning corporate truth into a book. [00:10:32] Writing every Saturday at Starbucks. [00:15:26] Risk of leaving corporate as a Latina. [00:18:23] There is no right or wrong decision. [00:21:04] Proof of concept before going all in. [00:24:31] App idea sparked during hospital wait. [00:30:19] Using Manus for deep research. QUOTES "I wanted to see how I can reach out to more and more people." -Jennie Lopez"Authenticity plus intentionality equals impact." -Jennie Lopez"You just create an ecosystem, a family, a community, a relationship that is so powerful that you want the person to choose to stay with you." -Jennie Lopez SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Jennie Lopez Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intentionalunicorn/  TEDx Talk: The Lie of Fitting In Website: https://www.jennielopez.com/

    40 min

  2. 4D AGO

    Beyond the Book: Audience, IP, and the Author Ecosystem with Jynafer Yanez

    In this episode of Built by Margin, Laurie Chen sits down with Jynafer Yanez to explore what it really takes to turn a book into a business. Jynafer shares how she built Archimedes Books by thinking beyond publishing and focusing on audience ownership, brand development, intellectual property, and long-term ecosystem building. From author platforms to film projects, this conversation highlights how creators can treat storytelling as both an art and a scalable business. They also dive into the role of AI in publishing and entrepreneurship, including where it can create efficiency, where ethics come into play, and why human creativity still matters most. Jynafer offers thoughtful insight on using AI for research, workflows, and business operations without losing the originality that makes great storytelling resonate. The conversation closes with an honest look at founder decision-making, financial visibility, and the risks worth taking when building something bigger than yourself. Whether you are writing a book, building a brand, or scaling a business around your ideas, this episode offers a smart and inspiring perspective on strategy, creativity, and growth. QUOTES “You can really do pretty well when you treat it like a business and not just a passion or a hobby.” - Jyanfer Yanez “We get to own the relationship with the reader.” - Jyanfer Yanez SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Jyanfer Yanez Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ynafer_rose Website: https://hello.archimedesbooks.com/

    33 min

  3. MAR 28

    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 working hard and more about living out of alignment, how entrepreneurs can build trust in themselves while navigating uncertainty, and why some of the biggest life and business decisions require both data and intuition. It’s a grounded conversation for founders and professionals who want to build a business that is not just successful on paper, but fully aligned with who they are becoming.⁠ Tune in and learn how to create lasting progress, build authentic relationships, and grow your business by focusing on what matters most: YOU. TIMESTAMPS [00:00:04] Introducing Laurie Chen and Won Choi [00:01:00] Huang’s corporate career and transition into entrepreneurship [00:02:15] The mentorship that sparked Huang’s transformation [00:03:49] Defining burnout and its impact on leadership [00:05:23] Huang’s coaching programs and methodologies [00:06:12] Leveraging AI tools for efficiency and growth [00:12:46] Top book recommendations for entrepreneurs [00:16:31] Decision-making frameworks—balancing data and intuition [00:19:21] The first 90 days of transformation for coaching clients [00:23:14] Huang’s entrepreneurial mindset and financial journey [00:29:44] Core frameworks: feeling feelings and setting boundaries [00:33:04] Energy management, peak productivity, and closing thoughts QUOTES "When you actually surrender in life and let go of control, then you can build something much bigger than you could have ever dreamt of." – Won Choi"I believe decision-making is 50% knowledge and data, and 50% intuition—your inner knowing." – Won Choi"It's not about the how in terms of how to do taxes—it’s more around an identity shift to become a person that can manage money." – Won Choi SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Won Choi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wondailyshots/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wonwooc/  Won Daily: https://www.wondaily.com/  Decision Clarity Worksheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nU75vhV1mF0A3_7U978-jL-FgtKJdN46/edit

    36 min

  4. MAR 27

    How AI Gives Founders Their Time Back with Andrea Palacio

    In episode 31 of Built by Margin, Laurie Chen sits down with AI strategist and founder Andrea Palacio to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way service-based businesses operate, grow, and make decisions. Andrea shares her entrepreneurial journey from e-commerce and business acquisition to building an AI company born out of operational overwhelm, and explains how founders can use AI not just as a tool for efficiency, but as a strategic advantage. Together, they discuss the rapid evolution from basic automations to agentic AI, the biggest misconceptions business owners still have about implementation, how AI can support smarter decision-making, and why strong financial visibility remains essential alongside innovation. This conversation is a practical and forward-looking look at what it means to lead, adapt, and scale in an AI-driven business landscape. TIMESTAMPS [00:00:04] Welcoming Andrea Palacio & background as a founder [00:01:41] Turning overwhelm into AI-driven solutions [00:04:08] Staying ahead: How Andrea learns and implements rapidly changing technology [00:11:12] The anatomy of Andrea's client engagements & service packaging [00:13:47] Common mistakes and misconceptions business owners make about AI [00:18:13] Decision-making, risk tolerance, and using AI as your strategic advisor [00:22:41] KPIs, financial tracking, and lessons in business management [00:25:16] Tax planning, legal structure, and strategic investments [00:28:25] Using AI for financial dashboards and business growth strategies [00:32:18] The ONE AI action to take today for massive results QUOTES "It's a full-time job to be learning and keeping up with all the changes in AI." – Andrea Palacio"You want to get both angles on things. And then you just analyze it and make your own decision based on what you have in front of you." – Andrea Palacio"At the end of the day, I work with business owners as a fractional CFO and CPA. I always have to think about the numbers and how they affect people." – Laurie Chen Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Andrea Palacio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreapalacio/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreapalacio/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyP_Norvuawar9upnSxUwCQ

