1 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts. 2 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:08,360 Speaker 2: Radio news. 3 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:19,159 Speaker 3: I sold Duppers dot Com, Amazon, and I wasn't I 4 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:22,320 Speaker 3: made generational wealth because I had nobody in my family 5 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:26,159 Speaker 3: ever made money before. But I was depressed. And my 6 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 3: co founder at the time of Vinnie Burr, we basically 7 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 3: both felt the same way. And after the money was 8 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 3: wired to our bank account, we sort of said, like, 9 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 3: we should be celebrating right now, and we're both like depressed, 10 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 3: and we went and we had a drink and we're 11 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:42,560 Speaker 3: just like, man, Like, it just goes to show you 12 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 3: wasn't about the money. Like the mission that we had 13 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 3: set out was kind of like crushed. Alex. 14 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: I feel like this is a very special episode of 15 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: the Deal in the sense that we're bringing your business 16 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: partner in for a different kind of conversation. Mark LORI, 17 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 1: who is he to you? 18 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 2: Well, he's one of my best friends. He's one of 19 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 2: my most important partners. He is a mentor, someone who 20 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 2: I look up to, someone who we learn a lot 21 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:15,119 Speaker 2: from each other, and quite honestly, has been a great 22 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 2: partnership because we have complimentary set of skills. 23 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: What I think about is this entrepreneur who keeps finding 24 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: these new ways to win. So you think about selling 25 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 1: diapers dot Com, that was a real company to Amazon 26 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: for more than five hundred million dollars. That actually is 27 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: an acquisition that he's not so happy with. So he 28 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,040 Speaker 1: goes and does it again. He creates jet dot Com, 29 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: sells that to Walmart, and as you say, from deck 30 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: to exit, in twenty six months, three plus billion dollars. 31 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:49,440 Speaker 2: What unbelievable. 32 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: And now he's onto the next thing. Wonder he talks 33 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: a lot about that. Big takeaway for me is his 34 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: willingness to just either make a mistake or change his mind. 35 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 1: You see, I would imagine almost every day talking to him, 36 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 1: he is truly a phenomenal talent. He talks about six gear, 37 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: which means working one hundred hours a week, twenty hours 38 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 1: a day. He has an incredible engine, and this is 39 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: his baby. 40 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:15,680 Speaker 3: Wonder. 41 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 2: He's raised over a billion dollars. He just finished a 42 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 2: seven hundred million dollar raise. The company just got a 43 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 2: praised at three point five billion dollars. 44 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:26,079 Speaker 1: I don't know if we have spent as much time 45 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: with anyone yet talking so in depth and in such 46 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: a nuanced way about entrepreneurship and the mechanics of it. 47 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: It's just fascinating to hear someone who can talk so 48 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: eloquently about what seemed to be soft things in very 49 00:02:43,800 --> 00:03:04,119 Speaker 1: hard terms. On this episode of The Deal, Mark Lori, So, Mark, 50 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: introduce yourself. 51 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 3: I'm Mark Laurie. I'm the founder and CEO of Wonder 52 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 3: Group and co owner with Alex in the Minnesota Timberwalls 53 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 3: and Links. 54 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 1: So we should say this is a little bit of 55 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: a different episode of the Deal, but I think that's 56 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:21,120 Speaker 1: the best place. Like how do you guys come together? 57 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,720 Speaker 1: Like how does this all happen that these two guys 58 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: are in business together. 59 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 2: What I'm going to start with you full disclosure, Mark 60 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 2: and I are partners in several businesses, including the timbleles 61 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 2: and the Links, as you said, But how we came 62 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 2: together it was actually funny. Is around COVID and we 63 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 2: had a mutual friend that kept telling me you have 64 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 2: to meet this Walmart guy. And I was like, well, 65 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:45,119 Speaker 2: I'm really busy with the Mets now, but I wasn't 66 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 2: expected to meet Mark, and we kind of hit it 67 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 2: off right away. We're both in New Yorkers, we both 68 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 2: have two daughters. We both come from like humble beginnings, 69 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 2: and I was like, wow, I don't know what this 70 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 2: means about, but I want to do something with Mark, 71 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 2: and that's kind of how it started. 72 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: What do you remember about that. 73 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 3: I remember being a big Yankees fan growing up a 74 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 3: New Yorker, heard things about Alex before we met, and 75 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 3: when we actually met on Zoom the first time, I 76 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 3: was just a little bit surprised at how down to 77 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 3: earthy was, how we shared a common set of values 78 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,320 Speaker 3: and he was different than I think the perception of 79 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 3: him in the world with me and others, and yeah, 80 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:23,679 Speaker 3: we just really hit it off. 81 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: Alex and I have had this interview circled on the 82 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 1: calendar for a long time because from my perspective for 83 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: where I said, this is one of the most fascinating partnerships, 84 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:34,719 Speaker 1: especially when it comes to sports. So let's talk about that, because, 85 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:37,919 Speaker 1: as you mentioned, you're in the midst of the Mets 86 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: deal when you guys meet, and that I believe creates 87 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: this catalyst for you guys to really come together. What 88 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:48,040 Speaker 1: was it about sports that appealed to you Mark? 89 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 3: For me, I don't know, it wasn't like, well, I 90 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 3: see a business opportunity to go after. It was driven 91 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 3: by a passion for sports. I think Alex and I 92 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 3: share this though, but we went to Minnesota and originally 93 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:02,839 Speaker 3: met with Glenn and Becky and they shared sort of 94 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 3: the thirty year history of the team and how the 95 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 3: city was sort of down on it. There's some events 96 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:11,719 Speaker 3: that happened in Minnesota, and it just sports have the 97 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:15,719 Speaker 3: ability to make people happy and aspire people and things. 98 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:19,280 Speaker 3: And were both like this underdog. We would like the underdog. 99 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:21,599 Speaker 3: We feel like we're underdogs, and we kind of just 100 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 3: felt this like story in Minnesota of the underdog, and 101 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 3: I think we just had this drive to say, man, 102 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:31,840 Speaker 3: let's get in there and really, let's put our energy 103 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:34,359 Speaker 3: into this and let's like help turn this thing around. 104 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 3: And if we do that, we could add a lot 105 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:41,600 Speaker 3: of collective happiness in the city, the fans. Players like 106 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 3: there was some drive for me. I don't know if 107 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 3: you felt the same way, but it was like the 108 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 3: money was second. There was like okay, and like NBA 109 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 3: is a great league, it's growing, it's progressive. These team 110 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:57,159 Speaker 3: valuations been going up. It's going to be a good investment. 111 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:00,680 Speaker 3: But it wasn't like we're just searching like pe Firm 112 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 3: or something, searching for some good investment. Interesting, it was 113 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:09,119 Speaker 3: really the story and the history of Minnesota that really 114 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:09,839 Speaker 3: was aspiring. 115 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 1: That gives me an opportunity to ask a question that 116 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 1: I've asked Alex before, but I really want to ask 117 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,159 Speaker 1: the two of you together, which is kind of getting 118 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 1: into this partnership because I would say I know a 119 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:22,160 Speaker 1: lot about him, I know a little bit about you, 120 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:23,480 Speaker 1: but like, how does it work. 121 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:26,600 Speaker 2: I'll go first because I think this will give you 122 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 2: an example. As I pulled the curtain back on our 123 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 2: early days, I hope you don't mind me sharing some finances, 124 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 2: but I'll do it anyways. So within the first ten 125 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:39,000 Speaker 2: days of Mark and I getting to know each other, 126 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 2: it went from wow, okay, like we're in the middle 127 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 2: of COVID, I'm in the middle of the Mets and 128 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 2: pursuing that acquisition. In the first ten days, Mark send 129 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,839 Speaker 2: over his finances, like just the sheet, like his whole 130 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 2: balance sheet. I was like, Okay, that was quick, Like no, Nda, no, 131 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:57,239 Speaker 2: I mean just send it to me. I was like, okay, 132 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,160 Speaker 2: this is aggressive when that's quite an attachment. Yeah, I 133 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:03,559 Speaker 2: mean that's like first date boom. And then the second 134 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 2: thing he did, he said, Hey, I like this. I 135 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 2: like the way we're driving here, I'm in for twenty 136 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 2: five million bucks. I'm like, wow, okay, finance is twenty 137 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 2: five million bucks within ten days. He was so invested. 138 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 2: He's like, I'm good for two hundred let's go. And 139 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 2: I was like, okay, this is my kind of partner man. 140 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 2: But it was example of him trusting his gut, him 141 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 2: being a New Yorker. We both loved the Mets. We 142 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:30,240 Speaker 2: thought it was an incredible opportunity. I would say, not 143 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 2: the greatest business opportunity, but an opportunity we can exercise 144 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 2: our passion what we can do for the city. We're 145 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 2: talking about how can we impact young kids? Are on math. 146 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:41,600 Speaker 2: He's a math guy. I'm a baseball guy. So that's 147 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 2: how we started. And I very quickly found out I 148 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:47,200 Speaker 2: wanted to do things with Mark outside of the Mets 149 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 2: and other things, and I can learn a lot from him, 150 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 2: and I thought our skills were very complimentary to each other. 151 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: What did you see in him? 152 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 3: I think I was really impressed with Alex's intellect and empathy. 153 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 3: I think we share a lot of the same core values. 154 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 3: I think that struck me. I think Alex is very trusting. 155 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 3: I think we know with trust comes from some great things, 156 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:13,400 Speaker 3: but there's also downside to it, and I think we're 157 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 3: both similar in accepting the downside. Sometimes you're overly trusting, 158 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 3: you get burned. That's kind of a byproduct, but there's 159 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 3: something magical that happens when you trust. I think we 160 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 3: were both like loyal. I think that's important. I think 161 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 3: we're both missionary, not mercenary. It's not about like every dollar, 162 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 3: every penny, like striking a deal. We deal make the 163 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:34,719 Speaker 3: same way. I think when we did the deal with 164 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:38,120 Speaker 3: Glenn and Becky, it was very much like just kind 165 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:40,320 Speaker 3: of tell us what you want and we're good. We 166 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:42,439 Speaker 3: didn't have to like squeeze or anything. And then I 167 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 3: think even when we operate on a data basis, we 168 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 3: do a lot of stuff handshake, there's like things that 169 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 3: we're signing together. It's very very trusting, so that builds, 170 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 3: that builds a bond. I think Alex is also incredibly knowledgeable, 171 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 3: obviously in sports and yes the business sports, but more 172 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:02,840 Speaker 3: he's been in and knows what it's like to be 173 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:05,720 Speaker 3: a player at the most elite level, and it's been 174 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 3: super helpful I think with helping to mentor the players 175 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:11,440 Speaker 3: on the walls understand what it means to create a 176 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:12,079 Speaker 3: great culture. 177 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 1: And so were you guys like texting all day? Like 178 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:16,080 Speaker 1: do you call each other? 179 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 3: Like what is that? 180 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:18,080 Speaker 1: What is this relationship? 181 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 3: Look like? 182 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:21,439 Speaker 2: Yeah, a lot. I mean sometimes we talked five or 183 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:23,679 Speaker 2: six times a day. I mean that's been the average lately. 184 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 2: But you know, even with Glenn and Becky, their experience 185 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:29,280 Speaker 2: was so good. When we went down to Apris in Minnesota, 186 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 2: we did not negotiate. He said the terms price, We 187 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 2: did it and. 188 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 3: We got in. 189 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 2: And in all the conversations we've had around the Timberwolves, 190 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 2: I don't think we've ever talked about revenues. It's really 191 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 2: been about how do we make it better? 192 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:45,320 Speaker 3: Inputs versus outputs exactly? Exactly would say more about that, 193 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:48,400 Speaker 3: inputs versus outputs. You know, like in a company, you 194 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 3: could either be focused on what is the revenue, what 195 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 3: is the profit? Those are like output numbers. I care 196 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:56,080 Speaker 3: less about that. I care more about the inputs that 197 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:58,839 Speaker 3: will lead to good outputs in the future. So making 198 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 3: sure because you can you can hit out get good 199 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 3: outputs with bad inputs. 200 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 1: So you're talking about like sustainable, the right hires, the 201 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:08,640 Speaker 1: right investments, the right I think in order to create 202 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: a sustainable culture of winning and eventually profit over a long. 203 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:16,200 Speaker 3: Sustain period of time. You have to make the right 204 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:19,719 Speaker 3: investments in the inputs that will lead to the outputs. 205 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 3: Maybe not today because it's an investment, but five or 206 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:24,320 Speaker 3: ten or twenty years down the road. 207 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:27,960 Speaker 1: So let's go back as we go through your business life. 208 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:30,400 Speaker 1: You know, as we were researching this, and obviously Alex 209 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:33,040 Speaker 1: knows so much about you already, and I've gotten a 210 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:35,120 Speaker 1: chance to talk to you a few times. But if 211 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:38,640 Speaker 1: you look at type in diapers dot com or jet 212 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: dot com into Google, they lead you just to some 213 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 1: interesting places. They led you to some interesting places too. 214 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: So take us into your life as an entrepreneur diapers 215 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:51,800 Speaker 1: dot com. Just let's start there. 216 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:55,560 Speaker 3: I have to say, though, I was born an entrepreneur. Yeah. Yeah, 217 00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:57,360 Speaker 3: When I was four years old, you know, the chief 218 00:10:57,440 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 3: just said what do you want to be when you 219 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 3: grow up? And I said, I want to be a farmer. 220 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:04,560 Speaker 3: And she was like, farmer. Why farmer? And I said, 221 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:06,960 Speaker 3: because they grow stuff from nothing. And that was sort 222 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:09,360 Speaker 3: of just the way I was sort of like born 223 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:11,559 Speaker 3: into the world. I loved the idea of growing stuff 224 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:13,719 Speaker 3: from nothing. As a kid, I didn't know anything other 225 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:16,680 Speaker 3: than farmer, grows stuff from nothing, didn't know about startups 226 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:19,000 Speaker 3: and things like that. And my parents had me when 227 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:20,560 Speaker 3: they were twenty years old. So I spent a lot 228 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 3: of time with my grandmother and grandfather, and so I 229 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 3: came home. I was the first person in my family 230 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:27,760 Speaker 3: ever to go to college. So I came home with 231 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:29,719 Speaker 3: this this crayon thing that said what do you want 232 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 3: to be when you grew up? And I said farmer? 233 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 3: And I showed it to my grandmother and she says farmer. No, No, 234 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 3: no doctor or lawyer. And I said no, no, farmer, 235 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:42,280 Speaker 3: doctor or lawyer. And she was wanting me to be, 236 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:45,880 Speaker 3: you know, the first professional, yeah, in the family. And yeah, 237 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 3: so I was. I did every entrepreneurial business you can 238 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 3: imagine as a kid, car wash, newspaper, route, recycling, baseball cards, lemonade, 239 00:11:54,679 --> 00:11:57,520 Speaker 3: stands like anything you could think of it did, And 240 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:00,600 Speaker 3: just was born with this sort of dry to want 241 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:04,079 Speaker 3: to like work hard and build something and. 242 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:06,000 Speaker 1: Entrepreneurial and casinos as well. 243 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:09,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, a little of that too, A little of that too. 244 00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 3: We used to go down to ac and sneak into 245 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:14,280 Speaker 3: the casino in high school, get all dressed up and 246 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:17,360 Speaker 3: like jacket and stuff like that and see how long 247 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:20,120 Speaker 3: we could stay there before we got kicked out on age. 248 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 3: But yeah, then I graduated in ninety three. It wasn't 249 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 3: like you would just go work for a startup at 250 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:29,199 Speaker 3: that time. It was still kind of early days of tech, 251 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 3: and so I went to work at a bank. Started 252 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:34,480 Speaker 3: out in Banker's Trust and then credits was first Boston 253 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:38,360 Speaker 3: San Jua Bank. So I was in financial risk management 254 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:42,720 Speaker 3: there and one day, like this is in the like 255 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:47,439 Speaker 3: late nineties, tech is booming, yeah, and all everyone's talking 256 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:50,600 Speaker 3: about is these like hot startups, tech companies and things, 257 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:53,679 Speaker 3: and I'd save a decent amount of money, and I 258 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 3: just one day said that's it. I'm going to be 259 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 3: an entrepreneur. I woke up that morning and said I'm 260 00:12:57,640 --> 00:12:59,720 Speaker 3: going to do it. I walked into my boss's office 261 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:03,320 Speaker 3: and I said I'm quitting to be an entrepreneur. And 262 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:05,280 Speaker 3: he's like what He's like, get out of here, go 263 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:07,920 Speaker 3: back to the work. You know much I'm paying you 264 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 3: is what he say. What he said, And I'm like, no, 265 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 3: I got to do this. He's like, all right, you 266 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:14,559 Speaker 3: must have a great idea, and I'm like no, I 267 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:18,120 Speaker 3: just need to do this because I'm like all in 268 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,000 Speaker 3: kind of guy, Like I was just doing banking so 269 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:25,480 Speaker 3: intensely I couldn't like focus. So he said, you're serious. 270 00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 3: I said yeah. He said, all right, well, I don't 271 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:32,280 Speaker 3: know what you're going to do, but like put me 272 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:34,800 Speaker 3: down for fifty thousand. So I got that fifty thousand 273 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 3: dollars investment. And I didn't know anyone else with money, 274 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 3: so I asked, I said, well, now you're my investor, 275 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 3: do you have any other people that you could recommend? 276 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 3: And he recommended a couple of people. They recommended a 277 00:13:45,679 --> 00:13:48,920 Speaker 3: couple of people. I wind up raising money from sixty 278 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:52,320 Speaker 3: five like angel investors with an average tex size of 279 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:53,800 Speaker 3: like eighty thousand dollars. 280 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 1: So that was like the first business. 281 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 3: This would be four diapers a little bit. 282 00:13:57,800 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, this is in the early days. How old were 283 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:01,440 Speaker 2: you when he said he was paying a lot of money? 284 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:02,480 Speaker 2: How much was he paying you? 285 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:06,960 Speaker 3: Yeah? So I was twenty seven years old, five hundred 286 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 3: thousand a year. Wow then, which was big money? Wow, 287 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 3: it was big money. I was executive is big money? 288 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:13,200 Speaker 2: You're one of the top earners. 289 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:16,319 Speaker 3: I was executive vice president of the bank at twenty 290 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:20,040 Speaker 3: seven funny story. But I went to see this guy, 291 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:23,440 Speaker 3: Jerry Goldstein a couple of years later after i'd been 292 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:25,160 Speaker 3: out of the air and doing my startup, and had 293 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 3: lunch with him and he's like, I still can't believe you. 294 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:29,440 Speaker 3: You know, you just quit on me and just did 295 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 3: this entrepreneur thing. But but it seems like it's working 296 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 3: out great. He's like, how old are you now? You're 297 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 3: thirty five. I said no, I'm like twenty nine. And 298 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,880 Speaker 3: he said that's impossible. And I said, what do you mean. 299 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 3: He goes, well, but then when I hired you to 300 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,200 Speaker 3: be the EVP, you were only twenty six years old. 301 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 3: That's impossible. He said, no, I was twenty six. Yeah, 302 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 3: he said, yeah, I guess the bald head threw me off. 303 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 1: This is like, this is a huge breakthrough for the 304 00:14:57,120 --> 00:14:59,120 Speaker 1: ball This is amazing. 305 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:00,520 Speaker 2: It was a shameless for you guys. 306 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly, we're doing it. Mark. One of the. 307 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:06,000 Speaker 2: Stories that it resonated so well with me is either 308 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:09,880 Speaker 2: ultimate missionary not mercenary. You're all in you talk about mission, 309 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:12,760 Speaker 2: but you said a story talking about baseball cards. You 310 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:14,960 Speaker 2: had a Reggie Jackson story, and I think this story, 311 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:16,880 Speaker 2: I think we were ten or eleven years old, tell 312 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 2: me that story because I think it tells me a 313 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:20,280 Speaker 2: lot about who you are and what you mean. 314 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:23,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's that's still triggering to this day. So fifth grade, 315 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 3: never forget it. It was a you know baseball cards 316 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 3: when you used to have to flip them heads or 317 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 3: tails on the floor. There was this bully and it 318 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:37,480 Speaker 3: was a flipping for Reggie Jackson. And originally I thought 319 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:40,080 Speaker 3: it was going to be whoever flip more heads wins 320 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 3: Reggie Jackson. And he's like, no, you gotta flip ten 321 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 3: heads in a row. Wow. And I was like, well, 322 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 3: then out of our place, like, no, you're playing you 323 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 3: go like and I was like, and I flipped ten 324 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:53,080 Speaker 3: heads in a row, and I was like, wow, I 325 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:55,440 Speaker 3: did it. Even though he forced me into this, I 326 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,280 Speaker 3: got the Reggie Jackson and I was so happy. I'm 327 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 3: walking away and he comes over and he punches me 328 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 3: in the face takes the Reggie Jackson. So I go 329 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 3: and tell the teacher. Now I'm like ten years old. 330 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:08,480 Speaker 3: They go tell the teacher and I say, hey, I 331 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:10,880 Speaker 3: won this Reggie Jackson. And he punched me and took 332 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:13,640 Speaker 3: the card and the teacher said, well, whose card is it? 333 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:16,360 Speaker 3: I said, well, it was his card, but then I 334 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,320 Speaker 3: want it and she's like, well, if it was his card, 335 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:24,760 Speaker 3: then I'm sorry. And to this day, bullies are triggering 336 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:28,360 Speaker 3: I get I asked like people on an interview, every interview, 337 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:30,840 Speaker 3: I asked them, look, get your blood boiling. What gets 338 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:34,720 Speaker 3: you just angry? You know, everyone's got that thing. And 339 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 3: every once in a while somebody asked me, well, what 340 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:39,720 Speaker 3: gets your blood boiling? And it's always the bully. 