The Growth Show

Turf Wars, Tree Men & Murder: Inside the world of Christmas tree selling in NYC

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Christmas trees are big business in NYC. Running a tree lot takes grit and experience, and even then, it's a tough network to break into. All of the l...

What does winning a James Beard Award really mean for chefs?

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Often called the Oscars of the food industry, the James Beard Foundation Awards are among the most coveted for chefs in America. But what's sold and...

Where do tennis balls go when they die?

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, the US throws out roughly 125 million tennis balls. That's enough to fill 21 Boeing 737s to the brim. And until recently, tennis balls we...

The Camera Tech That Redefined How We Watch TV

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch any major awards ceremony. Not right now. You’re busy. But what those keen couple of eyes of yours will quickly notice is the way the camera m...

Smoking is Cool. Now, So is Quitting.

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Let's face it: Smoking is just f--ing cool. Run go watch any of the biggest films and tv from the past year. What do you notice? They all feature ciga...

Shred the Mechanical Gnar at Surf Resorts

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're back -- now in special series form! That's right, the show you love and let stand in your podcast feeds returns for an all new run of growth sto...

Welcome to the Mirror World

17 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kevin Kelly is a futurist and co-founder of Wired Magazine. His latest article looks at augmented reality's role in our future lives, in a world he ca...

How Minnesota Freedom Fund Scaled Quickly Under International Spotlight

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Following the death of George Floyd, Minnesota Freedom Fund found itself in the international spotlight. Over 900 thousand donations, from around the ...

How Aequales Is Closing the Gender Gap

21 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On a global scale, women only hold 29 percent of senior management positions. Not to make any sweeping assumptions, but that’s a far cry from gender...

Black is Beautiful

02 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus Baskerville created Black is Beautiful -- a collaborative beer initiative amongst the brewing community and its customers -- in an attempt to b...

Why Personalization Makes BarkBox Leader of the Pack

22 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you have a dog, then you know BarkBox. It’s customizable monthly subscription boxes are your dog’s favorite pieces of mail. Co-founder Matt Mee...

The Future of How We Buy is Sound

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rodney Williams founded LISTNR with one thing in mind: simplicity. He saw that the way we buy items involves too many steps. And it could all be solve...

Why Binging with Babish Says Audience Knows Best

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Rea started Binging with Babish almost by accident. And nearly 8M subscribers later, he’s grown it into one of the biggest shows on YouTube. ...

Real Corporate Anti-Racist Training Starts at the Top

24 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kim Crowder is a consultant, whose expertise covers diversity, equity, and inclusion. In particular, she’s a corporate anti-racist trainer. To say t...

Yes, You Too Can Become a Servant of Pod

17 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Quah is almost synonymous with podcasts. His newsletter Hot Pod gives a weekly rundown on all things podcasts. And he recently partnered with LAi...

Trading Camp Canoes for Virtual Classrooms

26 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tinashe Blanchet is the founder of The Learning Lab, a New Orleans-based non-profit organization and education space that hosts two summer camps. But ...

Why The Lean Startup Is More Essential Than Ever for Businesses

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Blank is not a prophet. But as one of the minds behind the highly influential Lean Startup movement, when Steve starts to look at the future of ...

How Indie Theaters Are Bringing the Silver Screen to Your TV Screen

11 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Coolidge Corner Theater opened in 1933 during the Great Depression and has become a landmark in the city of Boston. But as non-essential businesse...

Part Two: Reading Is a Revolutionary Act

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bookshop is an online platform where you can buy books from local and independent bookstores. But founder Andy Hunter never imagined how quickly he’...

Part One: Reading Is a Revolutionary Act

29 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Danielle Mullen is the owner of Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery -- Chicago’s only black woman-owned bookstore. She’s worked tirelessly to build a co...

Same Business. New Flavor.

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan Spaccavento, founder of Coffee on Cue, saw an opportunity for an underserved market of coffee drinkers -- business subscriptions and live events....

