Growth vs innovation, scale vs stability, founders vs CEOs? High-performing scale-ups from around the world ask Reid their urgent strategic questions. This episode features Endeavor’s Outliers – the fastest-growing, highest-performing entrepreneurs from this global incubator.
The secret to massive scale? Be a platform. Build a virtuous cycle where everyone wins, and you’ll emerge the biggest winner of all. This is what Tobi Lütke did when he built Shopify – and then opened it up to the world.
When’s the right time for hypergrowth? Should you take investment when you don’t need the money? How do you deal with an exhausted team? A global panel of entrepreneurs from Endeavor ask Reid Hoffman their questions about raising capital, pivoting their product, bootstrapping vs. blitzscaling and more.
How did Bill Gates scale both a global business and a global philanthropy? He spotted an inflection point in history — and accelerated it, with a great idea, great timing and great partners. Because even Bill Gates doesn’t go it alone. In Part 1 of a two-part episode, Bill reflects with Reid on the founding and growth of Microsoft — how he not only spotted an inflection point (hello, PCs) but accelerated it to massive scale (forget PCs, let’s talk software platforms).
How do you gain your users’ trust? How do you build a team and company culture at the same time? Reid Hoffman answers questions from eight early-stage entrepreneurs all over the world. Co-hosted with Jason Feifer, editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur magazine.
When Anne Wojcicki co-founded 23andMe, she carved out a brand-new space in personal health — helping people become experts on their bodies right down to the DNA level. Then the federal regulators came calling. But instead of trying to outwit, sneak past or straight-up fight the FDA in the name of moving fast, Wojcicki made the call to work with regulators directly and collaboratively. Hear how (and why) she embraced red tape. Cameo appearance: Daniel Ek of Spotify.
Gwyneth Paltrow transitioned from Hollywood star to start-up founder with her lifestyle brand Goop by leaning into what she knew, embracing what she didn’t, and coming up with strategies to fill the gap.
You can bootstrap your business to scale, but you’ll have to make your own luck. Nobody knows this better than Mailchimp’s Ben Chestnut. He used a DIY ethos to grow a $600M company without ever raising a dollar of outside funding. The Mailchimp story is the exception to Reid’s rule (Generally: Raise more money than you think you need!). The episode explores a range of options for those who don’t fit the VC-funding mold for any set of reasons. Cameo appearances: LeVar Burton (Star Trek, Reading Rainbow, LeVar Burton Reads), Don MacKinnon (Milq), Karen Cahn (iFundWomen).
We’re back with season four — and part two of our turning the tables episode with Reid Hoffman. (If you missed part one, go listen now!) In this episode, we follow Reid through PayPal, LinkedIn (and Microsoft’s acquisition), and Greylock, and catch up him as host of Masters of Scale — all the while proving our theory that you can chart an epic journey to scale if you make everyone a heron along the way. Hosted by June Cohen, executive producer of Masters of Scale and CEO of WaitWhat.
In this special episode, we turn the tables on host Reid Hoffman. He’s the guest and we tell his story, while proving a theory that’s perfect for Reid: You can chart an epic journey to scale, if you make everyone a hero along the way. Guest Host is June Cohen, Executive Producer of Masters of Scale, CEO of WaitWhat, and former Executive Producer of TED.
To survive your entrepreneurial journey, you have to learn to recharge. In fact, knowing when to turn the lights out may be key to keeping the lights on. But you have to know when and HOW to refuel. Few know this better than Arianna Huffington, who dramatically scaled the Huffington Post — and then experienced profound physical burnout. Her venture Thrive Global now scales the idea of balance across an organization.
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 and women’s wardrobes transformed.