    34 min

  5. MAR 23

    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 we make every day—how we spend our time, what we prioritize, the risks we take, and the future we build through repeated action. This episode unpacks why small decisions are rarely small, and how their long-term effect often matters more than the immediate result. Drawing from her upcoming book Risk Worthy, Laurie breaks down the difference between short-term optimization and long-term alignment. She explores the idea of qualitative ROI—the return that comes from making decisions that shape your character, expand your capacity, and move you toward your best possible future, even when the payoff is not immediate or easily measurable. This episode is a reminder that the best decisions are not always the safest or fastest ones, but the ones that compound into the life and business you actually want. Whether you’re a founder, CEO, operator, or someone in a season of meaningful decisions, this episode will challenge you to think beyond isolated moments and start viewing your choices as part of a larger pattern. Because over time, your decisions don’t just affect your future—they create it. QUOTES " Because we live in a world of cause and effect, every decision we make will impact another person, another event, or another outcome. If you want to minimize risk in both life and in business, then you should consider how effectively you are using your time. What are you investing your time in and are those activities moving you towards your best possible future? " - Laurie Chen SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ WEBSITES Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

    7 min

  6. MAR 16

    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 founders, angel investors, and venture capitalists still make asymmetric bets despite long odds and frequent losses. The deeper lesson is that risk becomes worth pursuing not when success is guaranteed, but when the path allows for learning, adjustment, and downside protection along the way. Laurie unpacks the principle of starting small and iterating fast through examples from business and entrepreneurship. Drawing on Eric Ries’ lean startup framework, she highlights the importance of testing hypotheses, measuring results, and knowing when to pivot versus persevere. She also walks through how Amazon began with books before expanding into broader retail, how Facebook scaled from Harvard to the world in stages, and how Chesapeake Bay Candle founder Mei Xu built a $75 million company by validating demand with low-cost experimentation and gradual operational refinement. The episode closes by connecting these lessons to the broader Risk Worthy framework: the best risks are not unmanaged risks, but risks with guardrails. Whether in startups, sports, or personal reinvention, meaningful progress often comes from choosing one measurable signal, defining success criteria early, and creating fast feedback loops that reduce costly mistakes. Laurie challenges listeners to think beyond upside alone and instead build decisions around experimentation, metrics, and disciplined iteration that make long-term success more likely. QUOTES "Choosing one signal you can measure within a short set of time, like 21 days, and defining the success criteria ahead of time, will lead to more effective and efficient experimentation." - Laurie Chen"The world celebrates the headline - the acquisition, the valuation, the championship, the breakout success. But what often gets missed is the structure underneath it: the small test, the early signal, the short feedback loop, the disciplined iteration, and the willingness to adjust before the cost of being wrong becomes too high." - Laurie Chen SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ WEBSITES Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

    10 min

  7. FEB 20

    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 about qualitative ROI, purpose, alignment, and growth, why do numbers still matter? Laurie walks through the four pillars—Best Self, Best Possible Future, Variance Engineering, and Start Small / Iterate Fast—to show where financial discipline, metrics, and constraints belong in values-led decision making. You’ll learn how numbers act as a dashboard (not a dictator): they prevent recklessness, reveal what’s compounding over time, help you cap downside risk, and improve the quality of your experiments when you’re testing a new direction. The episode closes with a simple, practical “10-minute Risk Worthy Numbers Check” you can apply to any decision (career, relationships, business, or health): define your budget (money/time/energy), name an acceptable loss, and choose one metric that signals you’re compounding in the right direction over the next 30 days. QUOTES "Design the systems that make the numbers work for you, and make the measurement of your success consistent and the success of your outcomes more attainable, perhaps even inevitable." - Laurie Chen SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ WEBSITES Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

    6 min

  8. FEB 17

    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 entrepreneurs break through mental barriers to achieve sustainable growth. Tune in for insights on gaining clarity, boosting income, and creating lasting impact in your business.  QUOTES "If you don't have a strategy, then it turns into chaos." - Dr. Greg Pursley"Most people underestimate the potential of growth because they don't base it on data in the market; they base it on what they hope will happen." - Dr. Greg Pursley"Accepting is the part that a lot of people skip." - Dr. Greg Pursley SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Laurie Chen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/ Dr. Greg Pursley Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgregpursley/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drgregpursley1/  WEBSITES Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/ Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/ Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

    39 min
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Built by Margin
  • Show Website
    Built by Margin