Problem Solvers

Danielle Sepsy started developing her secret scone recipe at 13. That recipe built The Hungry Gnome. But to grow, she had to share it with her team, and eventually with the world in her new book, The Scone Queen Bakes. So how do you scale a secret without losing your edge? Danielle figured it out. And this week, she's telling us how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the secret to winning in business isn't competing better? What if it's competing less? That's the idea behind category creation. And this week, Jason is speaking with Kevin Maney, co-author of The Category Creation Formula , to break down exactly how it works. Kevin lays out a simple but powerful formula for creating and owning your category. Drawing on real-world examples ranging from the...

Everyone says to “build your personal brand,” but how do you actually do that on LinkedIn? In this episode, Jason talks with Laura Lorenzetti, Senior Director and Executive Editor at LinkedIn News, about what really works and what doesn’t. They walk through how to create content that sparks conversation and build a repeatable strategy for growing your personal brand. Along the way, they bust some...

Today, Jason is sharing something different and special. His wife, Jennifer Miller, has a new podcast — a true-crime story about mistaken identity, impossible choices, and one man who goes to prison for his twin brother's crime. It's called Blood Will Tell. Here, you'll find the first episode. You can find the rest by subscribing to Blood Will Tell wherever you listen to Problem Solvers. Learn mor...

Melissa Bernstein co-founded Melissa & Doug and built it into a billion-dollar children's toy company. Along the way, she learned a lot about entrepreneurship, which she shares in her new book The Heart of Entrepreneurship. Today, for the first time publicly, she shares the three-part strategy she used to fight back and what happened the moment new ownership stopped following it. Learn more ab...

Every entrepreneur has been told to push through, stay the course, and that grit is everything. But advice like that leaves out that some of the smartest, most successful people in business got there by quitting at exactly the right moment. So how do you know when that moment is? Dr. Anthony Klotz, organizational psychologist and author of Jolted , has spent years studying exactly this question. H...

Kevin Smith went from making art to being the art and learned the hard way that when you become the product, there's no off switch. In this episode, Smith breaks down how he's stayed relevant for 30 years by treating fans like the bosses they actually are. Plus: Jason shares how he once convinced his college to spend their full year's speaker budget just to get Kevin Smith on campus and what happe...

Joey Zwillinger, the founder of Allbirds and Biologica, sat down with Jason to talk about the challenges of finding your ideal customer. Joey's done it both ways. Starting with a product and searching for the right people to buy it, and starting with a problem and building the solution. In this conversation, he breaks down what actually works when you're hunting for product-market fit, and what to...

Nobody likes meetings. But there’s a good reason for that. Organizational behavior expert Dr. Rebecca Hinds, author of the new book Your Best Meeting Ever , explains why most meetings are a massive waste of time and what to do about it. She shares a simple test to determine if a meeting actually deserves to be on your calendar. Plus, Jason also discovers something uncomfortable about his own appro...

For sole proprietors and self-employed professionals, taxes can feel confusing, time-consuming, and easy to get wrong. What counts as a deduction? How do you save money on your taxes? And how do you stay organized when you’re doing everything yourself? In this episode, CPA and tax expert with TurboTax, Lisa Greene-Lewis breaks down how solo business owners can make taxes simpler, smarter, and less...

Gary Vaynerchuk joins Jason to share why he believes traditional social media is fading and where smart businesses should focus next. He explains how to find the audience you’re overlooking, and offers a practical framework for getting your content in front of the right people in 2026. Plus, why one of his agencies is rebranding and what it signals about where marketing is headed. Learn more about...

Moments Lab co-founders and identical twins, Frederic & Philippe Petitpont, realized they were in the wrong role. The CEO became CTO. The CTO became CEO. As a result, the business got stronger. In this episode, they break down how to spot role misalignment and how putting the company first can unlock real scale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re taught that good leaders decide fast. But that belief may be holding you back. Harvard instructor and author of Manage Yourself to Lead Others , Margaret Andrews, explains why effective decisions often take longer and how rushing creates more work later. Together, she and Jason explore the mystic around leadership and decisions. Plus, one easy way to know if your meetings are effective. Lear...

Jersey Mike’s just hit No. 1 on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500,  as it enters a new era of ownership and leadership. New CEO Charlie Morrison explains how the brand plans to grow without breaking what already works. Plus, he reveals whether Danny DeVito is really going to lose his job to Eli Manning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brand historian Jason Liebig explains how nostalgia works as a strategic tool, not just a retro look. He breaks down why familiar emotions build trust faster and how brands use nostalgia without copying the past. Plus, practical ways founders can apply it through design, storytelling, and customer experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listener Melissa calls the Help Line today because she's experiencing some analysis paralysis (haven't we all). Jason gives her a formula to help her determine which parts of her work she should change; plus, he shares how to failure-proof her pivot by making it into an experiment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, you can start a million-dollar business in a weekend. Noah Kagan, founder of AppSumo and author of the book "Million Dollar Weekend", shares how the foundations of a great business come together quickly, and why it's worth moving fast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Building brand awareness doesn’t have to cost big bucks. It can be as simple as leveraging your relationships in the community. The founders of Cold Blooded and Bizarre share how they built a beloved local brand by showing up everywhere their community already gathers, and turning simple touchpoints into constant reminders. Plus a two headed snake! This episode is brought to you by CLA. With you o...

You’ve seen Robert Herjavec make deals on Shark Tank , but do you actually know how he thinks? In this candid conversation, Robert breaks down the real questions investors should ask, and the common mistakes founders keep making. He also warns about the wrong lesson some people take from Shark Tank . And yes, if he still thinks about passing on Scrub Daddy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

When Lew Frankfort joined Coach in 1979, he knew nothing about fashion but he understood people. That skill became the foundation of his leadership and the reason he transformed Coach from a small, overlooked accessories brand into a global powerhouse. In this episode, Lew shares the interview strategy he’s refined over decades and written up in his new book Bag Man . He breaks down the questions...

Feeling stuck? Uninspired? Unsure how to find the right answer to the problem you're trying to solve? Scott Anthony can get you unstuck. He teaches strategy at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmout, and is the author of the book  Epic Disruptions . He walks us through simple, science-backed strategies to reboot your creativity, the psychology behind peak performance, and why the worst way to sol...

What makes an idea truly worthy of your time? Nir Zicherman, co-founder of Anchor and former Head of Audiobooks at Spotify, thought he’d left the startup world behind. But he kept wondering if he could help people learn in a better way. And oboe.com was born. In this conversation, Nir and Jason explore how to know when you’ve found something that’s more than a project. It’s your next calling. Lear...

When Jared Foster of Times Ticking bought a small watch shop, he realized one question was killing sales. So he replaced it with a simple, repeatable strategy that made customers feel welcome and ready to buy. That shift helped Times Ticking land on Entrepreneur’s list of America’s Favorite Mom & Pop Shops and turn quick repairs into big sales. This episode is brought to you by CLA. With you o...

 Executive coach Muriel Wilkins joins the show to unpack one of the biggest growth blockers in business. The leader who needs to be involved in everything. Drawing from her new book Leadership Unblocked , she breaks down how that urge forms, why it destroys trust and agency inside organizations, and how to recalibrate your time toward the work that actually drives results. Learn more about your ad...

NBA stars don’t open up easily, but Taylor Rooks makes it look effortless. The lead host of Amazon’s NBA on Prime joins the show to share how she earns trust fast, even from the most guarded people in the room. It’s not just about asking questions. Whether you’re interviewing the team or leading it, trust is the foundation of every successful relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...