That Will Never Work

Mitch Lowe, a veteran film executive who paved the way for Netflix and disrupted the industry with MoviePass, joins Ben Chow, founder of We Drive-Ins, which turns urban parking lots into drive-in theaters. They delve into the challenges Ben faces with studio licensing for daytime displays, exploring the nostalgic role of drive-ins in cinema culture. Mitch shares insights on overcoming legacy studio restrictions and offers practical strategies for Ben to gain approval and scale his innovative concept.

Matt Kean, founder of the UK-based scare attraction Frightmare, delves into the intriguing concept of running a business for just six months a year while embracing a van-life lifestyle. He shares how his seasonal event garners 15,000 attendees and the year-round support crew needed for success. Marc and Matt explore the challenges of structuring jobs for seasonal work, maintaining company culture from afar, and empowering employees to make decisions in his absence. Can a founder truly balance work and travel? Tune in to find out!

Christina Fisher, founder of The Messy Cookie, transformed her home bakery into a thriving virtual team-building event provider. She discusses how her cookie decorating kits gained traction during the pandemic. Despite initial success, she's grappling with the challenge of securing repeat business from corporate clients. The conversation dives into strategies for evolving from a product to a brand, emphasizing the importance of creating memorable experiences. Christina's journey sheds light on the significance of customer insights and innovative offerings to stimulate ongoing engagement.

Alex Koefman, a neurosurgeon and co-founder of SurgeryTV, shares his vision for revolutionizing surgical video archiving with a smartphone app that streamlines processes for education and documentation. He discusses the reluctance of medical device companies to partner, despite the clear benefits of his solution. The conversation dives into the challenges of outdated systems, ways to appeal to manufacturers’ interests, and strategies for cultivating surgeon advocacy to drive change. It's a fascinating look at integrating innovation within a resistant industry!

Mark Walsh, Founder and CEO of Kwizzbit, shares his journey pivoting from pub quizzes to a cloud-based trivia platform during the pandemic. He discusses the rapid scaling challenges of accommodating up to 100,000 players and the importance of team dynamics in leadership transitions. Mark reflects on his business models, customer base, and the delicate balance between personal touches and scalability. With insights on nurturing company culture and making tough decisions, he provides valuable advice for entrepreneurs navigating growth.

There are few industries more resistant to disruption than education… But despite the odds, this week’s guest Benny Boas seems to be making some headway.   He’s the founder of Upright Education, a bootcamp-style program aimed at helping adult learners rapidly re-skill in tech. The course is intended to be white-labeled at colleges. But while the program runs at a fast pace, the company’s growth isn’t… The market changes so fast, shouldn’t it be self-evident to higher education institutions that the workforce needs to be able to re-skill just as fast?What could he be doing better to try to get colleges and learners on board? Dive into this episode to hear actionable tips for sales and marketing strategies that will help you tackle even the most resistant of industries.   Why not take a deeper dive? The paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never Work is out now in all good bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182 Want to be a guest on the show? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply.  While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social?Tw: @mbrandolphIG: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph  Marcrandolph.com

City red tape seems so baked into American life, that it stopped being a problem people even bothered trying to solve. But when Covid hit, it forced the opportunity for change. Businesses – especially restaurants - faced fast changing regulations and had to be able to get the new permits they needed to operate at speed, or face going under. No business, means no city tax and the city itself facing a funding shortfall.This presented the opening for this week’s guest Catherine Geanuracos to move forward her Los Angeles based company CityGrows, which streamlines the permitting process.This no-code, low-cost, subscription-based site requires little to no training, doing away with reams of paper and clunky, time consuming waits at the counter.So surely cities everywhere should be racing to sign up? Well… that next part is tricky… Listen in as Marc helps Catherine figure out how her red-tape cutting business can cut through the red tape itself. Why not take a deeper dive? The paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never is out now in all good bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182 Want to be a guest? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply.  While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social?Tw: @mbrandolphIG: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph  Marcrandolph.com

Where to put the mountains of trash humans create is a problem that only seems to keep growing. Recycling is one part of solving the problem… the other is having consumer products last longer so we don’t create as much garbage to begin with.  That’s the thinking of this week’s guest Chris Burrage, founder of San Francisco based Proclamation Goods.  With some savvy social media, the company’s core product – an ultra durable three-piece pan set – is becoming a sensation with the slow food set.  Its no-nonsense anti-coating, American-made vibe has led to design awards, a deal with Williams Sonoma and features in Food & Wine Magazine. But as the company moves out of boot-strap mode, Chris is still trying to figure out some management 101 - early team development and when and how to hire.  And delegation shouldn’t feel like a full time job in itself... right?Listen in for some savvy advice on actioning a hiring strategy that will help any CEO grow.   Why not take a deeper dive? The paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never Work is out now in all good bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182 Want to be a guest? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply.  While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social? Marc would love to hear from you:Tw: @mbrandolphIG: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph  Marcrandolph.com

Stephanie’s cracked the hardest part – her Austin, TX, designer boutiques have seen record growth this past year despite the pandemic.  She knows for a fact she’s taking sales away from the big hitters like Nordstroms, Revolve and Amazon - her customers just prefer the personal touch she brings to the sales experience. But now that she’s setting her sights on expanding into other cities she’s got a hurdle to overcome – if the reason her clients love Estilo is because the experience feels so unique, is that something that’s even scalable?   Listen in on this lively discussion as Marc workshops fascinating strategies for how to scale uniqueness. Want to take a deeper dive? The paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never is out now in all good bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182 Want to be a guest on That Will Never Work? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply.  While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/Feeling social? Marc would love to hear from you:Tw: @mbrandolphIG: @ThatWillNeverWork LinkedIn: Marcrandolph  

In the summer of 1998, Reed and I flew up to Seattle to meet with Jeff Bezos to discuss nothing other than potentially selling Netflix to Amazon. It was a decision that would have serious implications. Listen to me tell the whole story in this free chapter from the audiobook of the international bestseller: That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea, now available in Paperback!The paperback edition is out now in all good bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182