#109: How She Bootstrapped a $1.2 BILLION Business (Liz Elting, TransPerfect)
Manage episode 476033289 series 3260620
Meet Liz Elting, founder of TransPerfect—the largest language solutions company in the world, built with zero outside funding. Liz didn’t just build a billion-dollar business. She did it without venture capital, scaling her company from a cockroach-filled NYU dorm room to $1.2B+ in annual revenue, 600+ salespeople, and operations in 140+ global markets.
In this episode, Liz breaks down the exact playbook that helped her dominate a category most people overlooked. From sales systems to team incentives to the $50M mistake every founder needs to avoid—this episode is a must for any entrepreneur who wants to scale smarter (without selling out).
💡 Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
How to Land Your First Big Client Without Funding: Why Liz made 300+ cold calls a day and how one 3-page job turned into a million-dollar client.
How to Build a Sales Machine from Scratch: Her exact framework for scaling to 600+ reps and making sales a daily habit—not a hustle.
How to Create Commission Plans That Scale: Why Liz paid 10% uncapped, lifetime commissions and how that loyalty helped scale revenue beyond $1B.
How to Expand Without Burning Out: The revenue-first approach she used to open in 140+ markets—without chasing hype or raising capital.
How to Avoid a $50M Mistake: What happened when she skipped a $5K legal agreement and how to protect yourself from day one with a founder agreement.
Whether you're just starting out or scaling globally, Liz’s no-fluff growth playbook is packed with actionable strategies to help you build a revenue-first business that lasts.
📄 Want the full breakdown + step-by-step action plan? Subscribe to our Growth Playbooks for weekly, founder-tested frameworks to scale your business without the burnout.
👉 Join here: shegetsshitdone.com/join
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