Sharon

A few years ago, Kip Tindell found himself at a crossroads. Tindell is CEO of The Container Store, the retail company he co-founded in Dallas in 1978. He's worked with his wife, Sharon, the entire time, and many other executives have been there for decades, too. Tindell's ambitions grew over time. He realized The Container Store, which had been operating in big metropolitan areas, could expand into smaller cities. He also wanted to offer more employees stock in the company. But he was conflicted. "There are only a few things you can do to finance that," he says.