Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff, professors at Harvard Business School, spell out an overlooked career path: buying a business and running it as CEO. SARAH GREEN CARMICHAEL: Pipe threading businesses, porta potty businesses– why do you think this profitable work-life balance, relatively friendly way of working does not get more attention from the business press? When they buy these businesses, what we observe is that, if they’re buying the kind of enduringly profitable small firm Rick and I describe, it’s very hard to find anyone who has gone out of business or failed because these companies are so resilient, although some of them, of course, will face a downturn like marching through a big recession.