Latest Interviews
Showing 1–5 of 5 interview transcripts.
Clear all filters- Goldman Sachs7 min
Sara Blakely: Fireside Chat
Sara Blakely, Kathy Elsesser, John F.W. Rogers, Kevin McCarthy, Tyler Perry, Danny Meyer, Sarah Kauss, Wilbur L. Ross, Michael Bloomberg, Gina Raimondo, Rick Snyder, Marco Rubio, Lloyd Blankfein, Richard Branson, Warren Buffett
Sarah Blakley founded Spanx with $5,000 to solve the issue of visible panty lines for women wearing white pants, despite lacking formal business training or industry connections. After facing initial skepticism from manufacturers, she leveraged a childhood culture that rewarded failure to build a company culture centered on public error disclosure and challenging industry norms. Her strategy of deviating from standard practices enabled the creation of a footless pantyhose product that revolutionized the hosiery market and generated significant breakthroughs.
- Goldman Sachs56 min
Sarah Kauss: Starting Up and Going Global
Sarah Kauss, Jo Natauri, John F.W. Rogers, Kevin McCarthy, Tyler Perry, Danny Meyer, Wilbur L. Ross, Sara Blakely, Michael Bloomberg, Gina Raimondo, Rick Snyder, Marco Rubio, Lloyd Blankfein, Richard Branson, Warren Buffett
After gaining experience as a CPA during the dot-com era, Sarah Kaus founded Swell to combine fashion-forward hydration with a mission to reduce plastic waste. Under her leadership, the company expanded from a single boutique concept into a global brand stocked in 2,200 U.S. stores and major partners like Starbucks and Target. Kaus now guides a 100-person team with a philosophy that prioritizes financial self-sufficiency, rigorous quality control, and a culture that blends aggressive scaling with core environmental values.
- Goldman Sachs1h 1m
Danny Meyer: Shaking it Up: Stories of Success from a Disruptor
Danny Meyer, Tim O'Neill, John F.W. Rogers, Kevin McCarthy, Tyler Perry, Sarah Kauss, Wilbur L. Ross, Sara Blakely, Michael Bloomberg, Gina Raimondo, Rick Snyder, Marco Rubio, Lloyd Blankfein, Richard Branson, Warren Buffett
Danny Meyer launched Union Square Cafe in 1985 by applying an "enlightened hospitality" philosophy that prioritizes employee well-being over profit, a strategy that transformed a struggling neighborhood eatery into a cultural icon following a pivotal New York Times review. This approach evolved into the Union Square Hospitality Group, which expanded to include Shake Shack and over 100 locations globally by institutionalizing a culture where leaders act as "culture carriers" and growth is driven by a specific stakeholder hierarchy. Meyer's career demonstrates how maintaining core values while aggressively pruning non-performing assets allows an organization to scale without losing its soul or financial stability.
- Goldman Sachs36 min
A Creative Empire: Tyler Perry's Life Lessons
Tyler Perry, Harvey Schwartz, John F.W. Rogers, Kevin McCarthy, Danny Meyer, Sarah Kauss, Wilbur L. Ross, Sara Blakely, Michael Bloomberg, Gina Raimondo, Rick Snyder, Marco Rubio, Lloyd Blankfein, Richard Branson, Warren Buffett
Tyler Perry leveraged a childhood desire to escape poverty to transition from a struggling playwright with only forty-five acquaintances to the founder of a 330-acre studio empire that rivals Universal and hosts major productions like *Black Panther*. Through seven years of personal reinvestment and the early cultivation of a two-million-person email list, he scaled his work to financial independence before constructing a workplace culture defined by optional prayer and deep respect for his 400 direct staff. Currently, Perry uses the revenue from his commercial "Madea" franchise to fund ambitious artistic visions while maintaining a leadership philosophy centered on faith and the belief that his success serves as a testament to limitless possibilities for future generations.
- Goldman Sachs15 min
Rep. Kevin McCarthy: Standing Up for Small Businesses
Kevin McCarthy, John F.W. Rogers, Tyler Perry, Danny Meyer, Sarah Kauss, Wilbur L. Ross, Sara Blakely, Michael Bloomberg, Gina Raimondo, Rick Snyder, Marco Rubio, Lloyd Blankfein, Richard Branson, Warren Buffett
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican with deep roots in the state's energy and agricultural sectors, outlines his journey from early entrepreneurial ventures to crafting bipartisan legislation like the Jobs Act. He argues that small businesses are the nation's primary job creators and urges owners to build direct, sustained relationships with lawmakers to overcome capital and training hurdles. Drawing on historical symbolism from the Gettysburg Address and Washington Crossing the Delaware, McCarthy concludes by calling for cross-party collaboration to address long-term challenges and forge a more perfect union.