Session 2
How a Business Actually Works.
The mechanics. Money in, money out. What makes a business sustainable.
- Date
- Tuesday, June 9, 2026
- Time
- 12:00 – 2:00 PM
- Where
- Alloy, midtown Atlanta
⭐ Special guest: Raj, CEO of Alloy
Pre-work
Before you come, do these.
Spread it out over the week. The goal isn't to memorize numbers, it's to walk in understanding how a business actually keeps the lights on — and to come ready to interview Raj. You'll have time with him, so use your prep to build questions that go deeper than the obvious.
Read
Read
- →Begin reading The Great Team TurnaroundThe book you got at Session 1. You don't have to finish anything for today — just get started. The first half is due by Session 3 on June 18, so use these two weeks. What you read will make today's conversation land harder.
- →The Great Game of Business — a short introA short intro to The Great Game of Business (open-book management): the idea that in a healthy company everyone understands how the money works, not just the owners. Start at the 'How It Works' section of the page. About 10 minutes.
- →Get to know Alloy and RajRaj is the CEO of Alloy, the space where we're meeting. Before you sit down with him, spend a few minutes thinking about what you actually want to learn. You can ask about his story (how he ended up leading Alloy), the business itself (what Alloy does, how it makes money, how it grew), or the bigger picture (what's hard about being a CEO, what he'd do differently, what he's learned about building something). Good interview prep isn't reading a bio — it's knowing what you're curious about.Alloy — alloycrew.comOpen →
Watch
How a business actually makes money
About 10 minutes. Revenue vs. costs vs. profit. When a business sells something for $100, that $100 is not profit. Come understanding the difference.
Listen
Pick one (optional)
Pick one How I Built This episode you haven't heard, and this time pay attention to the money: when did the business start making money, what almost sank it, what did scaling cost?
Bring
Questions.
At least 2 questions, written down. Make at least one of them about business mechanics: how money moves through Alloy, how Raj decides what to spend on, what 'sustainable' actually means.
Then write at least one question that's about him: his path to becoming CEO, the hardest decision he's made, what he wishes he'd known at your age, why he does this work. The best interviews mix the business with the person.
Reflect on this
"Think of a business you love. How do you think it actually makes money? Where does the money come from, and where does it go?"
You don't need an answer. Just let it rattle around.