How Success Happens

Amy Errett, the visionary behind Madison Reed, shares her journey of building a successful omnichannel beauty brand specializing in the hair color space. Despite reaching the top of the Venture Capitalist industry, Amy felt a burning desire to create her own venture. Recognizing a gap in the hair color market riddled with harmful ingredients, she seized the opportunity to offer safe, high-quality alternatives for everybody to enjoy. Join us as Amy discusses the resilience and passion it takes to become a successful entrepreneur. Thanks to our sponsor Hertz Business Rewards for helping small businesses save big. Join for free at Hertz.com/businessrewards.

One in four employees are now using AI at work – a significant jump from the adoptions rates seen in 2023. So how are businesses leveraging AI in the workplace? We sit down with Christina Janzer, SVP of Research and Analytics at Slack, to discuss how businesses are embracing AI to increase productivity, make data-drive decisions, drive innovation and how Slack AI is enabling people to work smarter and faster. This bonus episode is brought to you by Slack. Learn more about Slack AI, visit Slack.com.

Carly Zakin and Danielle Wesberg, entrepreneurs behind The Skimm, discuss creating a successful Media company. Danielle and Carly fresh out of college identified a significant gap in the media landscape, there was a lack of media outlets specifically tailored to Women. Despite Women making upwards of 90% of household financial decisions, there was a lack of content that catered to their perspectives and priorities. Join us as Carly and Danielle take us through the creation of their revolutionary company, The Skimm. This episode is presented by Slack. Learn more at slack.com

Lori and Scott Levine, creators of Scott's Protein Balls, present a healthier alternative to traditional protein bars. When the founder Lori battled with breast cancer, Scott embarked on a mission to create a healthy and delicious snack she could enjoy, leading to the creation of the protein balls. Crafted from whole-grain oats, flaxseed, chia seeds, and protein powder, their nutritious balls offer a satisfying snack. Join us as we discuss the journey towards healthier living and entrepreneurial success.

Frank McCourt Jr, former CEO of McCourt Global and current owner of French Football Club Olympique de Marseille, delves into the realm of digital privacy and autonomy. We'll discuss McCourt's founding of Project Liberty, a groundbreaking endeavor dedicated to safeguarding individuals' information on the web. Project Liberty aims to empower users with greater control over their digital footprint, ensuring their data remains private and secure in an increasingly interconnected world.

Fran Maier is the entrepreneurial powerhouse behind BabyQuip, as seen on SharkTank, and is also the co-founder of Match.com. In this episode, Fran delves into the pivotal moments shaping her journey, including her decision to join Match.com in its early stages and the launch of BabyQuip, a platform connecting traveling families with baby gear rental services. Fran highlights the transformative power of innovation in entrepreneurship, inspiring others to push boundaries and redefine industries.

Lois Robbins is an actor and the founder of Watskin, a clothing brand that uses UPF 50+ fabrics for their designs. Known for her daytime television roles on All My Children and One Life to Live, Lois decided to create Watskin out of necessity when she learned of a cancerous cell on her face. Watskin now sells over 10 different types of sun-protective products and donates 5 percent of every purchase to the Melanoma Research Alliance.

Brian and Scott Rudolph are the co-founders of Banza, a food brand that creates chickpea-based alternatives of your favorite comfort foods. Founded in 2014 by brothers Brian and Scott, Banza entered the scene with their high protein plant-based pasta products and have now expanded into pizza, rice, and waffles. Banza is now available domestically in more than 25,000 retail locations including Target, Whole Foods, and Costco.

Bobby Bitton is the CEO and Co-Founder of O Positiv, a women’s health business that focuses on addressing health needs that have been historically overlooked. Co-founded in 2018 with Bobby’s sister Brianna, O Positiv created FLO, a science-backed all-natural, and hormone-free PMS vitamin. O Positiv now has more than 1.3 million customers and was most recently launched in Target this December. Bobby was also named on the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Food and Drink.

Bryan Barletta is the Founder of Sounds Profitable, a podcast and newsletter dedicated to exploring podcast advertising and monetization. With over 13 years in the ad technology space, Bryan has helped podcasters and advertisers navigate the ever-evolving landscape of audio content. He founded Sounds Profitable in 2020 after working at podcasting companies, Megaphone and Claritas. Bryan was also a part of the team that created the world’s first shakeable ad in 2009. Sponsor: While much of Harvard Business Review’s Content is available for free after signing up at their site, subscriptions to unlimited content start at only $10 a month. Go to www.hbr.org/subscriptions and enter PROMO CODE: SUCCESS right now to take advantage of this great offer.

