<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"Angela Gennari's company, Titan Global Enterprises, was in major trouble. So she did something risky, and potentially crazy: She asked her largest competitor for help. What happened next is a testament to the value of truth and honesty."}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":6723,"3":{"1":0},"4":[null,2,15389148],"9":0,"12":0,"14":[null,2,0],"15":"Arial"}"> Angela Gennari's company, Titan Global Enterprises, was in major trouble. So she did something risky, and potentially crazy: She asked her largest competitor for help. What happened next is a testament to the value of truth and honesty.

Problem Solvers

"You Can Save Me, Or Destroy Me"

<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"It's a simple philosophy. But what does it take to actually achieve? We talk to Jesse Cole, owner of the baseball team Savannah Bananas, about the idea that transformed his business—and how it can work in any industry."}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":4799,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":15389148},"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"12":0,"15":"arial,sans,sans-serif"}"> It's a simple philosophy. But what does it take to actually achieve? We talk to Jesse Cole, owner of the baseball team Savannah Bananas, about the idea that transformed his business—and how it can work in any industry.

Stop Doing What Customers Hate!

<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"How can something so basic—so obvious!—be a competitive advantage? Here's why: Because too many people forget to build trust. I explain, and then discuss it with a guy who won my trust. It's Jay Sofer of Lockbusters, a locksmith whose approach to customer service is worth learning from."}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":4799,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":15389148},"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"12":0,"15":"arial,sans,sans-serif"}"> How can something so basic—so obvious!—be a competitive advantage? Here's why: Because too many people forget to build trust. I explain, and then discuss it with a guy who won my trust. It's Jay Sofer of Lockbusters, a locksmith whose approach to customer service is worth learning from.

 How can something so basic—so obvious!—be a competitive advantage? Here's why: Because too many people forget to build trust. I explain, and then discuss it with a guy who won my trust. It's Jay Sofer of Lockbusters, a locksmith whose approach to customer service is worth learning from.

Trust Is Your Competitive Advantage

<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"When Ben Jabbawy launched Privy, he thought he knew exactly how to run a company: Grow fast, please investors, and focus on getting more and more customers. But when he was down to his last $1,000 in the bank, he realized he'd done it all wrong—and he had one last chance to fix it all."}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":4799,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":15389148},"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"12":0,"15":"arial,sans,sans-serif"}"> When Ben Jabbawy launched Privy, he thought he knew exactly how to run a company: Grow fast, please investors, and focus on getting more and more customers. But when he was down to his last $1,000 in the bank, he realized he'd done it all wrong—and he had one last chance to fix it all.

Saving the Company, With Only $1,000 in the Bank

<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"Talkspace is a platform where therapists and patients can talk, and its first launch was a total failure. But then its founders noticed something strange: Users were sending lots of very, very personal emails to its customer service team. Why? The answer totally transformed the business."}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":4799,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":15389148},"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"12":0,"15":"arial,sans,sans-serif"}"> Talkspace is a platform where therapists and patients can talk, and its first launch was a total failure. But then its founders noticed something strange: Users were sending lots of very, very personal emails to its customer service team. Why? The answer totally transformed the business.

 Talkspace is a platform where therapists and patients can talk, and its first launch was a total failure. But then its founders noticed something strange: Users were sending lots of very, very personal emails to its customer service team. Why? The answer totally transformed the business.

The Weird Customer Quirk That Changed Everything

Mark Lawrence co-founded SpotHero in Chicago, and investors told him he needed to expand across America fast. He wanted to take a different approach... even though he wasn't entirely sure it was the right one. Here's how Mark formulated a plan, stuck to it, and proved himself right.

Mark Lawrence co-founded SpotHero in Chicago, and investors told him he needed to expand across America fast. He wanted to take a different approach... even though he wasn't entirely sure it was the right one. Here's how Mark formulated a plan, stuck to it, and proved himself right.

When Everyone Says You're Wrong (But You're Not)

<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"What do you do when one chapter ends? You move on to the next one. That's what Brandon Steiner did after losing control of his namesake sports company—and he learned a lot in the process."}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":4799,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":15389148},"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"12":0,"15":"arial,sans,sans-serif"}"> What do you do when one chapter ends? You move on to the next one. That's what Brandon Steiner did after losing control of his namesake sports company—and he learned a lot in the process.

