Problem Solvers

Money isn't the only definition of wealth. So is time. That's one of the central ideas in Sahil Bloom's new book "The 5 Types of Wealth" — and on this episode, he explains how to become wealthy in time. He offers strategic ways to reallocate your time, how to prioritize what matters, and how to stop feeling like you never have enough of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...

Founders accidentally create a lot of confusion — because we talk too much! We pitch too many products, tell a too-complex story, and don't often get to the point fast enough. Today, business coach Steve Sims teaches you how to be brief and powerful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant reflects on his first year as the boss, and talks about how to build an incredible brand. It comes down this formula, he says: math + magic. We spoke because Taco Bell is #1 on the 2025 Entrepreneur magazine Franchise 500, which is out now at entrepreneur.com/franchise500 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This will sound crazy: When you only focus on your core skillset, your growth slows. Instead, you need to add what Jonathan Goodman calls "leapfrog skills" — a list of five other skills (including writing and human psychology) that will accelerate your growth. Goodman is a hugely successful serial entrepreneur and author of the new book The Obvious Choice. In this episode, he explains how to find...

Why do great companies make bad products? The answer is confirmation bias, and a lack of true connection with your customer. Phyl Terry is a pioneer in the field of consumer experience, and shares an important methodology — which helped Facebook in its earliest days! Today, Phyl also helps people who are searching for jobs through the program Never Search Alone. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

Should you curse at work? There isn't much cursing on Problem Solvers, but over on Jason's other podcast Help Wanted, it happens a little more often... and a listener complained! Today, Jason and his Help Wanted cohost discuss when it's appropriate for professionals to curse — and how how to calibrate the trade-off between raw personality and professionalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

Morgan is engaged to Jack. Jack didn't include Morgan in a business deal, but she feels *strongly* that he should have. Now she's mad. What should they do? In this episode from Jason's other podcast, called Help Wanted, Jason and his cohost Nicole Lapin help this couple through a rocky moment — and talk about what happens when finances get personal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

With a new presidential administration, entrepreneurs are expecting a lot of tax changes — but what are they? And how can they prepare? In this episode, hear from two professionals at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP), a top-10 U.S. accounting and professional services firm. They share the biggest questions that entrepreneurs are asking, and their guidance for how to prepare for big changes now.  This...

When something's wrong, we often make a mistake: We try to treat the symptom of the problem without understanding what the REAL problem is. Today I offer a helpful problem-solving framework. You'll learn to diagnose your problems, identify the right "one-word problem," and then come up with a solution that actually works. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Musicians are the overlooked influencers. That's what Jesse Kirshbaum of Nue Agency says. He creates partnerships between the largest brands and musicians, and says that all entrepreneurs, of any size, should consider working with musicians too. They're cultural influencers full of authenticity, have loyal followings, and aren't getting the kind of brand deals that traditional "influencers" do. So...

Codie Sanchez started by buying a little laundromat. Now she has a portfolio of small local businesses that drive tens of millions in annual revenue, and developed a playbook for anyone looking to buy small businesses and build serious wealth. Her new book is called Main Street Millionaire, and in this episode, she explains how and why small biz is such a great buying opportunity. Learn more about...

Notion is changing the way people communicate and collaborate. Cofounder and CEO Ivan Zhao has an unusual philosophy about how to do it — which anyone can follow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Catherine Connelly cofounded one of the first social media platforms, and was early in the online dating space. And over time, she learned how to do a very hard thing: She killed features that she loved, and that customers loved, because they no longer served the company. How and when do you do that? She discusses. Read Catherine's new book, Designing Success: Lessons from 20 Years as a Female Tec...

Carla Ondrasik hates the word "try." She says it's holding you back from taking action achieving your goals. On today's episode, Carla will give you a better way to approach big and scary tasks: No more trying allowed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you grow, while staying true to what made you successful in the first place? It's something that Chip & Joanna Gaines (Fixer Upper, Magnolia) think a lot about. In this episode, a candid conversation with them about growth, challenges, and what should always remain the same. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I bombed on stage. It was terrible and embarrassing. Then I learned something very important about how to recover, and it's a lesson I'll use for the rest of my life. Here it is. It'll make you feel better the next time something goes wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Work is changing. People don't feel job security they way they did before. So how do you motivate teams that are operating scared? Mithu Storoni has a unique answer. She's a physician, neuroscience researcher and ophthalmic surgeon who advises multinational corporations on mental performance and stress management (and author of the new book Hyperefficient). On this episode, she explains what reall...

Want to build incredible products? Listen closely to your customers, and (importantly!) have a system to turn those insights into action. In this episode, I speak with Mary Beth Westmoreland, VP of Selling Partner Experience at Amazon, about how this happens on her global selling partner experience team. Her team's products impact millions of businesses, so the stakes are high — and she's incredib...

We had an idea: What if we took a talented but financially struggling artist, and paired them with a coach who helps artists build businesses? The result was magic! Today, you'll hear art-business coach Carolyn Edlund work with photographer Matthew Cortellesi. At the start, Matthew was selling occasional photos but had no idea how to create a real business. By the end, he had a new website and an...

Pasta is a crowded space, so how did Amazon help Madalina Defta and Arash Hashemi, the husband-and-wife duo behind Kaizen Food Company, transform their vision into a thriving brand without relying on traditional marketing? In this episode, they explain how they did it: They leveraged engaging content to build a loyal clientele, refined their product that speaks to an underserved customer base, and...

Erin Wade hated her job. So she created a mac & cheese restaurant called Homeroom, then rethought how every other employee should be treated. In this episode, she explains how she rethough discipline, incentives, and the working environment, and built a place that people actually want to work in. Erin's new book about this is called Mac & Cheese Millionaire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Mike Maples Jr. is one fo the pioneers of seed-stage investing, and invested early in the likes of Twitter, Twitch, and Lyft. I asked him to do something a little unusual: give advice to small business owners who, instead of pitching VCs like him, are instead pitching their family and friends. His advice reveals a lot about how investors think, whether they're pros like him or just a mom or pop at...

How do you see the opportunity that others don't? That's what we discuss with Kuo Zhang, president of Alibaba.com, who has overseen a massive transformation of the company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Lee cofounded LegalZoom, ShoeDazzle, Honest Company, and now Arena Club, and he believes a lot of conventional business wisdom is backward. Here, he shares the hidden path to founder success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Removery had a problem: It wanted to rapidly expand and become the world's largest tattoo removal company, but it couldn't find enough tattoo removal specialists to hire. So it built a system to create its ideal employees. Here's a lesson for anyone looking to hire the right people. Removery COO Jo Kelton explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices