World's Greatest Business Thinkers

Special thanks to Triangle for sponsoring this episode. Triangle's founder, Matt, is offering a complimentary one-hour strategy session for founders seeking to grow their personal brand. I can't recommend this service enough, and get in quick as there are only three remaining slots available this month!

Get in touch at matt@mattswain.com or book directly at https://www.triangle-branding.com/book-a-call
 
What if the most successful companies of the future are the ones that give back more than they take? 
In this episode of World's Greatest Business Thinkers, host Nick Hague sits down with sustainability strategist, driver of change, and Net Positive co-author Andrew Winston to explore how businesses can move beyond minimizing harm and start creating measurable positive impact. 
They discuss why purpose-driven companies build stronger competitive advantages, how the five principles of net positive leadership reshape strategy, and why true impact requires looking across the entire value chain. Andrew shares lessons learned from companies like Unilever and Tony's Chocolonely to explain how leaders can build collective courage through partnerships.  Nick and Andrew also discuss how AI can drive operational efficiency while simultaneously preparing organizations for workforce disruption. Be sure to listen in to this conversation about why creating a better world may be the smartest business strategy today. 
What You Will Learn:
How to reframe sustainability as a profit driver, not a cost

The Five Core Principles framework for building a net positive enterprise

Why the Unilever vs. Kraft Heinz battle reveals the future of corporate strategy

How to identify and measure what actually matters in your business

Why collective courage, not individual heroism, drives meaningful change 

How to navigate the AI revolution without repeating past sustainability mistakes

 
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here.
 
About the Guest:
Andrew Winston is a globally recognized sustainability strategist, author, speaker, and advisor helping companies build strategies that create value for business, society, and the planet. Named to the Thinkers50 2021 list of top management thinkers, Andrew is the coauthor of Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take and author of The Big Pivot and Green to Gold. For over 20 years, he has worked with leading organizations, including Unilever, HP, PepsiCo, Marriott, and PwC, to navigate sustainability, innovation, and long-term growth. His writing has appeared in Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, and other leading publications.
 
Quotes:
"We felt that the kind of flag we needed to plant was to say that businesses need to be regenerating, helping heal at the same time, so that they are profiting and growing by improving the world, and improving the lives of all their stakeholders. The core question we ask throughout the book is: Is the world better off because your business is in it? It's not the kind of question we're taught in business school, which is really remarkable when you think about it."

"We've gotten into a kind of fifty-year period where the purpose of business is apparently just being short-term profits for shareholders. But the system optimizes for profits, and that generates quality of life for people; it's not nothing. But it doesn't actually optimize for making sure we have a thriving world for all, and that's really the ultimate purpose of our mission."

"To set yourself up for the future and innovate requires some courage, to sometimes kill things you've done very well for a long time because somebody else will. Businesses have gotten much more conservative, not politically, but in terms of innovation and driving their thinking. That's a shame, and it also means we're not maybe innovating as much as we could."

"When you take ownership, think long-term, engage multiple stakeholders, and commit to partnership, it yields shareholder value. Shareholder value is the fifth principle, but it's shareholders, not only. It's what causes the shareholder value: a mode of business that creates value over time and builds and compounds."

 
Keywords:
Primary Keywords (Core Themes): net positive business, sustainable business practices, corporate sustainability, business purpose and profit, stakeholder capitalism, environmental responsibility, social impact business, regenerative business model, long-term value creation, business ethics and values
Secondary Keywords (Related Subtopics): supply chain sustainability, corporate social responsibility, ESG investing, green business strategy, climate action for companies, sustainable leadership, business transformation, stakeholder engagement, purpose-driven companies, value chain management, living wages, biodiversity metrics, community impact measurement, sustainable materials
 
Episode Resources:
Andrew Winston on LinkedIn

Andrew Winston Website

Net Positive Book

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Apple Podcasts

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Spotify

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on YouTube

Special thanks to Triangle for sponsoring this episode. Triangle's founder, Matt, is offering a complimentary one-hour strategy session for founders seeking to grow their personal brand. I can't recommend this service enough, and get in quick as there are only three remaining slots available this month!

Get in touch at matt@mattswain.com or book directly at https://www.triangle-branding.com/book-a-call
 
What if the biggest opportunities for building wealth aren't found in technology or venture capital, but in the overlooked businesses around you?
In this episode of World's Greatest Business Thinkers, host Nick Hague sits down with Nick Huber, founder of Storage Squad and author of The Sweaty Startup, to explore why "boring" service businesses often outperform flashy startups and how entrepreneurs can build sustainable companies from simple ideas. 
Nick shares his approach to validating opportunities quickly, mastering sales as the foundation of entrepreneurship, and creating systems that allow businesses to scale.
The conversation explores why delegation is essential for growth, why passive income is a myth, and how entrepreneurs can design businesses that support the life they actually want. Listeners will learn practical strategies for spotting opportunities, building teams, and playing the long game of entrepreneurship.
What You Will Learn:
How to identify overlooked opportunities in your local market

Why sales is the non-negotiable skill that determines your entrepreneurial ceiling

The framework for validating a business idea in five minutes instead of three months.

How to delegate without losing control, the "monkey on the back" principle

Why "delusional confidence" is a critical entrepreneurial asset

The hidden cost of entrepreneurship that social media won't tell you

How to build sustainable wealth by rejecting the "passive income" myth

Why geography creates an unbreakable competitive moat in service businesses

The critical life decision framework that most entrepreneurs ignore until it's too late

How to inject fun and sustainable pace into building multiple businesses

 
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts.
 
About the Guest:
Nick Huber is an entrepreneur and author known for championing the "sweaty startup" philosophy of building profitable, unglamorous service-based businesses that solve real problems in local markets. With a background in founding Storage Squad, a multi-state college storage business that grew to $1.5M in annual revenue over ten years, Huber has since expanded into real estate, recruiting, and construction engineering, managing over $120M in assets across 60+ properties. He is the author of *The Sweaty Startup*, which provides actionable strategies for founders seeking financial independence through proven, non-tech business models.
 
Quotes:
"I don't care about any of that. I think I can make a little bit of money here doing some math on how much the competitor in our town is making. They're not very good at what they do. I think I can do it a little bit better, and they're making a ton of money. That's the recipe, in my opinion, for an opportunity."

"I do not think entrepreneurship is right for everybody. I think it's right for a very small portion of people who are okay with chaos and are good salespeople. Every problem comes to you. You only hear about it if it's negative, if it's a bad thing. So I think that's right for a very small portion of the population, less than 1%."

"Dealing with stress is a muscle. You have to exercise that. You gotta go to the gym and lift weights. I think dealing with these uncomfortable situations, whether it be sales or people problems, it's a muscle you have to exercise. Your tolerance for stress increases."

"If you try to solve a fundamental problem in your town, if you close your laptop and look around you and figure out what problem is happening here, business starts to get a whole lot simpler and more approachable. You can trade your time for money at the beginning without taking all this risk. You can actually get paid to try it out by servicing some people."

 
Keywords:
Primary Keywords (Core Themes): sweaty startup, service-based business, entrepreneurship, sales skills, business fundamentals, local business opportunities, delegation, team building, cash flow management, business growth strategy, founder mindset, decision-making in business
Secondary Keywords (Related Subtopics): picking a business idea, competitive advantage, geographic moat, finding customers, hiring employees, problem-solving in business, uncommon business execution, business structure, profitability over growth, entrepreneur success factors, managing stress in business, scaling without venture capital
 
Episode Resources:
Nick Huber on LinkedIn

Nick Huber Website

The Sweaty Startup Book

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Apple Podcasts

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Spotify

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on YouTube

Special thanks to Triangle for sponsoring this episode. Triangle's founder, Matt, is offering a complimentary one-hour strategy session for founders seeking to grow their personal brand. I can't recommend this service enough, and get in quick as there are only three remaining slots available this month!

Get in touch at matt@mattswain.com or book directly at https://www.triangle-branding.com/book-a-call
 
What if the 35,000 decisions you make daily could actually align with your deepest values and drive real success?
In this episode of World's Greatest Business Thinkers, host Nick Hague sits down with Adrienne Adhami, author of Decisions That Matter, and co-founder of Part Two Agency, to explore how leaders can navigate the thousands of decisions they face every day with greater confidence and clarity. Adrienne shares a practical framework for separating high-stakes decisions from low-stakes ones, reducing decision fatigue, and aligning choices with personal values. 
The conversation examines the role of joy as a meaningful measure of success, the power of intuition as learned pattern recognition, and why uncertainty should be embraced rather than feared. Listeners will learn actionable strategies for making better decisions, avoiding analysis paralysis, and building a more intentional approach to leadership and life. 
What You Will Learn:
How to distinguish between high-stakes and low-stakes decisions 

The Six Rules of Engagement framework for structuring decisions 

Why values aren't virtuous abstractions but practical decision filters

The overlooked power of joy as a business metric

How to use the decision-making matrix to score competing options 

Why embracing uncertainty and reframing mistakes as data

 
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts.



About the Guest:
Adrienne Adhami is a bestselling author, podcast host, decision-making strategist, and co-founder of Part Two Agency. She has over 15 years of experience working with high-performing entrepreneurs, CEOs, and Olympic athletes across the health, wellness, and fitness industries. Her expertise spans habit formation, goal setting, decision-making, and leadership, developed through roles ranging from fitness trainer to Director of Innovation at a scaling fitness technology startup. She is the author of *The Power Hour* and *Decisions That Matter: How to Make Decisions in a World of Endless Choice*, where she introduces her proprietary six-rules framework for confident decision-making.
 
Quotes:
"The small, low-stakes decisions in personal and professional life, they really, really matter. When I think about it in the business context, you know, the small, mundane decisions around ownership of certain things, around team capacity, around culture, around work, there are so many small, mundane things that, little by little, they really add up. They are what defines the success of the company."

"It's more about uncovering what you already value and then questioning those. If you think about somebody in business, someone a professional leader who you really admire, someone who you aspire to be like, somebody whose work you find impressive and inspiring, what is it about them that you look up to, that you admire? Write the things down."

"There is a direct correlation between health outcomes and stress and things like the inverse of happiness and joy. When we lack those things, we're more likely to suffer from things like chronic illness, heart disease, diabetes, strokes. If the absence of joy can create these outcomes, then joy really is essential; it's not a frivolous thing, it's essential."

"Intuition isn't this woo-woo thing that's just a feeling. It's actually based on pattern recognition in the brain. Our brains take in hundreds and thousands and millions of data points, and we spot patterns and red flags. Your gut feeling is not random; listen to it, pay attention to it."

 
Keywords:
Primary Keywords (Core Themes): decision making frameworks, habit formation, goal setting, decision making process, business decision making, daily decisions, high stakes decisions, low stakes decisions, values-based decision making, decision matrix, uncertainty in business, regret and decision making, intuition and gut instinct, professional decision making
Secondary Keywords (Related Subtopics): six rules of engagement, decision filters, personal mission statement, core values identification, joy in work, professional joy, mental load management, digital boundaries, work-life balance, entrepreneurship mindset, mistake as learning opportunity, reversible decisions, pattern recognition, compounding effect of small decisions, impact assessment
 
Episode Resources:
Adrienne Adhami on LinkedIn

Part Two Agency Website

Decisions That Matter: How to Make Decisions In a World of Endless Choices Book

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Apple Podcasts

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Spotify

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on YouTube

Special thanks to Triangle for sponsoring this episode. Triangle's founder, Matt, is offering a complimentary one-hour strategy session for founders seeking to grow their personal brand. I can't recommend this service enough, and get in quick as there are only three remaining slots available this month!

