The Growth Show

What if everything around you was connected? That is our future, and Linden Tibbets, CEO of IFTTT, is at the center of it. IFTTT users have complete creative control over how they connect apps and products -- and the possibilities are endless. In this episode, Linden shares his predictions on the future of connectivity and the possible implications for humanity.

Jon Westenberg is arguably one of the top writers on Medium. He has over 50 thousand followers, and his content receives over 300 thousand views in a month. By any measure, Jon is incredibly successful - but he’s also taken his fair share of knocks. In this episode, Jon talks about some of the secrets to his success on Medium - and how a few important failures shaped who he is today.

Imagine starting a company with your significant other. Does that sound like a dream...or a nightmare? For married couple Anna and Nathan Bond, it seemed only natural to start a business together. Years ago, they began Rifle Paper Co., a stationery company, out of their garage. In this episode, Anna and Nathan share the real implications of having your business partner and romantic partner be the...

Over 3 million educated women in the U.S. are looking to re-enter the workforce after taking a career break - yet only 40% secure full-time jobs, according to the Center for Talent Innovation. That’s where Jennifer Gefsky, founder of Après, comes in. In this episode, Jennifer shares advice on how to prepare for a career break, what to do during the gap to ensure an easy transition back, and what b...

Suhail Doshi, the founder of Mixpanel, is not afraid to question the way things are done. It all started in 2009. Suhail challenged the “golden metric” of website success and opened the door to more detailed analytics. Today, Mixpanel has nearly 4,000 customers at companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Venmo. In this episode, Suhail shares how he managed to grow his company during a recession using his...

On paper, the hiring process appears fairly straightforward: read applications, interview, hire top talent, and then rinse and repeat … right? Well, not exactly. The thing is, the conventional hiring process is broken -- and Jon Bischke, CEO of Entelo, has made it his mission to mend it. In this episode, Jon schools us on the top mistakes managers make in the hiring process and the tactics you can...

Are computers replacing humans? In short: not yet. That’s what Ryan Block, co-founder of Begin, believes, anyway - and he knows a thing or two about bots. In fact, his team is building one of their own, one that helps you stay on top of everything you've got going on. Ryan knows better than most what the bot timeline means for humans, and despite huge tech advancements, he’s largely skeptical. In...

People pay for convenience. In fact, the Journal of Economic Perspectives found that consumers are willing to pay 20% more for a product purchased at a convenience store. Kevin Gibbon, the founder of Shyp, experienced this firsthand during his college years as an eBay PowerSeller. During that time, there was one major inhibitor on his business’ scale: the shipping process. Kevin decided to take ma...

Victoria Ransom has never been afraid of doing things a little differently than her peers. By never shying away from the risks associated with making big changes, Victoria has reaped the rewards - one of them being an acquisition by Google for a reported $450 million. In this episode, Victoria tells us about the risks and rewards of being acquired by Google and the power of taking a break to unloc...

Meet Frank Warren, the person who likely keeps the most secrets in the world. Twelve years ago, Frank asked people to anonymously send their secrets to him on a pre-stamped postcard. More than a decade later, his social experiment turned into one of the most-visited ad-free blogs in the world. In this episode, Frank shares why vulnerability was the key to PostSecret’s growth, and how it can be use...

charity: water’s founder, Scott Harrison, spent 10 years as a club promoter before starting his nonprofit. A decade later, he’s managed to help over 6 million people get access to clean water. How did he rapidly grow charity: water with no experience in the nonprofit sector? He attributes his success to an often-undervalued quality: being naive. In this episode, Scott explains the perspective he’s...

Bill Walton’s life is one of extremes. Back in the 80s, he was a talented player on the Celtics. He's also experienced some deeply difficult situations with his health. At one point, he didn’t think he’d be able to walk again. To navigate these ups and downs, he’s leaned on lessons from three of the most influential leaders of his life: John Wooden, his basketball coach at UCLA; Larry Bird, his te...