Finding Joy in the Unknown, with Brandon Steiner

<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"Entrepreneurs are rightfully focused on delivering a great product or service, but they often forget to actually deliver a great experience too. They're not the same thing! In this episode, host Jason Feifer digs into some lessons learned from a bad restaurant experience, and then talks to customer experience expert Annette Franz about how companies can do better."}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":4799,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":15389148},"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"12":0,"15":"arial,sans,sans-serif"}"> Entrepreneurs are rightfully focused on delivering a great product or service, but they often forget to actually deliver a great experience too. They're not the same thing! In this episode, host Jason Feifer digs into some lessons learned from a bad restaurant experience, and then talks to customer experience expert Annette Franz about how companies can do better.

How to Deliver A Great Customer Experience

<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"When the home security company SimpliSafe launched, it marketed itself entirely towards renters. After all, they were an underserved marketplace—no other home security system was made for people who rent apartments. But SimpliSafe wasn't growing as fast as its founders expected, so it dug into its customer data and discovered something surprising: Half its customers were home-owners, the people it explicitly wasn't trying to reach. Now it had a big decision to make: Does SimpliSafe keep going with renters, or change everything (including its product!) to court this new marketplace of customers?"}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":4286,"4":[null,2,15389148],"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"15":"arial,sans,sans-serif"}"> When the home security company SimpliSafe launched, it marketed itself entirely towards renters. After all, they were an underserved marketplace—no other home security system was made for people who rent apartments. But SimpliSafe wasn't growing as fast as its founders expected, so it dug into its customer data and discovered something surprising: Half its customers were home-owners, the people it explicitly wasn't trying to reach. Now it had a big decision to make: Does SimpliSafe keep going with renters, or change everything (including its product!) to court this new marketplace of customers?

 When the home security company SimpliSafe launched, it marketed itself entirely towards renters. After all, they were an underserved marketplace—no other home security system was made for people who rent apartments. But SimpliSafe wasn't growing as fast as its founders expected, so it dug into its customer data and discovered something surprising: Half its customers were home-owners, the people it explicitly wasn't trying to reach. Now it had a big decision to make: Does SimpliSafe keep going with renters, or change everything (including its product!) to court this new marketplace of customers?

Who Is Your Customer, Really?

<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"To start the year 2020 right, take some lessons from the business world of Mark Wahlberg—who diligently, thoughtfully built himself into the most disciplined man in Hollywood."}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":4799,"3":{"1":0},"4":[null,2,15389148],"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"12":0,"15":"arial,sans,sans-serif"}"> To start the year 2020 right, take some lessons from the business world of Mark Wahlberg—who diligently, thoughtfully built himself into the most disciplined man in Hollywood.

 To start the year 2020 right, take some lessons from the business world of Mark Wahlberg—who diligently, thoughtfully built himself into the most disciplined man in Hollywood.

How Mark Wahlberg Became So Disciplined

<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"Do you sometimes feel like a loser? So does legendary fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg—and she admits it here! In this episode, Diane shares a healthy perspective on life... and how the most important thing is owning what you do."}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":4799,"3":{"1":0},"4":[null,2,15389148],"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"12":0,"15":"arial,sans,sans-serif"}"> Do you sometimes feel like a loser? So does legendary fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg—and she admits it here! In this episode, Diane shares a healthy perspective on life... and how the most important thing is owning what you do.

 Do you sometimes feel like a loser? So does legendary fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg—and she admits it here! In this episode, Diane shares a healthy perspective on life... and how the most important thing is owning what you do.

Diane Von Furstenberg Says: "Own It!"

