In this episode we dig down into the very beginnings of social media, where MySpace was streets ahead of everyone else. And then Rupert Murdoch, the most famous, the most feared and perhaps one if not the most successful media tycoons of the 20th century enters the fray and I don’t know about you, but any business story that has Rupert Murdoch in i…

Dr. Mike Smith hosts "The Greatest Businesses in St. Louis" podcast and YouTube series, where he interviews notable local entrepreneurs. In this episode, he speaks with Brian Pearson Jr., founder of EDUrain Inc., a platform designed to solve student housing challenges. Based on his experience with the difficulties of college housing, Brian explains…

Dr. Mike Smith hosts the podcast and a YouTube series, "The Greatest Businesses in St. Louis." In a recent episode, he interviewed Patrick Ritter from Core Planning, a fee-only financial planning firm with 37 self-employed advisors. Core Planning, founded in 2018 by Guy Penn, offers a unique "farmer's market" model where advisors operate independen…

Welcome to todays episode "Ackman vs. Icahn: The Herbalife Battle That Shook Wall Street"- now shook might be too strong a word- but it definitely gripped Wall Street and the business media as billionaire hedge funders Bill Ackman and Carl Icahn publicly feuded when Ackman took a short position on Herbalife and Icahn took the other side of the bet.…

In the episode we look at how 2 very different, diametrically opposed men came together and built a tiny Canadian wireless company into a huge success, and in doing so transformed the way people did business. And Blackberrys weren’t just transformative, they were loved. The company was just hitting its stride when the rug was pulled from underneath…

To subscribe on Patreon go to: https://www.patreon.com/greatbusinessstories Link to the story on our blog: https://app.podcastpage.io/settings/great-business-stories/blog/edit/sumner-redstones-battles-billion-dollar-deals Redstone, who died in 2020 is one of the most interesting and successful media moguls of the the 20th century - he bought MTV be…

In this interview, we hear from Sharon Crow Chapman, CEO and principal designer of Sharon Chapman Design, founded in 2018. Despite launching just before the pandemic, Sharon's firm has thrived, specializing in transforming spaces through interior design. She discusses her journey from having degrees in advertising and communication to becoming a se…

In this interview, we hear from Ricky Hall from Nutrition HQ, a vitamin supplement retail chain with stores in Quincy, Illinois, Mishawaka, Indiana, and a new one opening soon in Vidalia, Georgia. Ricky shares his business journey, emphasizing the importance of surrounding oneself with other entrepreneurs and continuous self-education. He highlight…

In this interview, we hear from Shaun Duvall, founder of the IT staffing company Daivari. He shared insights about his business, emphasizing the importance of consulting, direct hire, and staff augmentation in the IT space. He highlighted the significant changes and challenges faced, especially during COVID-19, and the implementation of the EOS sys…

In this interview, we hear from Mark Mattei, the founder of ME and Media, a video production and marketing company started in 2020 by Mark and his wife. Mark explains that their business creates a wide range of video content for businesses, including YouTube videos, social media reels, website videos, and TV commercials, with a strong emphasis on c…

PayPal: The Greatest Startup Story of All Time This has been one of my favourite stories to cover, because you have such big characters who are now very much sitting at the top of the table business wise - we’re talking Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, David Sacks and many more. And it’s fascinating to recall how these guys started out and nea…

In this interview, we hear from Brett Schnitger, CEO of Stars Design Group. Brett leads a company that designs, develops, and produces apparel through 67 factories in 14 countries. Based in St. Louis, with international offices, Brett shares his entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing the importance of learning from mistakes and informed decision-maki…

In this interview, we hear from Jamie Jay, CEO and founder of Bottleneck Distant Assistance, the world's first dedicated distance assistant company. Jamie explains that Bottleneck provides skilled human assistants for various administrative tasks, especially post-COVID, differentiating it from traditional virtual assistants. In his 18 years in the …