Lo Bosworth is the Founder of Love Wellness, a total body care company for women. Previously known for her appearances on MTV’s Laguna Beach and The Hills, Lo founded Love Wellness after her own health challenges in 2015 and aimed to create clean and safe wellness products for women. Since its founding, Love Wellness has expanded to be featured in three major national retailers, including Target, Ulta, and Walmart.

Wade Foster is the Co-Founder and CEO of Zapier, an automation platform that connects over 6,000 different apps to streamline workflows. Founded in 2012, Zapier currently supports over 2.2 million businesses automate their workflows, from startups to Fortune 100 companies. Only raising $1.3 million funding in 2012, Zapier has grown exponentially under Wade’s leadership and was valued at $5 billion in 2021.

Sarah Jessica Parker is a renowned actress and an accomplished entrepreneur, known for her iconic role as Carrie Bradshaw in the hit TV series "Sex and the City." In addition to her successful acting career, Parker ventured into the wine industry, partnering with Invivo Wines to create her own collection, ‘Invivo X, SJP.’ The multi Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actress also established a presence in the fashion industry with her own line of clothing and accessories, SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker.

Joanne Wilson is an early-stage angel investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist with over 150 companies in her investment portfolio such as Food52 and Eater. Her latest venture, Gotham, is a female-founded cannabis concept space that curates and shares one-of-a-kind products, art, and experiences that reflect New York’s rich history and influence. She currently sits on the board of The Highline and The Public Housing Community Fund in NYC.

Mike Cessario is the CEO and Co-Founder of Liquid Death, a forward thinking healthy beverage start-up with the branding and flare of an energy drink. Pulling from his marketing and creative directing experiences, Mike turned his passion for health into a $700 million business. In just a short amount of time, he’s built the fastest growing water brand in the country, collaborating with celebrities such as Tony Hawk, Travis Barker, and Steve O.

Aerin Lauder is the Founder & Creative Director of AERIN, a global luxury lifestyle brand. Granddaughter of Estée Lauder, the founder of her eponymous cosmetics brand, Aerin has been key to supporting the growth and success of the family-owned luxury giant and currently serves as the Style and Image Director for her family brand. Aerin has emerged as a distinct voice in the world of beauty, fashion, and home décor with her AERIN brand, following in the entrepreneurial footsteps of her grandmother.

Gary Hirshberg is the CEO of the Hirshberg Entrepreneurship Institutes and Co-Founder of Stonyfield Farm, the world’s leading organic yogurt producer. Gary was previously on the Boards of many organic and natural brands including Annie’s, Honest Tea, and Sweetgreen and currently continues to serve on several corporate plant based boards. He is the author of Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World, and was awarded a 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award by the US EPA.

Godard Abel is the Co-Founder and CEO of G2, the largest and most trusted software marketplace, making B2B tech buying easy by connecting buyers to vendors based on authentic customer reviews and real-time ratings of business software and services. Previously, Godard built cloud CPQ pioneers BigMachines (acquired by Oracle) and SteelBrick (acquired by Salesforce). He is also chairman of Logik.io and ThreeKit, helping to create the next generation of configuration technology.

Col Needham is the Founder and CEO of IMDb, the world's most popular and authoritative source for information on movies, TV shows and celebrities. Col created IMDb from a personal database of movie information which he created as a teenager, combined data collected on the Internet in the late 1980s and 1990s. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Amazon’s acquisition of IMDb in 1998, one of Amazon‘s first-ever acquisitions.

Constance Schwartz-Morini is a Co-Founder and CEO of SMAC Entertainment (Sports, Media and Culture), a talent management firm, business incubator, and production company launched in 2010 with Michael Strahan. She is a producer of ABC’s “$100,000 Pyramid,” the new documentary “BS High” on HBO/MAX and “Coach Prime” on Prime Video. Constance also is a co-founder of several consumer lines, including WEAR by Erin Andrews, Michael Strahan™, and Snoop Doggie Doggs.