After selling their first small business and shuttering their second, former college roommates Niraj Shah and Steve Conine thought about getting "normal" jobs. But in the early 2000s, they stumbled across an unexpected trend: people were buying furniture online to get a wider selection. Within a few years, Niraj and Steve launched 250 different websites, sel ... 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
Nov 2020
Nike’s Phil Knight: How to sell without selling
Great branding is about identity – and it’s about matchmaking too. No one knows this better than the legendary co-founder of Nike, Phil Knight. When he and his partner, Hall of Fame track coach Bill Bowerman, started the sneaker company, they never tried to force-feed customers a ... Show More
35m 40s
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
Jul 2018
eBay vs PayPal - Going Once, Going Twice | 1
At the dawn of the dotcom era, a Silicon Valley tech geek on a personal vendetta rolls out the world’s first e-commerce site. Vintage lunchboxes? Second-hand guitars? B-list celebrity autographs? It all finds a home on AuctionWeb, and before long the site’s growth is skyrocketing ... Show More
23m 46s
Jun 2024
You could start a company this weekend, w/Noah Kagan
Entrepreneur Noah Kagan wants everyone to feel empowered to start a business. That’s the core message of his new book, Million Dollar Weekend. He’s founded multiple companies worth at least a million dollars, including AppSumo. That’s his software marketplace worth more than $80 ... Show More
32m 23s
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
May 2019
The Taser CEO gets $246M in stock comp, Beyond Meat surges 163%, and Wayfair drops 7% because you’re expensive
Axon Enterprises is the company behind the taser, and it just awarded its CEO $246M in compensation — So we look in to how it’s set up to incentivize him. Beyond Meat surged 163% on its IPO day. And Wayfair is the biggest online furniture platform whose stock fell 7%, but it’s go ... Show More
14m 53s
Mar 2024
🍨 “The Best Deal in History” — Ben & Jerry’s Unilever deal, undone. MrBeast’s Amazon game show. Nvidia CEO’s wild origin story
Unilever is spinning off its $9B ice cream biz into a separate company, they’re unwinding Ben & Jerry’s 24 years after they acquired it — We’re looking at how Ben & Jerry managed to get rich and stay king.The biggest YouTuber on earth, MrBeast, is partnering with Amazon for the b ... Show More
22m 25s