At age 40, Bobby Trussell's promising career in horse racing hit a dead end. With bills to pay and a family to support, he stumbled across a curious product that turned into a lifeline: squishy-squashy memory foam. He jumped at the chance to distribute Swedish memory foam pillows and mattresses to Americans. Tempur-Pedic USA began by selling to chiropractors ... Show More
Oct 6
Pressbox and Tide Cleaners: Vijen Patel. The $1.99 Gamble That Built a National Brand
What if the best startup isn’t sexy at all? In 2013, Vijen Patel left private equity to pursue “the least-worst idea”: dry cleaning. No patents. No app wizardry. Just laundry lockers in high-rises, ruthless unit economics, and a $1.99-a-shirt price that was seared into America’s ... Show More
1h 6m
Oct 2
Advice Line with Tony Xu of Doordash
Tony Xu, founder of DoorDash, joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, Tony updates Guy on his latest ventures: expanding into grocery and retail delivery - and taking on international markets.First, we hear from Ron in Portland ... Show More
49m 13s
May 2021
Sponsored: Small Business Stories | Columbia Sportswear | 2
This episode is brought to you by Wondery in partnership with Dell Technologies. In honor of small businesses, we're featuring inspiring stories of successful companies that started out small.It’s 1970 and Gert Boyle’s life is in ruins. Her husband’s just died, and now, as a midd ... Show More
31m 23s
Apr 2020
Amazon vs Walmart - The Big Bang Theory of E-Commerce | 1
Ninety-six percent of Americans now shop online, snapping up everything from rare coins to industrial-sized barrels of hand sanitizer. Almost half of those purchases take place on one website: Amazon. But before sales were a click away, Walmart was the top dog, decimating main st ... Show More
23m 28s
Oct 2020
“Facebook thinks it’s a telephone line” — Nio’s 1,000% jump. Sleep Number’s anti-Casper pivot. Twitter/Facebook’s Section 230 moment.
Shares of Nio (the Tesla of China) have subtly surged 1,000% since March because it’s made a lifestyle brand out of a glorified battery. Twitter and Facebook just faced their biggest ever test about whether they’re platforms or publishers. And Sleep Number stock popped because it ... Show More
18m 4s
Oct 2021
Roaring Twenties | The Great Crash | 4
On a misty morning in May 1927, Charles Lindbergh climbed into the cramped cockpit of his single engine plane, The Spirit of St. Louis. After a bumpy taxi and takeoff at a New York runway, he took to the skies, on a flight that would break records and make him a national hero.At ... Show More
39m 16s
Jul 2019
HBO Max (coming this spring), Pepsi’s Bubly obsession, and Virgin Galactic is going public
Pepsi’s earnings report seemed normal, until we noticed its CEO’s passion for the future of its sparkling water strategy. AT&T announced HBO Max with a unique angle attacking Netflix’s awkward Achilles heel. And Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic wants to become the first publicly ... Show More
13m 54s
Feb 2021
Estée Lauder vs L'Oréal | Buying Spree | 5
It’s 1991, and after the financial crash of 1987, Estée Lauder is looking for a new way to continue expanding without sinking millions of dollars and several years into developing a new brand. The answer lies in acquisitions, and they set their sights on two young, hip, buzzworth ... Show More
25m 18s