Masters of Scale

Latest Episodes:

Bonus: A Meditative Story from Reid Hoffman Jan 13, 2020

Show notes

How do you find joy in your life? Our host, Reid Hoffman, finds it through friendship, and the genuine, honest, and intimate conversations it brings. In this special episode of Meditative Story, from the same producers as Masters of Scale, Reid shares his passion for connecting with others by asking big questions.

Read a transcript of Reid Hoffman's Meditative Story at: https://podcast.meditativestory.com/ReidHoffman/

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What's the hidden business behind your business? w/Rent the Runway's Jenn Hyman Jan 09, 2020

Show notes

Rent the Runway co-founder Jenn Hyman knows: Behind every successful business is another business backstage, one you might not expect. Rent the Runway is known for creating a glamorous "closet in the cloud,” but as Hyman explains, it achieved unicorn status by mastering a few less glamorous businesses — including the world’s largest dry-cleaning operation, and a data insights practice that’s changing the fashion industry. Cameo appearance: Kevin Venardos (Venardos Circus); Stewart Butterfield (Slack).

Read Jenn Hyman's essay on the making of this episode: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mastering-businesses-behind-our-business-jennifer-hyman/

Learn more about the Venardos Circus: https://www.venardoscircus.com/

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/jenn-hyman-the-secret-business-behind-the-business/

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How to find your big idea w/Spanx's Sara Blakely Jan 03, 2020

Show notes

To find your big idea? Look for it. And look for it. And be ready to act. Spanx founder Sara Blakely was actively seeking a business idea when she thought of Spanx. Then she moved fast, found help in the right places, and went all-in. The result: A billion-dollar company & women's wardrobes transformed. With cameos by National Geographic Explorer Andrés Ruzo, former director of the US Patent & Trademark Office Michelle Lee, and Endeavor CEO Linda Rottenberg.

LINKS:

Learn more about The Boiling River Project: http://www.boilingriver.org

Read "The Boiling River" by Andrés Ruzo: https://amzn.to/36iHHNF

Learn more about the U.S. patent system: https://www.uspto.gov/

Meet Andre, who dresses Oprah Winfrey: https://andrewalkerhair.com

Listen to Linda Rottenberg on Masters of Scale: https://mastersofscale.com/linda-rottenberg-the-next-silicon-valley-is/

Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com

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How to solve an impossible challenge, w/Megan Smith (US CTO, Google, shift7) Dec 13, 2019

Show notes

Faced with an impossible challenge? Don’t reinvent the wheel. Look for someone who’s already solved the problem, and lift them up. Megan Smith calls that technique “scout and scale.” She used it as the United States' CTO. She did it as an exec at Google. She did it as CEO of PlanetOut. And she continues today with the company she co-founded, shift7. Cameo appearance: Monique Sternin (co-founder of the Positive Deviance Approach & Initiative).

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/megan-smith-how-to-solve-an-impossible-challenge/

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LIVE! Find your Trojan horse, w/Robert F. Smith Dec 05, 2019

Show notes

Recorded live at Summit LA: Every great founder has a second purpose — something outside their main business they're trying to get done in the world. And every successful company is like a Trojan horse, carrying this second purpose forward. No one knows this better than Robert F. Smith. You may know him for his legendary Morehouse commencement speech (in which he promised to pay off the student loan debt of the entire graduating class), but Robert's scaling success and philanthropic work go far beyond that. As founder, chairman and CEO of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, Robert finds profound ways to serve both his business and his second purpose — liberating people to reach their true potential — at scale. Cameo appearance: Sir Ken Robinson.

Live stage photography: Jaime Fernandez (@jaymoxias)

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Ray Dalio: How to embrace conflict Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

Want to improve any idea? Find someone who disagrees with it. This is something legendary investor Ray Dalio knows. But there’s a difference between constructive and destructive conflict – and Dalio is a master at spotting the difference. In constructive conflict, a team has a shared goal, whether or not they have differing opinions. And this is the key to success. Cameo appearances: Steve Horgan (USA Field Hockey Director of Umpiring), Daniel Amen (psychiatrist, founder of Amen Clinics).

Ray's latest book, Principles for Success, is out now.

Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com

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Raise more money than you need, w/Minted's Mariam Naficy Nov 21, 2019

Show notes

Think you've raised enough money for your startup? Think again. You have to run through a minefield of unexpected expenses as an entrepreneur. And you never know where the big opportunity will come from — or if you'll need to make an unexpected, expensive pivot to stay afloat. So always, always raise more money than you think you need. Mariam Naficy shares her white-knuckle experiences founding startups that survived two financial crashes — the online cosmetic company Eve.com in the dotcom-boom ’90s, and founder and the design marketplace Minted.com today. Cameo appearances: Selina Tobaccowala (Evite, Gixo), Daniel Kahneman (Nobel-winning psychologist), Brian Chesky (Airbnb), Amos Kedmey (Wine and Cheese Place).

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/mariam-naficy-the-money-episode/

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How to set the drumbeat, w/LinkedIn's Jeff Weiner Nov 15, 2019

Show notes

Every leader has to set the drumbeat for their company — the culture, mission, and values that get the entire team in sync. And the rhythm has to be true to them. Jeff Weiner is a master at this. When he was the CEO of LinkedIn, Jeff grew users from 33 million to 660 million, and grew revenue to more than $7 billion. His drumbeat? Compassionate management. Cameo appearances by: Chris Tomson (Vampire Weekend), Monica Worline (Stanford's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education), and Keesa Schreane (host, "You've Been Served").

Chris Tomson is a drummer, singer, and songwriter best known as the drummer of indie rock band Vampire Weekend. He is the lead vocalist and guitarist for Dams of the West, and cohost of the podcast The Road Taken.

Monica Worline, PhD, is CEO of EnlivenWork. She’s the co-author of Awakening Compassion at Work: The Quiet Power that Elevates People and Organizations.

Keesa Schreane is Global Partner Director at Refinitiv and the host and executive producer of Refinitiv Sustainability Perspectives and the host of the podcast You’ve Been Served.

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/jeff-weiner-how-to-set-the-drumbeat/

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Bill Gates: How to accelerate history (Part 1) Nov 07, 2019

Show notes

How did Bill Gates scale BOTH a global business and a global philanthropy? He spotted an inflection point in history — and accelerated it. What does that take? A great idea, great timing and also: Great partners. Because even Bill Gates doesn’t go it alone. In Part 1 of this special two-part episode, Bill reflects with Reid on the founding and growth of Microsoft — how he not only spotted an inflection point (hello, personal computers) but accelerated it to massive scale (forget computers, let's talk platforms). There’s timeless wisdom in Bill’s ability to identify inflection points, build strategic partnerships and just work harder than everyone else. (In Part 2, Bill reflects on scaling the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the different lessons learned between the two.)

Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/bill-gates-how-to-accelerate-history/

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Make it epic, w/will.i.am Oct 31, 2019

Show notes

What can entrepreneurs learn from a genre-crossing, multi-platinum musician? How to take a big opportunity — and leverage it into something epic. From his earliest days as a founding member of the Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am learned from mentors how to not only identify big opportunities but compound them. From the Super Bowl to the first iTunes commercial; from the founding of Beats and his tech company i.am+ to a song beamed back from Mars, his ability to bring stakeholders together to leverage partnerships and compound possibilities will inspire founders at any stage of scale. Cameo appearance: Jeremy Siegel (urban designer, Bjarke Ingels Group).

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