https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/building-empires--7248253


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/building-empires--7248253/support.]]>enSociety & CultureHustleStudios Podcast Networkhttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/a66399456d09dbda2c7c8912e8d4472d.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/building-empires--7248253Thu, 27 Aug 2026 10:10:32 +0000HustleStudios Podcast NetworkHustleStudios Podcast Networkhustlestudioph@gmail.comThe real stories behind companies you use every day. Failures, pivots, near-bankruptcies, lucky breaks. Not the LinkedIn version — the messy truth.


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/building-empires--7248253/support.]]>false37174f85-2a2a-5add-bc31-2f3d024fad54episodicSupport the podcast!https://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-lego-nearly-died-and-the-outsider-who-saved-it--74281586
This episode is a study in focus, restraint, and the arithmetic of survival.

Chapters:
00:00 The Number in the Meeting Room
05:30 A Carpenter in Billund
13:00 The Golden Decades
20:30 The Diversification Frenzy
29:00 The Outside Consultant
35:00 The Cuts
42:30 The Part Count
50:00 The Adult Fans
55:30 The Movie and the Licensing Machine
61:00 Three Lessons from Billund

If you enjoy deep business case studies told without the usual bromides, check out Unusual Apocalypse, a podcast about strange, unexpected end-of-the-world scenarios and the odd ways civilizations come undone. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.

For a closer look at the inventions that reshaped how we live, try The Innovation Lab. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Building Empires is part of the HustleStudios network.

#Business #Entrepreneurship #LEGO #Strategy #Leadership

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/building-empires--7248253/support.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74281586Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:26:31 +0000HustleStudios Podcast NetworkIn the winter of two thousand and three, accountants walked into a meeting room at the Lego factory in Billund, Denmark, and delivered a number that should have killed the company. Lego was burning roughly one million dollars every single day,...
This episode is a study in focus, restraint, and the arithmetic of survival.

Chapters:
00:00 The Number in the Meeting Room
05:30 A Carpenter in Billund
13:00 The Golden Decades
20:30 The Diversification Frenzy
29:00 The Outside Consultant
35:00 The Cuts
42:30 The Part Count
50:00 The Adult Fans
55:30 The Movie and the Licensing Machine
61:00 Three Lessons from Billund

If you enjoy deep business case studies told without the usual bromides, check out Unusual Apocalypse, a podcast about strange, unexpected end-of-the-world scenarios and the odd ways civilizations come undone. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.

For a closer look at the inventions that reshaped how we live, try The Innovation Lab. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Building Empires is part of the HustleStudios network.

#Business #Entrepreneurship #LEGO #Strategy #Leadership

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/building-empires--7248253/support.]]>3636false3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-accidental-billionaire-who-started-spanx--73732330
In this episode of Building Empires, Daniel Cross tells the origin story of Sara Blakely and Spanx -- from the $5,000 savings account to the Oprah Winfrey moment that changed everything. Featuring Rafael "Rafi" Dominguez as Sara Blakely.

CHAPTERS:
0:00 - The LSAT Failure
2:30 - Disney World and the Fax Machine Years
6:00 - The Cut Pantyhose Moment
9:30 - Two Years of Development
12:00 - The North Carolina Rejection Tour
15:30 - The Breakthrough Call
18:00 - The $750 Patent
20:00 - The Neiman Marcus Restroom Demo
23:00 - Oprah's Favorite Things
26:00 - Revenue Explosion
28:00 - The Dinner Table Question
30:00 - The Billion-Dollar Valuation

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/building-empires--7248253/support.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73732330Mon, 10 Aug 2026 01:33:40 +0000HustleStudios Podcast NetworkWhat happens when a woman who failed the LSAT, sold fax machines door-to-door, and had zero fashion industry experience decides to reinvent an entire product category? She cuts the feet off her pantyhose and builds a billion-dollar empire. In this...
In this episode of Building Empires, Daniel Cross tells the origin story of Sara Blakely and Spanx -- from the $5,000 savings account to the Oprah Winfrey moment that changed everything. Featuring Rafael "Rafi" Dominguez as Sara Blakely.

CHAPTERS:
0:00 - The LSAT Failure
2:30 - Disney World and the Fax Machine Years
6:00 - The Cut Pantyhose Moment
9:30 - Two Years of Development
12:00 - The North Carolina Rejection Tour
15:30 - The Breakthrough Call
18:00 - The $750 Patent
20:00 - The Neiman Marcus Restroom Demo
23:00 - Oprah's Favorite Things
26:00 - Revenue Explosion
28:00 - The Dinner Table Question
30:00 - The Billion-Dollar Valuation

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/building-empires--7248253/support.]]>1836false2fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-airbnb-almost-died-three-times--73684888
Today's case: How Airbnb Almost Died Three Times.

This is Episode 73684888 of Building Empires — the show that examines the cases, suspects, and investigations that didn't get the spotlight they deserved.

What we cover in this episode:
• The victim: who they were and what happened
• The investigation: what police did, what they missed
• The suspects: who was looked at, who wasn't
• The evidence: what the forensic team found
• The verdict: where the case stands now

Subscribe so you never miss a case. Listener tips welcome — we follow up on everything.

Subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star review — every share helps us reach the next listener.

#howairbnbalmostdiedthreetimes #TrueCrime #CrimePodcast #ColdCase #MysteryPodcast #CrimeFiles

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/building-empires--7248253/support.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73684888Sat, 08 Aug 2026 23:12:47 +0000HustleStudios Podcast NetworkIn this episode of Building Empires, we dig into the case file on How Airbnb Almost Died Three Times. Today's case: How Airbnb Almost Died Three Times. This is Episode 73684888 of Building Empires — the show that examines the cases, suspects, and...
Today's case: How Airbnb Almost Died Three Times.

This is Episode 73684888 of Building Empires — the show that examines the cases, suspects, and investigations that didn't get the spotlight they deserved.

What we cover in this episode:
• The victim: who they were and what happened
• The investigation: what police did, what they missed
• The suspects: who was looked at, who wasn't
• The evidence: what the forensic team found
• The verdict: where the case stands now

Subscribe so you never miss a case. Listener tips welcome — we follow up on everything.

Subscribe, share, and leave us a 5-star review — every share helps us reach the next listener.

#howairbnbalmostdiedthreetimes #TrueCrime #CrimePodcast #ColdCase #MysteryPodcast #CrimeFiles

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/building-empires--7248253/support.]]>1087false11full