341 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 1: Well, and to that point, I mean, you come up against. 342 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:47,160 Speaker 1: What's interesting is as an entrepreneur, you come up against 343 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 1: I'm not calling them bullies necessarily, but some of the 344 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:53,600 Speaker 1: biggest companies in the world as competitors. And so that 345 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 1: is what you just described fuel or is it motivation? 346 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 1: Like hell yeah, I can't play it. 347 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:03,760 Speaker 3: I can't even describe. And Alex and I talk about 348 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 3: this of what it feels like when you're up against 349 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:09,760 Speaker 3: a bully. It is and I think Alex said, this 350 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:10,359 Speaker 3: is okay, if. 351 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,800 Speaker 2: I whatever you want, I mean, I mean, I mean, 352 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 2: I'm TV. 353 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,040 Speaker 3: Alex said it. He said, I don't like bullies either. 354 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:20,320 Speaker 3: He's like, I rather like lose everything I have than 355 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:23,160 Speaker 3: lose to a bully. I'll sleep under a freaking bridge, 356 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:25,159 Speaker 3: I don't care, And then like that resonated with me. 357 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 3: I'm like the same way. I rather lose every single 358 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,960 Speaker 3: penny and sleep under a bridge with Alex than lose 359 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:35,400 Speaker 3: to a bully. But if it's like, if somebody is reasonable, 360 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:37,600 Speaker 3: on the other hand, they can get away with a lot. 361 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:40,160 Speaker 3: With me, I'm very empathetic. I think Alex is very similar. 362 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:42,359 Speaker 3: That's why we kind of connected and fair and fair, 363 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,040 Speaker 3: fair and like empathetic and sort of like if somebody 364 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,199 Speaker 3: comes up to you and says, hey, sorry, like you know, 365 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 3: it's like okay, Like it's okay, like even if they 366 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 3: screwed you over whatever, like there's empathy there. But if 367 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:57,440 Speaker 3: you're going to just play the bully all the way 368 00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:00,159 Speaker 3: through now, So. 369 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:01,960 Speaker 2: Mark, that's one of the things, Jason, I don't know 370 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:03,000 Speaker 2: if you know this, but this is one of the 371 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:05,280 Speaker 2: most incredible things about Mark, besides him being a great 372 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:07,760 Speaker 2: business person and a father and all of that and 373 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:11,280 Speaker 2: a great friend. How have you been one of the 374 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:14,080 Speaker 2: most highest paced seals of all time at Walmart e commerce? 375 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 2: You grew that business from eight billion to fifty billion. 376 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:19,120 Speaker 2: You've done all these great things. How in thirty plus 377 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:21,959 Speaker 2: years having you sued anyone and never been sued. Now 378 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:23,320 Speaker 2: that is a feed on his own. 379 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:27,080 Speaker 3: How again, it comes to the fairness thing. I can 380 00:18:27,119 --> 00:18:30,399 Speaker 3: see somebody's point of view, So somebody even is the 381 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:34,600 Speaker 3: least bit reasonable, then there's always a resolution, right, And 382 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:38,239 Speaker 3: I'm don't have the ego to say, you know, and 383 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:39,800 Speaker 3: I think it's the opposite of my dad, And so 384 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:41,600 Speaker 3: I learned this from my dad. My dad was the 385 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:45,119 Speaker 3: kind of guy that, like, if he thought you were 386 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 3: trying to like negotiate too hard, he would just on principle, 387 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:52,919 Speaker 3: refuse to negotiate. So I can kind of learn that 388 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 3: and like saw the turmoil that that causes when you 389 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:59,959 Speaker 3: dig your heels in on principle and ego as opposed 390 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:02,440 Speaker 3: to like just check the ego. It doesn't matter if 391 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:05,320 Speaker 3: you're going to be reasonable. We'll debate it and debate it, 392 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 3: and I'll listen, and there's got to be a resolution 393 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:11,240 Speaker 3: because you feel that way for a reason. And I 394 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:14,080 Speaker 3: think that's always been the case, is that people. I 395 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:17,679 Speaker 3: think when you be vulnerable, people be vulnerable back, you 396 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:22,000 Speaker 3: let down your card, you talk it through, and people generally, 397 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:23,360 Speaker 3: I think one a good thing. 398 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 1: Stitch that together for us with that is a very 399 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:32,560 Speaker 1: like humane and empathetic approach to business. Being an entrepreneur 400 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:36,120 Speaker 1: is hard, and starting something is hard. And so take 401 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:38,919 Speaker 1: us back, you make that huge decision, you go in, 402 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:41,119 Speaker 1: you quit your half a million dollar a year job, 403 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:46,199 Speaker 1: you start a company, then you eventually start diapers dot com. Like, 404 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:51,520 Speaker 1: what's the journey briefly that gets you from I'm working 405 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:54,960 Speaker 1: on Wall Street to I'm selling stuff online. 406 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:58,200 Speaker 3: I mean, it started very simply. I think I always 407 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:02,640 Speaker 3: tell people it's the the ideas usually not the thing 408 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:05,240 Speaker 3: that decides whether it works it doesn't work. It all 409 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:08,439 Speaker 3: comes down to execution and people, and bad ideas can 410 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:11,320 Speaker 3: work and good ideas could fail. And the idea was 411 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 3: quite simple. People weren't really able to buy diapers online 412 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:20,720 Speaker 3: at normal like Walmart target prices. It just didn't exist. 413 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 3: If you went on Amazon, which was one of the 414 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:24,720 Speaker 3: only places selling diapers, there were ten dollars more in 415 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:27,479 Speaker 3: Amazon than they were in Walmart, for example. And it 416 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:29,399 Speaker 3: just seems strange to me. I'm like, it's kind of 417 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:30,959 Speaker 3: a pain. You have babies, you got to go out 418 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 3: to the store, you come back. Why is it so expensive? 419 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:35,080 Speaker 3: And I think in the early days of e commerce. 420 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 3: They just marked up a box of diapers because they're 421 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:40,159 Speaker 3: heavy and it costs a lot to ship. And that 422 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:43,880 Speaker 3: was kind of like just like the very simple, simple approach. 423 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:47,920 Speaker 3: And the thinking at the time was, well, why are 424 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:50,520 Speaker 3: diapers in Walmart and Target a lost leader? Why do 425 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:53,639 Speaker 3: they not make any money in diapers? And people in retail, 426 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 3: because I didn't know retail at the time, said well, 427 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:58,600 Speaker 3: that's because they drive people into the store they have 428 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:01,120 Speaker 3: to get diapers, and when they come in for the diapers, 429 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:02,359 Speaker 3: they buy everything else. 430 00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:04,200 Speaker 1: So that's interesting. 431 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:06,880 Speaker 3: So if they can be a loss leader for brick 432 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:10,440 Speaker 3: and mortar, why couldn't they be a loss leader online? Now, 433 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,480 Speaker 3: the loss albeit was a lot larger because you had 434 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:16,240 Speaker 3: to pay for shipping, right, but you also had a 435 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,640 Speaker 3: lot more products online than in the store. So it's 436 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:22,000 Speaker 3: the same thing. If I can lose lose a dollar 437 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,640 Speaker 3: and go in to Walmart and make two, great if 438 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:26,880 Speaker 3: I lose ten dollars online on a box of diapers 439 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:30,199 Speaker 3: and make twenty sort of the same math, right, And 440 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:33,360 Speaker 3: so that was the big vision is let's sell diapers, 441 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:37,560 Speaker 3: deliver them overnight at Walmart prices, build a relationship with parents, 442 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 3: and then sell them everything else. 443 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: I mean on that point of entrepreneurship. I mean, you 444 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:44,439 Speaker 1: talk about this a lot, in this notion that the 445 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:47,000 Speaker 1: struggle is real and you embrace it in a lot 446 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:48,760 Speaker 1: of ways. And how does that come up as you 447 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 1: mentor people? 448 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:52,640 Speaker 3: I always tell peopleople see like the successes, say, oh 449 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,800 Speaker 3: you had one successfullized with two three, and now it's 450 00:21:55,960 --> 00:22:00,160 Speaker 3: wonders working again. Like you make it look easy and 451 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:03,040 Speaker 3: it's anything but easy. I just want people to know, 452 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:06,119 Speaker 3: like I feel like I'm eating glass every day and 453 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 3: just hoping that it doesn't get I don't get cut 454 00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 3: on the way down, like every day. That's what it 455 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:14,200 Speaker 3: feels like. And it's the entrepreneurs that don't get down 456 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,159 Speaker 3: on themselves and think I'm a failure? What am I 457 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:20,120 Speaker 3: even doing this for? I can be doing other things, 458 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:23,920 Speaker 3: Like once your brain goes there, you're done, Like it requires. 459 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:26,480 Speaker 3: Being an entrepreneur is going to You're gonna face really 460 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 3: tough times. And it's those that go into what I 461 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:32,560 Speaker 3: call the sixth gear, where you literally give it every 462 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:36,160 Speaker 3: ounce of energy you've got more than one hundred hours 463 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,199 Speaker 3: a week. Your brain is focused and dialid in on 464 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:42,600 Speaker 3: exactly what you need to do, and you can couple 465 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:46,200 Speaker 3: that with the ability to take risk and try things 466 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:50,399 Speaker 3: and move very, very very quickly, and be comfortable with uncertainty. 467 00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:54,920 Speaker 3: If you've got those attributes as an entrepreneur, you're gonna 468 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:56,880 Speaker 3: be okay, You're going to figure it out. But it's 469 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:01,639 Speaker 3: not easy. It's really really hard and hiring. And I 470 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:04,040 Speaker 3: take a lot of pride in being more on the 471 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:06,399 Speaker 3: empathetic side of being a leader, because I think at 472 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:08,119 Speaker 3: the end of the day, you can only do so 473 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:11,159 Speaker 3: much as an individual. It's about the team and you 474 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:14,400 Speaker 3: have to create the right culture. Culture in a startup 475 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:17,879 Speaker 3: is not ping pong tables and stuff like that. It 476 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:21,320 Speaker 3: really is about how you treat people and the value 477 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:24,640 Speaker 3: system of the organization. That's one part of a framework 478 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:28,439 Speaker 3: that I've created called VCP, Vision Capital, People, and I 479 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 3: think as a startup founder, you need to focus the 480 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 3: vast majority, if not all, your time, thinking about VCP, 481 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,879 Speaker 3: vision Capital and People. 482 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:40,320 Speaker 1: I want to frame this in the context of Wonder 483 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:42,560 Speaker 1: because it's such an interesting company. So what does that 484 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:43,639 Speaker 1: vision say for Wonder? 485 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:45,760 Speaker 3: So the vision says, we want to create the super 486 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:49,600 Speaker 3: app for meal time anytime somebody wants to eat a meal, breakfast, lunch, 487 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:51,399 Speaker 3: or dinner. They'd be able to go to the Wonder 488 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:55,280 Speaker 3: app and whether it be food delivered hot to their door, 489 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 3: whether it be a Blue Apien meal kit, whether it 490 00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:00,200 Speaker 3: be an oven ready meal. Eventually in the future, sure 491 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:04,199 Speaker 3: groceries with recipes. It could be booking a reservation to 492 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 3: a restaurant. Even like anytime you want to eat, you 493 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,160 Speaker 3: pull up the app. And then in the future, when 494 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:12,440 Speaker 3: we are covering all of your meal occasions, we can 495 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:17,840 Speaker 3: track your health calories, fat, protein, vitamins, we can give 496 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:20,880 Speaker 3: you a health score. We can use AI to meal 497 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 3: plan based on a budget and how your lifestyle, how 498 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:26,679 Speaker 3: you operate. Some days Friday Saturday, you want food delivered 499 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,159 Speaker 3: to your door. You don't want to do anything. Sometimes Wednesday, 500 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:30,919 Speaker 3: Thursday it's an oven ready meal, you just throw it 501 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,000 Speaker 3: in the oven. On Monday, you're willing to do some 502 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,000 Speaker 3: cooking and make it fun and get a meal kit delivered. 503 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:38,160 Speaker 3: So that's really the big vision for. 504 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 2: So tonight, I'm in the Upper West Side, I want 505 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:43,400 Speaker 2: to have dinner. If I go to the Wonder app, 506 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:47,119 Speaker 2: how many restaurants and how quickly would dinner get to 507 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 2: my house? 508 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:51,800 Speaker 3: So right now we've got twenty five restaurants live on 509 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:54,080 Speaker 3: the Upper west Side on the winder app, and you 510 00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:56,320 Speaker 3: can order from all the restaurants and a single delivery 511 00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:57,959 Speaker 3: and a single checkout, so everybody in the family can 512 00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:00,560 Speaker 3: order from a different restaurant. All the food will be 513 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:04,320 Speaker 3: cooked and delivered with our own delivery network in under 514 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:06,840 Speaker 3: thirty minutes, and the food's going to come hot because 515 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:09,240 Speaker 3: we won't deliver more than six minutes and so from 516 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:10,880 Speaker 3: the time it leaves the kitchen til tom it gets 517 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 3: to your doors maximum six minutes in the Upper west Side, 518 00:25:13,359 --> 00:25:16,120 Speaker 3: So this food's coming hot. It's great quality, get multi 519 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:19,879 Speaker 3: restaurant ordering, it's on time, it's accurate. So there's a 520 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:21,440 Speaker 3: lot of benefits of vertical kind of creation. 521 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:24,200 Speaker 2: Have you got from some of the consumers that have tasted. 522 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:26,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it's been We have some of the 523 00:25:26,119 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 3: best chefs in the world on the platform. Jose Andres, 524 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:33,120 Speaker 3: Bobby Flay, Marcus Samuelson, J. J. Johnson, Mark Murphy, We've 525 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:36,000 Speaker 3: got Nancy Silverton, We've got a great group of chefs. 526 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:39,639 Speaker 3: The chefs are I think, really love wonder and the 527 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:42,719 Speaker 3: customers do as well, So we get really really high 528 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:45,920 Speaker 3: marks from customers and the overall experience. 529 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:49,560 Speaker 1: Before we get too far into the current, go a 530 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:52,399 Speaker 1: little bit back to the past, because it feels like 531 00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 1: so much of what you're doing with Wonder what you 532 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:57,800 Speaker 1: guys are doing as investors really does come from those 533 00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:02,560 Speaker 1: early entrepreneurial days because you're going up against massive companies. 534 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:05,440 Speaker 1: Like what are the lessons that you take from competing 535 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 1: with the Amazon, for instance? 536 00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:13,359 Speaker 3: I think the ability to take risk and understand where 537 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:16,840 Speaker 3: you are on the risk spectrum. So the lower the 538 00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:20,760 Speaker 3: probability of success, the more risk you need to take. 539 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:24,480 Speaker 3: When you have a high probability success, you take less risk. 540 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:27,480 Speaker 3: That's why a big company they're not taking legal risk 541 00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:30,119 Speaker 3: or any kind of risks like that why things are working. 