How a Community Has Taken the Weight off One Gym’s Shoulders

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Luke Milton of Los Angeles’ top fitness center Training Mate knew he needed to act quickly. His three gym locations were ordered to close and his en...

Keeping Spirits High and Communities Safe

05 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Listoke Distillery is a gin and distillation school located just north of Dublin, Ireland. Owner Bronagh Conlon, herself a former healthcare worker an...

How Piera Gelardi is Refining 29Rooms

22 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Piera Gelardi founded Refinery29 as a catalyst for women to claim their power. And today, she leads a digital media and entertainment empire. Piera ta...

Bringing Transparency to Women’s Health

15 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Kat Schneider set out to raise funding for her company Ritual, she was four months pregnant. And she was given the choice: Start a company. Or st...

How The Success of Canned Wine Nearly Cost Its Founder Everything

08 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan Harms and his Union Wine Company were the toast of Oregon. They’d done something so crazy, they figured it was only a matter of time until the ...

Hipcamp Is a Breath of Fresh Air. Literally.

01 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you prefer glamping, treehouses, or the trusty old tent, camping is all about getting outside. But navigating the trail to book public or priv...

The Platform Revolution Is Here

24 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Uber. Amazon. Airbnb. Today’s top platforms all understand the power of connection. And Geoffrey Parker believes the greatest exchange in value come...

Taking Care/of Your Health Just Got Easier

17 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s be honest. There’s no such thing as a magic pill. But the vitamin industry sure makes it seem like a miracle cure is right there inside ever...

The Case for Cubes: Closing the Door on Open Offices

12 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a new trend in office design. And its common enemy? The open office floor plan. Phone booths that once littered our sidewalks have been give...

Brace Yourself, Quip Is Changing Everything About Dental Care

10 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

You know the drill. Quick brush in the morning, neglect the afternoon floss, and win your week with a second brush a few nights a week. Changing habit...

Finding Humanity in Technology

03 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial Intelligence. Automation. Bots. Technology has disrupted nearly every aspect of our daily lives. But author Kate O’Neill asks the questio...

Outdoor Apparel Doesn’t Have to Be Ugly

29 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

[Mini Episode] Topo Designs president Jedd Rose believes the outdoor apparel design deserves better. And this week, producer Matt Brown helps us unpac...

Hims: Baldness. Cold Sores. ED. Optional.

27 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Hims founder Andrew Dudum knew that less than 10 percent of men feel comfortable talking about their looks and health with their doctor. But even gett...

Why ThirdLove's Heidi Zak Called Out Victoria’s Secret for Not Supporting Women

20 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Ed Razek, the CMO of Victoria’s Secret, made disparaging comments about Heidi Zak’s company ThirdLove, she stood up for herself and all women...

How Brandless Is Democratizing Access to Quality

19 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

For most shoppers, fair trade, organic, non-GMO products means paying a premium. And the amount of choices? Endless. But conscious consumerism doesn't...

Cracking The Culture Code

12 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Culture happens. Whether you plan for it or not, all companies have a culture. An no one knows more about how culture works than New York Times’s be...

Why Rejecting $30 Million From Mark Cuban Was Her Best Business Move

05 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It was the largest offer in Shark Tank history. Mark Cuban offered Arum Kang $30 million for her dating app Coffee Meets Bagel. But she and her sister...

Building an Outdoors Brand Around People

28 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Davis Smith grew up like every other kid -- spearfishing piranhas in the Amazon, eating wild coconuts for snacks, and taking family adventures around ...

How Spartan is Growing a 100 Million Warrior Movement

21 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Joe De Sena founded Spartan with a single purpose: to change people’s lives. But growing the company has been the toughest race of Joe’s life. It...

Amazon Has Spoken. And the HQ2 Winners are… Amazon.

