Episode 217: Innovation and Expansion

Episode 217 originally broadcast on August 01, 2009

Jimmy Jongebloed took his new patented idea to one of the world’s largest eyewear shows in Milan and was told, “I hope you run out of money. I hope you FAIL!” Russ interviews the founder of Gripping Eyewear, and presents a story of making your own luck, of tenacity and never losing your sense of humor. Then, flash back to a segment from the BusinessMakers Overtime, our new mid-week podcast with Esther Steinfeld and Katie Laird.

School of Business 08/01/2009

Russ and John present the not-your-business-as-usual school, but a school meant to polish the minds of its participants. Includes: BusinessMakers Quote of the Week—words of timely wisdom from Marcus Cicero in the year 55BC; This Week in Business History includes such happy topics as Dom Perignon, the Whiskey Rebellion against taxes, San Francisco cable cars and Jerry Garcia; Navigating Business Jargon—acronyms, technospeak and trendy new stuff; and Dumbest Moments in Business History—Stimulus dollars are updating America’s toilets.

Jimmy Jongebloed - Gripping Eyewear Inc.

Jimmy Jongebloed took his new patented idea to one of the world’s largest eyewear shows in Milan, thinking he had a great product that the entire industry would want. The Big Guys at the conference told him, “I hope you run out of money. Leave me alone. I hope you FAIL!” Jongebloed believed in his product, so decided to make his own eyewear and sell it through Infomercials. Today he sells his eyewear in 14 countries and is the exclusive manufacturer and distributor to Paris Hilton Eyewear. This is a story of making your own luck, of tenacity and never losing your sense of humor.

Flashback - BusinessMakers Overtime

Russ flashes back to Wednesday’s Overtime, our new mid-week podcast, when Esther Steinfeld and Katie Laird review the week’s BusinessMakers Show. In this segment, Esther and Katie compare the digital music industry with the growth of the social media craze.

PKF Texas: The Entrepreneur’s Playbook® - Social Networking Boundaries

The increasing popularity of social media can be a hindrance or a career builder and ultimately will require its users to determine its role in their professional lives. Greg Price has some great tips for making social media work for you.