542 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:33,280 Speaker 3: It's good when you're a startup in your early stages 543 00:26:33,359 --> 00:26:35,640 Speaker 3: and you talk to a lawyer. They shouldn't be giving 544 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:38,200 Speaker 3: you the same advice about whether you should do something 545 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:40,440 Speaker 3: or not do something when you're a startup versus a 546 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:42,520 Speaker 3: big company, But lawyers tend to give you the same advice. 547 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:43,600 Speaker 1: It is what it is. 548 00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:46,560 Speaker 3: You as an entrepreneur need to be able to understand 549 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,800 Speaker 3: that the biggest risk you take as a startup is 550 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:51,720 Speaker 3: you're going to run out of money and die. People 551 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:56,680 Speaker 3: often underestimate the risk of the status quo and they 552 00:26:56,720 --> 00:27:00,720 Speaker 3: overestimate the risk of change, and entrepreneur has to be 553 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:01,480 Speaker 3: the opposite. 554 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:04,320 Speaker 1: Do you remember a time when you had to take 555 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:07,320 Speaker 1: a bigger risk than maybe you were comfortable with. 556 00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:09,240 Speaker 3: Well, i'll tell I mean, i'll tell you when there's 557 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,960 Speaker 3: an easy example. Two years ago, we had four hundred 558 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,280 Speaker 3: and fifty trucks on the road and we had tested 559 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:17,840 Speaker 3: a brick and mortar and the brick and mortar was 560 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:20,800 Speaker 3: doing really well, and felt like that was the future 561 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:25,320 Speaker 3: of the company. Better eternal capital, more profitable, more scalable. 562 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:27,679 Speaker 3: But we only had one brick and mortar. It was 563 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:30,120 Speaker 3: tested for a month. We had four hundred and fifty 564 00:27:30,119 --> 00:27:32,480 Speaker 3: trucks on the road that were working really well, and 565 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:37,800 Speaker 3: customers loved it. Investors, press, employees, everybody loved the trucks. 566 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:41,000 Speaker 3: But you have to acknowledge and be completely objective and say, okay, 567 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:43,840 Speaker 3: it's still a startup. What's the probability you continue with 568 00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:46,600 Speaker 3: the truck business? And then you got to always be 569 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:50,679 Speaker 3: the objective and looking for opportunities to take risk to 570 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:53,520 Speaker 3: increase the probability success. And when I saw that brick 571 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:56,760 Speaker 3: and mortar I said, that's it. That's going to improve 572 00:27:56,800 --> 00:27:59,800 Speaker 3: the probability of getting a big outcome, the big outcome 573 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:03,199 Speaker 3: much more scalable, got it much higher return on capital, 574 00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:06,399 Speaker 3: more profitable, and so just felt like that was the 575 00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:10,240 Speaker 3: right But still in that position, if you're in a 576 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:17,080 Speaker 3: big company, do you literally tell employees, press shareholders, these 577 00:28:17,119 --> 00:28:18,960 Speaker 3: trucks that have been working, that we've been talking about 578 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:22,480 Speaker 3: for three years, We're going to stop it, take revenue 579 00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:27,040 Speaker 3: to zero, sell the trucks, and start over with this 580 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 3: brick and mortar based on one month's worth of experience. 581 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:34,280 Speaker 3: That's what I'm talking about. And now when I did it, 582 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 3: people said that's crazy. And now today, fast forward, we're 583 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:42,800 Speaker 3: sixteen months removed from that, people are saying, I can't 584 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:45,720 Speaker 3: imagine us not being in the brick and mortar business 585 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:48,440 Speaker 3: and being in the truck business still. So as an entrepreneur, 586 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:54,000 Speaker 3: the key learning there is being really objective and thinking 587 00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:57,640 Speaker 3: the trucks are working, and thinking, oh, we're great, don't 588 00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:00,680 Speaker 3: take that risk. Things are good. When things are good 589 00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:04,240 Speaker 3: in a startup, you still have an eighty percent chance 590 00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:07,040 Speaker 3: of dying, right, Like, that's just the way, that's just 591 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:10,160 Speaker 3: the nature of startup, right And so you have to 592 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,960 Speaker 3: like be you have to understand what you're dealing with 593 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 3: and factor that into your decision making. That is really 594 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:22,520 Speaker 3: really important, and it's the objectivity coming up. 595 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 1: Mark discusses selling the companies that made him famous as 596 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:30,800 Speaker 1: an entrepreneur and what he learned working inside Walmart and Amazon. 597 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,480 Speaker 2: And Mark, I've heard you say, you know, putting the 598 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:48,200 Speaker 2: car in front of the horse. Talk a minute bit 599 00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:48,640 Speaker 2: about that. 600 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:50,800 Speaker 3: As an entrepreneur, you've heard the phrase don't put the 601 00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:52,640 Speaker 3: cart in front of the horse, and I think people 602 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:55,120 Speaker 3: sort of trained to think that way, like don't get 603 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:58,040 Speaker 3: ahead of yourself. I think, as an entrepreneur in the 604 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:02,200 Speaker 3: early days, because the risk of it not working is 605 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:04,440 Speaker 3: so high or the risk of it working is so low, 606 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:08,600 Speaker 3: that there's a benefit to putting the cart in front 607 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:11,600 Speaker 3: of the horse to sort of like flush things out 608 00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:15,560 Speaker 3: faster and get the answer faster than you ordinarily would. So, 609 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:18,480 Speaker 3: for example, when I was actually at the bank, I 610 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:24,080 Speaker 3: started this financial Risk Management certification exam the FRM with 611 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:30,960 Speaker 3: my colleague Lev and I was twenty four years old. 612 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:34,320 Speaker 3: There was no certification exam for financial risk managers like 613 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:37,720 Speaker 3: a CPA and things, and I just thought like, hey, 614 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:42,360 Speaker 3: let's create a certification exam. And friends would say, well, 615 00:30:42,360 --> 00:30:44,480 Speaker 3: you can't do. Who's going to take your exam? Like 616 00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:45,959 Speaker 3: you're a twenty four year old kid, They're not going 617 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:48,480 Speaker 3: to take your exam. So I said, all right, good point. 618 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:51,760 Speaker 3: So we created like the Global Association of Risk Professionals. 619 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 3: It was an association. We said, oh, the association will 620 00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:56,560 Speaker 3: give the exam. They said, yeah, but you just created that, 621 00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:59,960 Speaker 3: so how does that work? So I said, good point. Okay, 622 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:02,920 Speaker 3: so this is putting the cart in front of the horse. 623 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:07,040 Speaker 3: Rather than go through this whole like build an examination, 624 00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:09,800 Speaker 3: bring in professors, all the things that you would need 625 00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:12,680 Speaker 3: to do, you basically just put on the website. In 626 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:16,080 Speaker 3: one weekend, here are all the topics, here are some 627 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:19,560 Speaker 3: books to read. The exam is in May in New 628 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:21,760 Speaker 3: York City, and it's five hundred and fifty bucks if 629 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:24,800 Speaker 3: you want to sit for the exam. How's it? One weekend, 630 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:28,600 Speaker 3: put the cart in front of the horse. Started getting checks, 631 00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:31,840 Speaker 3: one check, two checks, three checks. I think it was 632 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:35,440 Speaker 3: thirty four checks that we got the first year. So 633 00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:37,760 Speaker 3: we said, all right, I guess we got to I 634 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:39,400 Speaker 3: guess we got to create this examination. 635 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:41,560 Speaker 1: Then you get horse. 636 00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:44,440 Speaker 3: Now then you get the professors, then you put the 637 00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:47,000 Speaker 3: exam together, then you administer it, and then you do it. 638 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 3: And so that's just a great example of like you 639 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:52,240 Speaker 3: don't know huntil you do it. So how do you 640 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:56,400 Speaker 3: take the biggest step you can take with the minimum 641 00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 3: amount of effort and time to kind of flush out 642 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:01,320 Speaker 3: the answer as quickly as possible. So that's the technique 643 00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:05,400 Speaker 3: that that's to start a whole company, But inside of 644 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:07,720 Speaker 3: a startup, inside of a big company, there are lots 645 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:10,720 Speaker 3: of opportunities to sort of like very quickly put the 646 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:13,960 Speaker 3: cart in front of the horse, to learn something that 647 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:18,000 Speaker 3: could dictate the future strategy of the of the organization. 