Problem Solvers

How can a company survive a crisis so big, its very future is in doubt? Draft Kings knows the answer. It was a startup on the rise, making millions by allowing fans of fantasy sports to bet online -- but in 2015, a huge lawsuit and skeptical legislators created havoc. In this episode, CEO Jason Robins speaks frankly about how he navigated the years-long storm, stayed focused, and survived, and is...

What happens when customers don’t share your vision? It can be an emotional blow. Here you poured your heart into a product, only to find that customers want something different. Shira Berk faced this problem with her gluten-free cookie company, Goodie Girl Cookies. Taste tests were positive but sales were stagnant, and Burke realized it was because her personal branding touches were confusing con...

How do you turn a great idea into a great business? It’s an infinitely complex question. You have to build an infrastructure around that idea -- one that amplifies it and makes it compelling enough for someone to pay for. On this episode, we learn how Brian Kelly did just that. He turned a grueling side hustle into The Points Guy, which is now arguably the most well-recognized and influential site...

How can you scale yourself? It’s something every successful entrepreneur needs to figure out. At some point, your company will become so big that you can’t be in the weeds the way you once were. If you try, you’ll create a bottleneck and harm your company. So, what’s the solution? This week we learn how Adam Tischauer, founder of a company that hosts sleepaway camps for adults called Camp No Couns...

What’s it like when your company goes viral? Take it from Kristen Tomlan, the founder and CEO of a viral cookie dough company called Do ("Dough") "It's terrifying." And exhausting. And it exacerbated every weakness in her business, including staffing, supply and production. We learn how she fixed it, and harnessed the kind of huge opportunity that may have sunk others.

You did your homework. You lined up the right investors. You hired the right talent, created a product that everyone in your industry thought was just going to totally wow people and then you launch... and realize you severely miscalculated. It happens to a lot of businesses, and it happened to Scott Ruddman of GLORY Sports International. In this episode, we explore how he tore down his old plans...

Jaron Gilinsky created Storyhunter, a platform that connects media companies and brands to freelance video producers and journalists in 180 countries. But to succeed, he had to overcome two major problems: First, his original business model was failing him. And then, once he created a great way to connect those media companies and video producers, he had to become so invaluable that they wouldn't...