17 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

[News] Amazon has officially announced the locations for the company’s second headquarters -- Crystal City, Virginia, and Long Island City, New York...

Your Next Insurance Agent Is a Bot

14 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

If there’s one thing everyone can agree on, it’s how much they loathe insurance companies. And yet, despite every technological revolution, the in...

Beep Boop Chop Chop: Robot Chefs Are Taking Over

09 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

[Mini Episode] The robots have arrived. Welcome! First stop: the kitchen. So we asked, is that really all that bad a thing? We sit down with robot re...

How Rand Fishkin Went From Debt Collectors to Rejecting VCs

07 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

After founding and stepping away from Moz, Rand Fishkin finds himself back in the startup world. Only this time, he’s doing things differently. In ...

How Glossier Is Giving the Beauty Industry a Makeover

31 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Beauty is a $450 billion industry. But traditionally, communication on beauty routines and products came from companies, not other customers. That is,...

The AI Overlords Have Come for Your Instagram Feed

26 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

[Mini Episode] Take a look at your Instagram feed. You likely follow a few different influencers. But look a bit closer. Are each and every one of the...

Payal Kadakia on Building ClassPass and Stepping Down as CEO

24 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Movement is the art of change. You pass through one physical location to the next, with decisions at every step. And whether that’s in dance or star...

MoonPie’s Social Eclipse of the Heart

17 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It’s August 21, 2017. There’s only one thing on people’s minds: The solar eclipse. Every brand under the sun jockeyed for the cultural zeitgeis...

The Turnaround: Kristen Kish

10 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Kristen Kish’s road to Season 10 of Top Chef was winding, to say the least. She tried out business school for a spell, got in way over her head as a...

The Turnaround: Market Basket

03 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

During the Summer of 2014, customers and employees of Market Basket boycotted the company, demanding that the board of trustees reinstate Arthur T. De...

The Turnaround: The World’s Only Curious George Store

27 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The World’s Only Curious George Store sits in the heart of Harvard Square. It’s been there, in some form, since 1995. But behind the bright colors...

The Turnaround: Nintendo

20 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Nintendo is known for constantly reinventing the video game landscape. But a few years ago, they had just released their slowest-selling product of al...

The Turnaround: Absinthe

13 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Before it was banned for nearly a century, absinthe used to be one of the most popular drinks in the world. But somewhere along the way, it got a repu...

The Turnaround: Narragansett Brewing Company

06 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Hellendrung visited a local pub in his home town in Rhode Island. He was just looking for a drink, but he found himself on a journey to bring bac...

The Turnaround: Coming Soon

20 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Our new season -- The Turnaround -- is right around the corner, but we wanted to give you a little preview of what’s to come. In this mini-episode, ...

We’ll See You in 2018!

31 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After nearly three years, The Growth Show is officially taking a break. But we’re not stopping, by any means. We’ve already begun production on ou...

From Marketing to Mountain Biking: How to Learn Anything

24 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

We spend so much of our life in school -- with classes, teachers, tests, and papers. So when structured learning isn’t around anymore, it can be jar...

From Brain Teasers to Technical Tests: How to Fix Hiring in Tech

17 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve ever applied for a job in tech, you know just how painful it can be. Technical tests consume hours of your time, brain teasers leave you b...

Building LEGO’s Next Big Move, Brick by Brick

10 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When you’re one of the most recognizable companies on the planet, how do you decide on your next big idea? If you’re Michael McNally, you think ab...

How one entrepreneur added 700+ people to her network

03 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Every single day at 9:15 AM, Molly Beck reaches out to a new person in her network. And if you’re trying to get to the next level in your career, yo...

Introducing… Weird Work

26 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Check out HubSpot’s latest podcast, called Weird Work! Each week, host Sam Balter talks with folks who work some of the weirdest jobs out there. The...

Beyond Meat’s Mission to Convert the Hardcore Carnivore

19 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Innovation is great when it’s in an iPhone. But is it something you want to put inside your mouth? Well get ready, meat industry. Because your days ...