In this interview, we hear from Tyson Neal, who leads the freight brokerage at Flatworld and Solutions. He shared insights about his company and personal career journey. Flatworld, a third-party logistics provider, was founded 18 years ago by Kirk Farrell and Jeff Rothermick. Tyson joined two years after its inception, initially worked there, left …

In this interview, we hear from Marc Metz the owner of Optimus Sales Group - Powered by Sales Xceleration is a company that helps small to medium-sized businesses achieve breakthrough sales growth, discipline, and accountability. He provide great insights on using videos in your communications, a focus on sales daily-work and balancing the demands …

In this interview, digital marketing strategist Jennifer Tamborski discussed founding Virtual Marketing Expert, a company dedicated to helping service providers grow and scale their businesses through profitable digital marketing strategies. Tamborski recounted her 20-year journey from virtual assistant to business owner, attributing her success to…

In this Business Spotlight interview, Lydia Crespo is a young serial entrepreneur with two businesses and a third planned in a few months. She highlights her journey by opening up her first business, Argaman & Defiance, creating 100% silk scarves naturally dyed by hand in our studio. Five years later in 2019, she opened Cozy Shop is a boutique and …

In this interview, Matt Hanlon discussed founding Select Communications Advisors in 2010 and launching All Aboard Tech to provide tech amenities for multifamily housing. He detailed the challenges retail sector clients face and the importance of diversification. Hanlon emphasized building relationships with lead agents for business growth and addre…

In this interview, we hear from Jacob Gerringer, broker of Market Point Realty. He shares his journey and insights. Jacob started as a real estate appraiser in 2000 and later founded Market Point Realty in St. Charles, Missouri, aiming to address gaps he observed in the real estate sector. His company focuses on eliminating transaction surprises, l…

In today's episode, we're digging into the Tyco scandal of the early 2000s, specifically focusing on Tyco's CEO Dennis Kozlowski, who was charged and convicted of stealing $132 million from Tyco to fund a lavish lifestyle. While other Tyco executives were also charged, and there were additional charges that we don't delve into, we do mention them b…

This is the fascinating story of how Jho Low, young Malaysian businessman educated in Harrow formed one of the most notorious and lucrative business partnerships with the Malaysian Prime minister and they syphoned off a jaw dropping $4.5 billion It’s the story of how Jho Low and his friends spent their ill gotten gains by splashing out on parties, …

We dig deep into Ray Kroc and how he and the Mcdonald brothers created the fast food revolution What was Ray Kroc really like? Was he a shyster, a lucky salesman or true visionary? Is he really a villain as the movie made him out to be-And crucially, did Ray Kroc renege on an agreement to pay the McdOnalds brothers commission on all sales going for…

This is the fascinating story of Ivar Kreuger, the most famous Swedish person and probably the most successful business person you’ve never heard of. In his prime during the roaring twenties Ivar built up a fortune worth $100 billion in today’s money He invented many of the financial instruments that are still being used to this day- the stocks and…

The book "Barbarians at the Gate" is probably the best business story ever told. It’s a riveting account of the leveraged buyout of the tobacco and food giant RJR Nabisco in the late 1980s, The story gives a great insight into what exactly leveraged buyouts are. We learn how Henry Kravis and his cousin George Roberts formed the legendary LBO firm K…

This was one of the biggest business scandals of the 1980’s when British Airways financed a dirty tricks campaign in an attempt to publicly blacken Richard Bransons name and put his fledgling airline out of business We find out why Richard Branson got into the airline business? How he managed to get under the skin of British Airways We discuss why …

New Coke- probably the worst product launch in the history of business. This is the story of how, in 1985, Coke’s superstar CEO, the man who could do no wrong, decided to replace the 100 year old coke formula with a new sweeter tasting coke. Who was this CEO and what were the reasons that led to this decision? Why was there such an intense backlash…

A great business story thoroughly researched and brought to life by Caemin & Keith in each hour-long episode, released on the 1st of every month由Great Business Stories