After finishing high school, Ernst took evening courses at a business college.
[6] In 1900, he and his older brother, Theodore, began working as bookkeepers[6] at The Audit Co. in Cleveland.
"[8] He is credited with pioneering the concept of using financial accounting data to inform business decisions, as well as with creating management consulting.
[9] Aggressive and ambitious, Ernst had already opened offices in Chicago by 1908 and in New York City by 1909.
[2] Ernst owned and bred thoroughbred racehorses, primarily those that ran in sprint races.