Founders : High Growth

“Brandon and I started cutting lawns together in high school,” Durrant says. “We turned a tiny lawncare company into a multi-million-dollar business.” What gives the Wixom-based startup an edge is its participation in the 500 Startups accelerator program in Silicon Valley.

Questions with Skye Durrant discusses his aspirations to make LawnGuru the Uber of landscaping and snowplowing

"It's super important to go as fast as possible when you know you’re facing the right direction," says Jeff Epstein, founder & CEO of Ambassador. "However, going really fast in the wrong direction can kill you."

Questions with Ambassador kicks growth into hyperdrive with VC round

Dwight Carlson knows what it's like to be on top of the world one day and have the weight of the world crushing you the next. Now he and his startup, Coherix, are back on top as they make the most of a crisis.

Questions with Coherix goes from surviving to thriving after Great Recession

Jen Baird doesn't count on miracles to survive in the business world, but she doesn't turn them down either.

Questions with Jen Baird on finding a way to fund breakthrough technology

There is a glut of startup accelerators out there, but the guys behind the property management startup Castle got into the most prestigious one around, Y Combinator. The Detroit-based startup's team tells how it shot the moon and got in.

Questions with Castle explains how it got into Y Combinator

"Right now we're adding 1,000 restaurants per month," says Travis O Johnson, co-founder & CEO of foodjunky. "A year from now we hope to be in 20,000 restaurants."

Questions with Automation equals gazelle growth for Detroit's foodjunky

"We were six employees and then 20," says Jesse Cory, CEO of 1xRUN. "We needed to figure out how to make that work and create different departments."

Questions with 1xRUN team building turns startup into second-stage star

"Make sure the production side of things is something you have a passion for," Ellis-Brown says. "It's not easy. It's one of the hardest things I have ever done."

Questions with Ellis Infinity Beverage Co figures out the recipe for finding the first home away from home

"We're in great shape for future expansion," Rieth says. "We want to have a capacity of 150,000 barrels and this gives us that. We want to continue growing in Detroit because the city is an important part of what we’re about."

Questions with No place like home for Atwater Brewery

"We can't hire on experience because we have a limited budget," says Jason Raznick, CEO of Benzinga. "We're trying to create something from nothing."

Questions with Hiring helps propel Benzinga from startup to financial media staple

IDashboards grew an average of nearly 20 percent over each of the last four years. It now has a marketing budget of more than $2 million today, which isn't bad for a boot-strapped firm that built itself up to make a significant-yet-strategic gamble.

"That's the difference between a boot-strapped firm and venture-funded firm," says Shadan Malik, president & CEO of iDashboards. "Venture-funded firms have millions to spend right away."

Questions with Marketing investment moves growth needle for iDashboards

"This year we're going to have even bigger growth because we added some key people," says Joe McClure, co-owner of McClure's Pickles.

Questions with New hires turn into key ingredients for growth spurt at McClure's Pickles

"We haven't spent most of the cash we have taken from investors," says Dug Song, CEO of Duo Security.

Questions with Duo Security accumulates millions in investor cash in quest for constant improvement

"We discovered what the customers wanted was different," says Rosemary Bayer, chief inspiration officer for ardentCause. "We had to change who we thought our customer was and adapt our products to it."

Questions with Flower child capitalists turn low profit company into gazelle startup, ardentCause

"It started off with a clunky, iPod-like prototype," Olson says. "Then we realized we can fit all of that technology into a card."

Questions with Technology breakthrough sets stage for growth at Stratos