I was a young mother of five working part-time for a small madeleine bakery, Donsuemor. When the owner of the firm died I stepped in to run the company. I immediately set up a new management structure, introduced new accounting software, created the brand, introduced a new pricing structure, and negotiated a price increase with the world’s largest coffee company.Donsuemor immediately became profitable, growing organically to $10 million in revenue. We squeezed every bit of efficiency from our facility until it was out of space and capacity, then looked to expand. Avoiding nearly all debt, I located a proposed manufacturing development nearby (to retain employees and know-how), found an investor to purchase the new building, negotiated a lease, designed a state-of-the-art food-safe facility, completed construction on-time and on-budget, and moved production with no disruption to customers. To enable the next stage of growth I recruited an executive team, expanded our brand and marketing, and added new product-development capabilities to gain more high-volume customers. When the recession of 2008 hit, Donsuemor created new product for the local region of Costco. Sales far exceeded competition and our product became a staple in key Costco regions. By developing a new business model, production capabilities, and product, Donsuemor weathered the downturn, expanded rapidly, and once again was on profitable footing with no debt.Donsuemor was running 24/6 and approaching 200 employees when its owner decided to sell. I interviewed and selected an investment banking firm and began searching for a buyer. Working closely with the firm, I demonstrated Donsuemor’s value to potential purchasers. In 2016 Donsuemor was sold to St. Michel, a large French company, based on a multiple of forecasted EBITDA. The owner was thrilled at the sale price and the purchasing company was thrilled when our team beat sales and profitability forecasts following the company’s purchase.