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Alan Trefler made his fortune through founding Pegasystems, which sells software that helps businesses engage with their customers. So it’s no small bit of irony that when Trefler was trying to help Pegasystems win one of its first big customers, he employed a remarkably low-tech tactic: antique repair.

Trefler said working in his father’s shop, he learned not only how to fix shattered glass but also how to run a company. “One of the things that was always a source of pride for my father and also was for me in the early days in the early days of Pega is that we never missed a payroll. There were people depending on us,” Trefler said. “I think that profound sense of responsibility was inculcated into me and my family at a very early age.”

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