648 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:20,640 Speaker 3: And so that's a good good lesson there. 649 00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:24,200 Speaker 1: So with the sale of diapers dot com it goes 650 00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:28,360 Speaker 1: to Amazon. That's the story in and of itself. Some people, 651 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:32,880 Speaker 1: having gone through that successfully, it'd be like, yeah, entrepreneurship 652 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:37,000 Speaker 1: done it. Maybe I'll go go do something else. What 653 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:39,960 Speaker 1: was your mindset as an entrepreneur? What did you learn? 654 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:42,560 Speaker 1: What had you learned at that point? I guess that 655 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:46,600 Speaker 1: sort of fueled you and about the role of an entrepreneur. 656 00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:52,480 Speaker 3: I sold diapers dot Com Amazon, and I wasn't I 657 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:55,680 Speaker 3: made generational wealth as I had nobody in my family 658 00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:59,440 Speaker 3: ever made money before. But I was depressed and my 659 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:02,600 Speaker 3: co found at the time of Vinnie Burr, we basically 660 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:05,040 Speaker 3: both felt the same way. And after the money was 661 00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:07,400 Speaker 3: wired to our bank account, we sort of said, like, 662 00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:10,480 Speaker 3: we should be celebrating right now, and we're both like depressed, 663 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:12,000 Speaker 3: and we went and we had a drink and we're 664 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:15,920 Speaker 3: just like, man, Like, it just goes to show you 665 00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 3: it wasn't about the money. Like the mission that we 666 00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:22,480 Speaker 3: had set out was kind of like crushed with the 667 00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:26,160 Speaker 3: sale to Amazon, and we had just really big dreams 668 00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:29,280 Speaker 3: for what that could be and it was kind of over. 669 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:31,240 Speaker 3: Even though it was a great exit. We made a 670 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:32,760 Speaker 3: lot of money and Cheryl's made a lot of money, 671 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:35,960 Speaker 3: it was depressing and so I felt like, you know, 672 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:39,160 Speaker 3: there was just some unfit finished business in e commerce. 673 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:44,440 Speaker 3: We had learned so much, had new great talented people, 674 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:48,120 Speaker 3: had access to capital, and went after it with Jet again. 675 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:50,400 Speaker 3: And I think one of the reasons why I think 676 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:53,400 Speaker 3: we were able to grow so fast and have all 677 00:33:53,440 --> 00:33:56,680 Speaker 3: this happened in twenty six month period was because we 678 00:33:56,760 --> 00:33:59,640 Speaker 3: kind of felt behind. It was like diapers would have 679 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:02,800 Speaker 3: been here by now, had, we just stuck with it, 680 00:34:03,280 --> 00:34:05,680 Speaker 3: and so there's a little bit of catch up. I 681 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:08,120 Speaker 3: kind of regret kind of going as fast as we 682 00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:10,839 Speaker 3: did on Jet because I think some of the core 683 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:14,040 Speaker 3: principles that I have around around entrepreneurship were sort of 684 00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:17,319 Speaker 3: broken during that run. But again, it was a successful 685 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:20,800 Speaker 3: exit for shareholders, for employees, and for Walmart. 686 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:23,280 Speaker 2: So Mark, I want to go back to Jet dot com. 687 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:26,640 Speaker 2: You went from deck to exit in about twenty six months. 688 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:30,960 Speaker 2: That's incredible. There were some articles around the time that 689 00:34:31,200 --> 00:34:34,240 Speaker 2: they may have overpaid, but as somebody said from inside 690 00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:36,440 Speaker 2: the company, is one of the greatest acquisitions that Walmart 691 00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:39,920 Speaker 2: made because along with Jet came Mark Lori and they 692 00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:43,000 Speaker 2: wanted to kind of turbo charge their e commerce business 693 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:45,279 Speaker 2: that were doing around eight billion dollars a year, which 694 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:48,360 Speaker 2: was pretty pretestrin for that, and you took it with 695 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:50,960 Speaker 2: your team to about fifty billion in like four years. 696 00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:53,239 Speaker 2: How hard was that and how the heck did you 697 00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:53,520 Speaker 2: do that? 698 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:56,400 Speaker 3: We had a great team at Jet that really helped. 699 00:34:56,440 --> 00:34:59,360 Speaker 3: Once I came into Walmart and just assessed the situation 700 00:35:00,239 --> 00:35:03,000 Speaker 3: was we needed to change the narrative. I think the 701 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:06,120 Speaker 3: narrative around Walmart eCOM was they were losing big time 702 00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:09,520 Speaker 3: to Amazon. I think as a result, it was challenging 703 00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:13,760 Speaker 3: for Walmart to recruit great people into e commerce business. 704 00:35:14,239 --> 00:35:16,960 Speaker 3: I think Walmart had had great people on the store 705 00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:20,279 Speaker 3: side of the business, a very big, profitable business, but 706 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:23,080 Speaker 3: on the eCOM side, Walmart wasn't known as a tech company. 707 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:27,120 Speaker 3: I probably made a series of decisions that any one 708 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:30,000 Speaker 3: decision on its own, if you just isolated and studied, 709 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:33,040 Speaker 3: it would have been a bad decision. But the sum 710 00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:36,160 Speaker 3: total of a bunch of bad decisions actually turned out 711 00:35:36,200 --> 00:35:38,680 Speaker 3: to be a really good decision. One bad decision would be, 712 00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:41,240 Speaker 3: you know, we had the cost to acquire a customer 713 00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:43,880 Speaker 3: and the lifetime value, and typically you want to have 714 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:46,080 Speaker 3: the lifetime value of a customer some multiple of what 715 00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:48,799 Speaker 3: it costs to acquire, so that you were pay to 716 00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:50,400 Speaker 3: acquire and then you make a return. 717 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:51,280 Speaker 1: And it makes sense. 718 00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:54,440 Speaker 3: Well, they didn't have a very high lifetime value of 719 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:57,800 Speaker 3: a customer, and so the cost to acquire customer in 720 00:35:57,800 --> 00:36:01,640 Speaker 3: the LTV was sort of upside down. You wouldn't typically 721 00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:05,759 Speaker 3: recommend spending marketing into an upside down scenario, but my 722 00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:08,880 Speaker 3: view was we need to get top line moving, and 723 00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:11,520 Speaker 3: so the first year we grew. I think again spending 724 00:36:11,719 --> 00:36:14,880 Speaker 3: marketing I would say inefficiently, not something that on an 725 00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:18,400 Speaker 3: isolated decision would recommend, but getting that business growing, and 726 00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:22,360 Speaker 3: people were like, wow, what's going on over Walmart e commerce? 727 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:25,960 Speaker 3: And there are some tech folks, so investing the styles 728 00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:29,320 Speaker 3: are growing. So a series of decisions like that interesting 729 00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:31,520 Speaker 3: that helped change the narrative because at the end of 730 00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:33,600 Speaker 3: the day, I knew we had to have a clear 731 00:36:34,239 --> 00:36:37,560 Speaker 3: vision as VCP. We had the capital from Walmart, what 732 00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:41,279 Speaker 3: we didn't have was the people, and so how do 733 00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:44,239 Speaker 3: we change the narrative to bring in the very best 734 00:36:44,239 --> 00:36:46,520 Speaker 3: people in the world. And I think we were able 735 00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:50,400 Speaker 3: to bring in some amazing people that really helped transform 736 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:52,719 Speaker 3: the business. So I was sort of helped be the 737 00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:55,200 Speaker 3: catalyst to it, but it was the great people we 738 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:59,120 Speaker 3: hired that ultimately executed and grew that business. 739 00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:02,640 Speaker 1: And what is it like for someone who thinks so 740 00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:08,839 Speaker 1: much about entrepreneurism and startups to be in I mean 741 00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:11,040 Speaker 1: talk about the belly of the beast. I mean, you're 742 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:13,680 Speaker 1: in literally one of the largest companies in the world. 743 00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:17,760 Speaker 1: How do you create a playbook that is both true 744 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:22,400 Speaker 1: to you and successful inside this massive organization? 