Episode 004: How Todd Wagner (and Mark Cuban) Sold Broadcast.com To Yahoo! For $5.7 Billion
Todd Wagner is one of the reasons I started this podcast. I wished I had recorded the original conversation I had with Todd last year. Fortunately, he was willing to come on and share so much of his incredible story with us all here on The Learning Leader Show. Todd is an amazing person. One of the nicest, most humble people I’ve ever met… You would think that someone who became a billionaire based purely on their own hard work would have an ego… That is not the case with Todd. He is such a giving person. I feel very fortunately to now call him a friend.
“You’re either going to buy us or you’re going to have to compete with us.” – Todd Wagner negotiating with executives at Yahoo!
Welcome to Episode 004 with the CEO of Chideo and former CEO of Broadcast.com, Todd Wagner
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The Learning Leader Show
“Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” – John Wooden
Some Questions I Ask:
- What was it like negotiating with Yahoo!?
- What was it like when you became a billionaire after the sale to Yahoo!?
- Describe to us what it’s like to work with Mark Cuban
- Why is the sales process important?
- Why did you start Chideo?
- What specific things can people do to get outside of their comfort zone?
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
- The two questions he asks every entrepreneur he meets
- What it was like to pitch “Chideo” to President Bill Clinton
- Specifics behind leaping outside of your comfort zone and the importance of it
- The importance of loyalty to others
- What it’s like to work with Mark Cuban
- His original goals when he was growing his business
- How he and his Broadcast.com team celebrated
- How he is working on balance in his life (but it’s hard)
- Much, much more
“Mark is a brother to me.” – Todd Wagner describing his relationship with Mark Cuban
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You may also like these episodes:
Episode 001: How to become a master connector with Jayson Gaignard from MasterMind Talks
Episode 003: How to take over and set bigger goals with Chris Brogan
Episode 003: The incredibly interesting story of Maurice Clarett and how he built a 6 figure income after spending 4 years in prison
Episode 009: The Creative Leader’s Guide to making money by thinking outside of the Box with Jason Zook (SurfrApp)
Did you enjoy the podcast?
Having the ability to record with Todd was incredibly special to me. I am very fortunate to have met him and learned so much from him. I loved this episode. Who do you know that needs to hear this? Send them to The Learning Leader Show!
Bio:
In 1995, Todd joined fellow Indiana alumnus Mark Cuban to launch AudioNet, which broadcast live sporting events and radio stations over the Internet. As CEO of AudioNet, Todd grew the company to employ some 300 people and expanded its offerings to include corporate events and business services. In 1998, the company’s name was changed to Broadcast.com, and under the stewardship of Wagner and Cuban, went public. The Broadcast.com IPO set an opening-day record, with shares climbing 249% from an offering price of $18 to closing price of $62.75. In 1999, Broadcast.com was sold to Yahoo! For $5.7 billion. Wagner continued to lead the business as a division of Yahoo! Until May 2000, when he declined an offer to become Yahoo!’s Chief Operating Officer to focus on other interests.
Todd has since created Chideo with the goal of raising hundreds of millions of dollars for charities. It is an interactive broadcast network featuring exclusive content by celebrities who want to promote their favorite charities or nonprofits.
Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell
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