As the Chief Creative Officer of GE, Andy Goldberg led the charge in developing new stories on emerging platforms and broadening General Electric's brand reach in the process. One of Andy's recent efforts was launching a podcast called "The Message." In the few weeks after launch, it shot up to the top of the iTunes charts, beating out hits like "Serial." On today's show, Andy shares advice on how...

Part of being an exceptional leader means setting a solid vision for your team - and getting them on board to execute your vision together. But that is easier said than done. Even if you have a great idea, getting your team to understand and support your vision comes with a host of challenges. Enter communications experts Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez. In their new book, "Illuminate," Nancy and P...

For Michael McNally, working at LEGO was destiny. As a kid, he was a die-hard LEGO fanatic. So when he stumbled on a LEGO job listing as an adult, he knew he had to take a chance and apply. Seventeen years later, he couldn't be happier with his choice. In this episode of The Growth Show, Michael shares stories about what it's been like to work for such an iconic company - and his experiences shapi...

The best managers aren't always quick to provide a solution. Instead, they ask more questions to help guide their employees to a solution on their own. Sounds simple, right? The thing is, this can be very tough to put into action. And in this episode of The Growth Show, that's exactly what our guest helps us do. We're joined by Michael Bungay Stanier, author of "The Coaching Habit," to learn what...

The first rule of branding is to nail down a solid story. But what if your story is extremely complicated and technical? That's the situation Mike Troiano walked into when he become the CMO of Actifio. His solution? Forget the technicalities - instead, pretend you're talking to a 12-year-old about what your company does. Mike also talks with us about some of the challenges he's run into and the sp...

Most people think happiness is a destination. You work hard. You become successful. Then, you're happy. Rinse and repeat for a happy life...right? Not exactly. According to Neil Pasricha, we've got this all backward. In his recently released book, "The Happiness Equation," Neil dives into research about what makes people happy at work and in life. In this episode, Neil joins us to share his findin...

Charles Duhigg, a Pulitzer-winning journalist for The New York Times and author of "The Power of Habit," has spent years trying to figure out what makes some people and teams more productive than others. Last week, Charles released his findings in a book titled "Smarter Faster Better." In this episode, Charles shares some of his findings on how to build a happier and more productive team, career,...

James DiSabatino didn't set out to build one of Boston's biggest food trucks. In fact, he didn't have much of a plan at all. He just knew he wanted to sell grilled cheese, and a food truck was a relatively cheap way to do so. Since then, his food truck, Roxy's Grilled Cheese, has expanded into multiple brick-and-mortar locations. He's building an arcade in partnership with another local joint. He'...

At Patagonia, transparency isn't convenient. "Transparency is telling the good and the bad," says Rick Ridgeway, Patagonia's VP of Environmental Affairs. "It is having the moxie to openly tell our customers and other external stakeholders about the harm that we are doing." But how does transparency work in reality? In this episode of The Growth Show, Rick gives us a true behind-the-scenes view of...

Learning to write is a painful process. Here's how it typically goes: You spend hours crafting something you think will be a good piece. You submit it to someone else who's in charge of giving you feedback. They tear your piece apart. You make changes to your piece based on their suggestions. Rinse and repeat with new pieces until you're a proficient writer. Becoming a better writer isn't easy. No...

Some things in life are easy to turn down. Offered a boiling cup of coffee in the middle of the summer? That's an easy thing to pass on. But some decisions in life aren't so clear-cut. In this episode of The Growth Show, we hear about the most difficult situations three of our past guests (Radical Candor's Author Kim Scott, Wistia's Co-Founder Chris Savage, and Everlane's Founder Michael Preysman)...

When Mike Wilner first set out to build his tech startup, there was a huge elephant in the room: He had no idea how to code. To make matters worse, the company didn’t have a technical founder, either. Not one to let his background hold him back, Mike set out to build his dream company using the skills and resources he already had. The result? Six figures in sales, and enough product-market fit to...

For many, cooking is a chore. After a long day of work, you come home to throw together an easy-yet-healthy-enough meal. After whipping it up and scarfing it down, you're on to the next thing: Family time, unresolved emails, or a quick episode of Netflix before you pass out. ChefSteps wants to change all that. With a vibrant community, a plethora of creative recipes, and most recently, a shiny new...