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Name: Ed Tilley.
Title: President, CEO, co-founder.
Company: Adventure Associates Inc. in El Cerrito. Designs and conducts customized team building and organizational effectiveness workshops, usually with an experiential component - using ropes courses, climbing and sailing.
2000 revenue: $1.4 million.
Number of employees: 8 full-time; 40 seasonal.
Year founded: 1991.
Source of startup capital: Credit cards.
Background: Graduated from San Francisco State with a B.A. in recreational leisure studies; worked at various outdoor companies.
Age: 43.
Residence: Berkeley.
Web site: www.adventureassoc.com.
BIG PICTURE
Reason for starting business: I wanted to work with people, teach them and be in the outdoors quite a bit. I knew I had to be self-employed - it's in my blood. And I knew this business would be financially successful.
Choice of name: We felt like it was a good match because our slogan is "Work is an adventure - be prepared."
Hardest part of the decision: My wife and I started a bicycle tour business, thinking that was the way we wanted to go, but then found out that we wanted to teach more. The hardest part was leaving that business and knowing we'd have a few more hard years. We talked it over for quite a...