Get in touch at matt@mattswain.com or book directly at https://www.triangle-branding.com/book-a-call


What if the blueprint for building a multi-million dollar business from scratch was sitting right in front of you?
In this episode of World's Greatest Business Thinkers, host Nick Hague speaks with Art Juedes and Rick Gering, co-founders of Eastbay,  about how a chance meeting at a Wisconsin 10K race led to the creation of Eastbay, one of the most influential mail-order athletic retailers in history. Starting with just 108 pairs of running shoes, they built a multi-million-dollar business by focusing relentlessly on direct customer access, operational excellence, and fast adaptation to customer behavior. 
The conversation explores how Eastbay survived supplier crises, built loyalty through community rather than marketing, and maintained a 40-year partnership grounded in trust and compromise. It's a masterclass in customer obsession, entrepreneurial resilience, and building enduring competitive advantage without massive capital. 
What You Will Learn:
How to build a competitive advantage through radical customer focus

Why operational excellence becomes your moat when you lack capital

The pivot principle: Let your customers redesign your business model: 

How to navigate supplier relationships when you're undercapitalized

Why trust and compromise are the non-negotiable foundations of long-term partnerships

The framework for decision-making under uncertainty

 
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions for doing this are here.
 
About Guest:
Rick Gering and Art Juedes are co-founders of East Bay, the pioneering mail-order athletic footwear retailer that revolutionized direct-to-consumer sports retail. Born two days apart in June 1952 in Warsaw, Wisconsin, these lifelong runners transformed their passion for athletics and customer service into a business empire that grew from a basement operation to a $35+ million enterprise before their 1997 sale to Foot Locker. Their expertise spans supply chain innovation, brand building in competitive markets, and creating loyal communities through exceptional customer experience, lessons forged during the "sneaker wars" of the 1980s and 90s, when they secured exclusive partnerships with Nike, Reebok, and emerging brands like Under Armour.
 
Quotes:
"We were at our wits' end trying to figure out how we would get product, how we would get shoes because we had no money. There were three of us who originally were going to go into it, and I had called Art to maybe be the fourth because he was the one who would have made it work. It was a number of chances all put together, by people who didn't really know what the end game was going to be." - Rick

"Our first sale became our second business plan. Once the kids tried the shoes on, they weren't giving them up; they were selling right there. The kids couldn't wait to get the shoes so much that they loved them, so we realized that our idea to take orders and send shoes later was out the door." - Art

"There weren't a lot of other distractions, so we really could focus on the athlete and our customer, listen and learn, and figure out what makes what's important to them. In a larger town, there's so much more noise that even the athletes get distracted. The big thing that we did differently than any other retail store is go directly to the kids." - Rick

"We decided to go all in on the Nike Air line. If that line didn't sell, we were toast. But it was a great seismic shift for East Bay because Jordan was a seismic shift in the shoe and footwear industry. Before that, everyone looked at athletic footwear as equipment, and after that, athletic footwear became part of your identity." - Art

Keywords:
Primary Keywords (Core Themes): East Bay running shoes, mail order business, sneaker entrepreneurship, direct-to-athlete business model, small town startup, customer-centric business strategy, athletic footwear industry, Nike Air Jordan partnership, business partnership success, mail order catalog strategy
Secondary Keywords (Related Subtopics): inventory management startup, supplier relationships Nike Reebok, business pivots adaptation, catalog marketing strategy, mail order logistics, athletic retail innovation, team sports sales, sneaker culture history, vertical integration business, customer service excellence, competitive advantage small business
 
Episode Resources:
The Book of Eastbay on Amazon

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Apple Podcasts

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Spotify

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on YouTube

Special thanks to Riverside for sponsoring this episode. Try Riverside Pro free for one month by visiting creators.riverside.com/NickHague and use the code "WGBT podcast".
 