<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"Change can be scary, and entrepreneurs are at the forefront of that conflict. We invent things. We create change. But of course, that change can be scary… for other people, or for ourselves. What then? On this episode, we dive deep into what transformative change looks like—by examining the surprising, weird, often alarming history of the elevator. (Episode comes to us via the podcast Pessimists Archive, which is another show hosted by Problem Solvers host Jason Feifer.)"}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":4799,"3":{"1":0},"4":[null,2,15389148],"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"12":0,"15":"arial,sans,sans-serif"}"> Change can be scary, and entrepreneurs are at the forefront of that conflict. We invent things. We create change. But of course, that change can be scary… for other people, or for ourselves. What then? On this episode, we dive deep into what transformative change looks like—by examining the surprising, weird, often alarming history of the elevator. (Episode comes to us via the podcast Pessimists Archive, which is another show hosted by Problem Solvers host Jason Feifer.)

 Change can be scary, and entrepreneurs are at the forefront of that conflict. We invent things. We create change. But of course, that change can be scary… for other people, or for ourselves. What then? On this episode, we dive deep into what transformative change looks like—by examining the surprising, weird, often alarming history of the elevator. (Episode comes to us via the podcast Pessimists Archive, which is another show hosted by Problem Solvers host Jason Feifer.)

The Terrifying History of the Elevator

<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"Neal Goyal ran a ponzi scheme, defrauded investors out of roughly $9 million, and spent years in prison for his crime. Today he’s out, and we have a frank conversation about what leads someone to make the kind of decisions he made, and the amount of soul searching and self-repair required to come back from it."}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":4799,"3":{"1":0},"4":[null,2,15389148],"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"12":0,"15":"arial,sans,sans-serif"}"> Neal Goyal ran a ponzi scheme, defrauded investors out of roughly $9 million, and spent years in prison for his crime. Today he’s out, and we have a frank conversation about what leads someone to make the kind of decisions he made, and the amount of soul searching and self-repair required to come back from it.

 Neal Goyal ran a ponzi scheme, defrauded investors out of roughly $9 million, and spent years in prison for his crime. Today he’s out, and we have a frank conversation about what leads someone to make the kind of decisions he made, and the amount of soul searching and self-repair required to come back from it.

He Went to Prison For A Ponzi Scheme. Now, A Fresh Start.

<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"This is a story about change—and whether it’s something to resist, or an opportunity to take. And it all started when the founder of Edible Arrangements discovered that the word “edibles” had become associated with marijuana. It scared him. He tried to fight it. And then… something else happened."}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":4799,"3":{"1":0},"4":[null,2,15389148],"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"12":0,"15":"arial,sans,sans-serif"}"> This is a story about change—and whether it’s something to resist, or an opportunity to take. And it all started when the founder of Edible Arrangements discovered that the word “edibles” had become associated with marijuana. It scared him. He tried to fight it. And then… something else happened.

 This is a story about change—and whether it’s something to resist, or an opportunity to take. And it all started when the founder of Edible Arrangements discovered that the word “edibles” had become associated with marijuana. It scared him. He tried to fight it. And then… something else happened.

Edible Arrangements vs. the Word "Edibles"

<span data-sheets-value= "{"1":2,"2":"Why are we not more comfortable selling ourselves? In this episode, host Jason Feifer reveals a common mistake he sees people make when pitching their work. Then, he turns to Jason Harris—CEO of the ad agency Mekanism, and author of the book "The Soulful Art of Persuasion"—for a plan on how to do better."}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":4799,"3":{"1":0},"4":[null,2,15389148],"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":[null,2,0]},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"12":0,"15":"arial,sans,sans-serif"}"> Why are we not more comfortable selling ourselves? In this episode, host Jason Feifer reveals a common mistake he sees people make when pitching their work. Then, he turns to Jason Harris—CEO of the ad agency Mekanism, and author of the book "The Soulful Art of Persuasion"—for a plan on how to do better.

 Why are we not more comfortable selling ourselves? In this episode, host Jason Feifer reveals a common mistake he sees people make when pitching their work. Then, he turns to Jason Harris—CEO of the ad agency Mekanism, and author of the book "The Soulful Art of Persuasion"—for a plan on how to do better.

A Better Way to Sell Yourself

From Entrepreneur magazine, Problem Solvers features business owners and CEOs who went through a crippling business problem and came out the other side happy, wealthy, and growing. Host Jason Feifer, Entrepreneur's editor in chief, pulls these stories out so that other businesses can avoid the same hardships.

hubhopper

Problem Solvers

hubhopper