The Future Workforce Is Human to the Bot Power

12 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There’s the hype. Sure. But there’s also the hysteria. For most, bots are either the thing that’ll carry our companies into the future, or they’...

Your office is built for extroverts. Here’s why that’s a problem.

05 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When we look for leadership characteristics, are we really building a workplace made for extroverts? We look for leaders to constantly speak up, netwo...

Grief Is Inevitable. Why Aren't We Preparing for It at Work?

29 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Four years ago, Karen Millsap’s husband was shot and killed in the gym they co-owned. There was no warning. No response manual. What followed was a ...

Is Your Company Ready for PR 2.0?

22 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Companies have great stories to tell, but they’re being drowned out by thousands of low-quality messages that journalists receive each day. Ricky Ye...

How ClassPass is Getting Rid of Your Excuses [Rebroadcast]

15 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When Payal Kadakia quit her job at Warner Music Group, she didn't have a backup plan. She knew she wasn't happy in her job, but she wasn't sure what ...

Why Chubbies is Tired of Being Called a “Bro”

08 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Not long ago, men’s shorts were long, with as many pockets as possible. But these days, they’re shrinking. And we can trace it all back to four fr...

Should Everyone Have an Executive Coach?

01 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

To Jerry Colonna, accepting leadership means accepting to work on yourself. Because if you’re struggling personally, your company is probably strugg...

Why a Side Hustle Shouldn't Actually Take That Much Hustle

25 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Projects fail. Side-projects fail even more. But every once in awhile, a project comes along that shatters expectations (and maybe even a Google Sheet...

Stop Looking up to Workaholics Who Look Down on You

18 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When did working 100 hours become the banner for success? And worse, when did it become so damn cool? Luckily, not everyone thinks so. David Heinemeie...

There’s More to Empowering Young People of Color in Tech Than Coding

11 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Tech has a diversity problem. And in recent years we’ve seen a wave of programs aimed at teaching young people of color to code. But the reality is ...

How Pepsi and SheaMoisture Lost the Heart of Their Brand

04 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda Spann is a serial entrepreneur, and after seeing major judgment errors like Pepsi's tone-deaf Kendall Jenner ad, she launched the site youneeda...

Every Chain Stitch Tells a Story at Fort Lonesome

27 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For years, the pace of everyday work has been increasing. But Kathie Sever’s company is a good example of why the future may not be faster. Kathie o...

Taking The Lean Startup from Silicon Valley to the State Department

20 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

More than a decade ago, Steve Blank helped lay the groundwork for The Lean Startup movement. Instead of innovating in a vacuum, he told entrepreneurs ...

Turning the Worst Day of Your Life into Your Life's Work

13 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Six months after Karen Aiach’s daughter Ornella was born, she was diagnosed with Sanfilippo syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. Doctors told Karen he...

Rewiring Our Big Dumb Brains (and Culture) for Goodness

06 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In a world of unicorns, Anthony Tjan is an investor looking for sea turtles. He watched first hand as his company went bust the same day the Dotcom bu...

The $21 billion niche Stefania Mallett caters to

30 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve ever had to cater a meeting, you know the panic that comes along with it. The type of panic that sits deep in the pit of your stomach. Wil...

Your productivity app isn’t the problem. You are.

23 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, you download a new productivity app. On Tuesday, you load it up with all the tasks you need to accomplish. By Friday? You’ve abandoned th...

How $500 Checks Helped Bring a Manufacturing Titan Back From Bankruptcy

16 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Cline was only a few months away from retirement. That is, until a former colleague of his offered him a job most people would run far away from: ...

Who's in Control When Everything On Earth is Connected? [Rebroadcast]

09 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

If everything on earth is connected, what does that mean for humanity? This week we’re digging out one of our favorites from the archives. In this e...