What if hospitality wasn't just about service, but about making people feel genuinely seen?
In this episode of World's Greatest Business Thinkers, Will Guidara joins Nick Hague to explore why hospitality is one of the most practical and profitable business strategies available. Drawing from his experience transforming Eleven Madison Park into the world's best restaurant, Guidara explains the difference between service and hospitality, why making people feel seen creates lasting loyalty, and how intentional systems can scale spontaneous acts of kindness. 
He unpacks his five-pillar culture framework: Excellence, Communication, Collaboration, Feedback, and Repair, and shares actionable lessons on hiring, leadership, and customer experience. From the famous "hot dog moment" to overlooked emotional touchpoints, this conversation reveals how unreasonable hospitality creates unforgettable brands and energized teams. 
What You Will Learn:
How to distinguish service from hospitality and why it drives customer loyalty.

The "Dreamweaver" hiring model that scales spontaneous acts of generosity 

Why excellence is the prerequisite for hospitality, not a luxury add-on

The five interconnected cultures that create unreasonable hospitality

How to hire for chemistry and cultural fit while simplifying job requirements

The overlooked touch points that create the greatest emotional impact

 
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here.
 
About Guest:
Will Guidara is a hospitality strategist, author, and former restaurateur best known for transforming Eleven Madison Park into the world's number-one restaurant. With a background rooted in family values, shaped profoundly by his parents' resilience and commitment to service, Guidara has built a philosophy centered on "unreasonable hospitality": the intentional choice to invest relentless creativity and intention into how people feel, not just what they receive. His bestselling book *Unreasonable Hospitality* (over 1 million copies sold) and its practical companion *The Unreasonable Hospitality Field Guide* translate his restaurant expertise into actionable strategies for leaders across industries. 
Will's insights on building high-performing teams, creating cultures of excellence, and delivering transformative customer experiences make him an essential voice for ambitious leaders seeking to move beyond transactional business toward meaningful human connection.
 
Quotes:
"I fell in love with hospitality through the interchange between my mom, my dad, and me. We were a family that was centered on caring for her, and watching how my dad never felt bad for himself in doing that, in fact, to the contrary, he clearly derived pleasure from it, which inspired me to also derive pleasure from it."

"Adversity is a terrible thing to waste. When I think about some of the most jarring and disappointing and adverse moments I've experienced in my life, I can now look back at almost all of them with gratitude because I don't believe I would have gone on to do what I did next or become the man I've become absent those experiences."

"What people don't do consistently enough is slow down when those things happen to try to more fully understand why the thing happened, such that they can build systems behind the idea and turn it into a consistent part of the culture. That's when you truly transform an organization."

"Service is the thing that you do, getting the right plate of food to the right person within the right amount of time. Hospitality is how you make people feel when you do those things. People will forget what you say, they will forget what you do, but they will never forget how you made them feel."





Keywords:
Primary Keywords (Core Themes): unreasonable hospitality, hospitality industry, customer experience, service excellence, culture building, restaurant management, 11 Madison Park, hospitality strategy, guest experience, business hospitality
 
Secondary Keywords (Related Subtopics): Dreamweaver position, peak end rule, service vs hospitality, customer journey mapping, hospitality culture, team building, feedback culture, collaborative leadership, experience design, brand loyalty, customer retention, emotional connection in business
 
Episode Resources:
Will Guidara on LinkedIn

Unreasonable Hospitality Website

Unreasonable Hospitality Book

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Apple Podcasts

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Spotify

World's Greatest Business Thinkers on YouTube

 
Triangle's founder, Matt, is offering a complimentary one-hour strategy session for founders seeking to grow their personal brand. I can't recommend this service enough, and get in quick as there are only three remaining slots available this month!

Get in touch at matt@mattswain.com or book directly at https://www.triangle-branding.com/book-a-call