GV's (Google Ventures) Jake Knapp on How to 'Fix' Brainstorming

02 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

If you work in some kind of office, you’ve probably spent a good amount of your time in group brainstorms. Sometimes they work, but often you’re l...

Hello Alfred Is Bringing W-2 Employment Benefits to the Gig Economy

25 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

One criticism of the gig economy is that it takes advantage of employees. Companies like Uber or Lyft classify their employees as independent contract...

Always Wear Pants: New Rules of Work From The Muse's Kathryn Minshew

18 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Back in 2011, Kathryn Minshew and Alexandra Cavoulacos founded the online career resource The Muse. Six years and 50 million users later, they decided...

Finding Scale in a Business Where One Size Doesn’t Fit All

11 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Many women find themselves at a point in their career where they’re just stuck. Sometimes it has to do with moving up the ranks in a company, return...

The Myth of Machine Learning & Building a Data Science Team That Works

04 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It seems like every company is trying to come up with an AI and machine learning strategy. Monica Rogati is an independent data science advisor, and ...

When You’re Not Learning Anymore, It’s Time For a Career Change

28 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There are a lot of different ways to move in your career. You can quit and move on to a new company. You can completely reinvent your job, or even re...

Product Market Fit Should Be Emotional

21 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Many ecommerce companies face the same two problems: the cost of keeping inventory, and the money they have to swallow when a customer returns an item...

Facebook's Julie Zhou on How To Design For 2 Billion Users

14 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Julie Zhuo was Facebook’s first intern back in 2006. Today, more than a decade later, she’s their VP of Product Design. You can thank her for the ...

Reham Fagiri: From Goldman Sachs to Challenging Craigslist

07 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The process of buying and selling used furniture is painful. It’s hard to know what you’re getting and who you’re getting it from. Reham Fagiri ...

How Winnie’s Founder Launched a Company as a New Mom & the Spouse of a Cancer Survivor

28 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A few months after Sara Mauskopf launched her first company, her husband was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. With an infant at home and i...

What Vera Fischer Did After Losing Her Job During Maternity Leave

21 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Just 10 weeks into her maternity leave, Vera Fischer was laid off after her company went through a major reorg. Now, 13 years later, she shares how sh...

Gimlet Media Co-Founders Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber *Rebroadcast*

14 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Happy Valentine’s Day! This holiday has everything to do with relationships. And there’s one type of relationship that we talk about a lot on this...

Amazon’s Former Data Scientist on Making Your Data Work For You

07 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In 1949, Andreas Weigend’s father was imprisoned in East Germany by Soviet occupying forces who thought he was an American spy. A decade later, when...

How Box's Chief Storyteller Bridges the Sales/Marketing Divide: Live at INBOUND16

31 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Before Doug Landis stepped into his current role as the Chief Storyteller at the file-sharing company Box, he was a Senior Director of Sales at Salesf...

The Inside Story of Making 'Making a Murderer': Live at INBOUND16

24 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It was 2005. Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos borrowed a camera, rented a car, and set out to cover a murder trial in the small town of Manitowoc, Wisc...

Sarah Cooper on Finding Comedy in the Corporate World: Live at INBOUND16

17 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Cooper finds the satire in a normal office job in her blog - The Cooper Review. Today, Sarah is a full-time comedian. This week, in our second e...

Alec Baldwin: Live at INBOUND16

10 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This week is the first of our episodes from INBOUND 2016. First up is Alec Baldwin -- actor, comedian, and most recently, Donald Trump impersonator o...

Dan Pink: Robots Won't Steal Jobs, They'll Transform Them.

03 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel Pink has been a leading voice in business for more than two decades. He’s written five best-selling books about work and management, includin...

Best of 2016: Bill Walton, Charles Duhigg, Patty McCord & More

27 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

We’re looking back on a few of our favorite moments from the show this year. In this episode, we hear from basketball legend Bill Walton about his t...