745 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:26,279 Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean, I was fortunate that Doug McMillan and 746 00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:28,680 Speaker 3: the board Walmart, so so here are the keys, we 747 00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:31,160 Speaker 3: need help on e comm and sort of they definitely 748 00:37:31,239 --> 00:37:33,279 Speaker 3: let me run the first couple of years to kind 749 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:35,440 Speaker 3: of get a lot of these things in motion. I 750 00:37:35,480 --> 00:37:38,520 Speaker 3: think maybe they wish that things happened faster than they did, 751 00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:41,000 Speaker 3: but it was it was tough to turn over that 752 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:45,200 Speaker 3: that team and culture and get that moving. But I 753 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:47,600 Speaker 3: think in order to be successful there you have to 754 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:50,880 Speaker 3: be a sort of missionary. And just like when we 755 00:37:50,920 --> 00:37:53,200 Speaker 3: sold the company, I just felt like I was in 756 00:37:53,239 --> 00:37:55,960 Speaker 3: service to Doug and the board and I was going 757 00:37:56,040 --> 00:37:58,360 Speaker 3: to do whatever I could to do what's in the 758 00:37:58,360 --> 00:38:00,480 Speaker 3: best interest to Walmart. It wasn't about me, It wasn't 759 00:38:00,480 --> 00:38:02,840 Speaker 3: about the team, wasn't about Jet. One of the first 760 00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:06,359 Speaker 3: decisions I made was to merge Jet and Walmart into 761 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:08,279 Speaker 3: one e commerce site. It didn't make sense to have 762 00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:11,000 Speaker 3: too that. Of course, didn't want to see my baby 763 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:13,160 Speaker 3: get merged in, but that was the right decision. So 764 00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:14,840 Speaker 3: I think if you go into a big company like 765 00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:17,680 Speaker 3: that and you approach it with this idea that like, 766 00:38:17,719 --> 00:38:20,920 Speaker 3: whatever's in the best interest of the company, they acquired us, 767 00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:23,839 Speaker 3: and you put all your thought and effort into that, 768 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:26,920 Speaker 3: then good things will happen. 769 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:29,080 Speaker 2: And Mark just one simple question. I mean for me, 770 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:31,359 Speaker 2: it's always intriguing. And when you build a company from 771 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:35,360 Speaker 2: deck to exit in twenty six months, how does Walmart 772 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:37,080 Speaker 2: get ahold of Mark? I mean you to get an 773 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:40,640 Speaker 2: investment banker and says, hey, Walmart's interested or Amazon's interested? 774 00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:41,360 Speaker 2: How does that work? 775 00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:45,360 Speaker 3: Both Amazon sale and the Walmart sale? No banker? Wow. 776 00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:49,279 Speaker 3: So it was just direct relationship to start off, as like, hey, 777 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:53,240 Speaker 3: they meet each other, and then you know, I think 778 00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:56,160 Speaker 3: when I met Doug, I really liked him and he 779 00:38:56,360 --> 00:39:01,640 Speaker 3: wanted to get e commerce moving and go after Amazon, 780 00:39:01,719 --> 00:39:04,560 Speaker 3: and I did too, and so we just sort of 781 00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:06,759 Speaker 3: bonded over that. And when we were. 782 00:39:06,640 --> 00:39:08,319 Speaker 1: Doing you had a cop I mean you had a 783 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:11,080 Speaker 1: common foe in Amazon. 784 00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:14,160 Speaker 3: Fair. That's fair. That's fair. 785 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:19,040 Speaker 1: Because your experience with Amazon, I mean they bought you 786 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:20,759 Speaker 1: and shut it down. 787 00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:25,759 Speaker 3: I didn't have the best experience selling diapers dot Com 788 00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:29,360 Speaker 3: to Amazon. A much better experience selling Jet to Walmart, 789 00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:32,840 Speaker 3: That's for sure. Learned a lot of lessons in both cases. 790 00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:35,759 Speaker 1: What was the main lesson you took from Amazon? From 791 00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:38,000 Speaker 1: the Amazon acquisition to the Walmart acquisition. 792 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:41,200 Speaker 3: Well, it's interesting. This is more nuanced. But it's really 793 00:39:41,239 --> 00:39:44,680 Speaker 3: important to me, is you know, I didn't like the 794 00:39:44,719 --> 00:39:47,160 Speaker 3: Amazon culture, like it wasn't a good fit for me. 795 00:39:48,040 --> 00:39:51,040 Speaker 3: One of the things I came to appreciate about Amazon 796 00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:54,480 Speaker 3: and about culture in general, is the most important thing 797 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:59,239 Speaker 3: is consistency hiring people that excel in that culture, like 798 00:39:59,280 --> 00:40:01,480 Speaker 3: that's the most and Amazon was really good at that. 799 00:40:01,960 --> 00:40:05,319 Speaker 3: So they knew exactly, this is our culture. These are 800 00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:07,439 Speaker 3: the kind of people that are successful, and they weed 801 00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:09,359 Speaker 3: out people that aren't and they find the people that are. 802 00:40:09,719 --> 00:40:13,040 Speaker 3: And so even though I disagreed with the culture, it 803 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:15,480 Speaker 3: actually was a good culture. One of the big things 804 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:17,400 Speaker 3: was and they are not afraid to say this, and 805 00:40:17,440 --> 00:40:20,280 Speaker 3: that's what I respect it. They don't like social cohesion. 806 00:40:21,080 --> 00:40:23,239 Speaker 3: They think you should be very direct and tell somebody 807 00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:24,800 Speaker 3: if you don't like that, just tell them right to 808 00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:28,560 Speaker 3: their face. I don't like that. That's bad, And I'm 809 00:40:28,560 --> 00:40:31,799 Speaker 3: a little bit more like social cohesion empathy. I would 810 00:40:31,800 --> 00:40:34,400 Speaker 3: never tell somebody straight like that. I would do it 811 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:36,919 Speaker 3: in a much nicer way. They say, no, that takes 812 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:40,080 Speaker 3: too much time. It causes groupthink to waste the time, 813 00:40:40,320 --> 00:40:42,480 Speaker 3: get to the answer, get to the point. Some people 814 00:40:42,520 --> 00:40:44,440 Speaker 3: love that. Some people operate to say just tell me, 815 00:40:44,440 --> 00:40:47,000 Speaker 3: I don't care, don't beat around the bush, don't sugarcoat it. 816 00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:49,880 Speaker 3: I like to sugarcoat things because I think people human, 817 00:40:50,239 --> 00:40:53,239 Speaker 3: they have emotions, and again I'm trying to get the 818 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:55,879 Speaker 3: very best out of people. In my view is if 819 00:40:55,920 --> 00:40:59,800 Speaker 3: people feel respected, they feel you're not being kind of 820 00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:02,560 Speaker 3: sent not treating and bad that they're going to develop 821 00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:05,000 Speaker 3: a loyalty and there's a trust that develops, and from 822 00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:08,839 Speaker 3: that trust and loyalty comes that fire to want to 823 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:11,439 Speaker 3: like be a missionary and want to like help push 824 00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:15,640 Speaker 3: the company forward. And that's what I'm looking for. Mark, 825 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:16,400 Speaker 3: you and I talk. 826 00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:18,800 Speaker 2: About trust, and I've learned this from you. Talk a 827 00:41:18,840 --> 00:41:24,080 Speaker 2: little bit about your philosophy about trust and how you 828 00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:26,920 Speaker 2: usually get more trust from people that work with you 829 00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:28,839 Speaker 2: or for you by trusting more. 830 00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:33,160 Speaker 3: It's just starting from a place of trust until they 831 00:41:33,160 --> 00:41:36,879 Speaker 3: do something to lose that trust. Yeah. But the three 832 00:41:37,160 --> 00:41:41,200 Speaker 3: core values at Wonder and a Jet trust, transparency, and fairness. 833 00:41:41,520 --> 00:41:45,239 Speaker 3: And I truly believe that if people feel trusted and 834 00:41:45,280 --> 00:41:49,640 Speaker 3: you're transparent with information not the sort of your bad 835 00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:52,680 Speaker 3: it's here's all the information. Here are the financials, here's 836 00:41:52,719 --> 00:41:55,280 Speaker 3: the state of the company. Here's where we are, here's 837 00:41:55,520 --> 00:41:58,080 Speaker 3: our compensation system, here's what everybody makes in the company. 838 00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:01,480 Speaker 3: Be super transparent and they have that, and you're fair 839 00:42:01,920 --> 00:42:04,839 Speaker 3: and equitable, and you create a safe working environment. If 840 00:42:04,840 --> 00:42:07,720 Speaker 3: you have that set of values, then I think people 841 00:42:07,920 --> 00:42:10,640 Speaker 3: find it very empowering and that's how you get the 842 00:42:10,680 --> 00:42:13,880 Speaker 3: best out of people, in my view, and soays always 843 00:42:13,880 --> 00:42:16,920 Speaker 3: look to create that sort of empowering culture. 844 00:42:17,280 --> 00:42:21,399 Speaker 2: So Marklorie, what advice would you give a ten year old, 845 00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:23,800 Speaker 2: a twenty year old, a teenager that wants to be 846 00:42:23,840 --> 00:42:26,600 Speaker 2: the next Mark Glory? What advice would you give them? 847 00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:30,440 Speaker 3: I get this question a lot, and people say, if 848 00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:31,800 Speaker 3: you had to do it over again, what would you do? 849 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:35,480 Speaker 3: I get really lucky. But I think I've noticed them 850 00:42:35,520 --> 00:42:38,080 Speaker 3: two daughters twenty four and twenty one years old, and 851 00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:41,560 Speaker 3: so they're asking me for advice a lot. And I 852 00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:45,200 Speaker 3: think people at that age, in their teens or twenties, 853 00:42:45,400 --> 00:42:47,480 Speaker 3: they feel like they need to have it all figured out. 854 00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:50,200 Speaker 3: What do I need to do? It's very mechanical. Do 855 00:42:50,239 --> 00:42:52,239 Speaker 3: I need to get this degree to then do that, 856 00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:53,840 Speaker 3: to then do this, and do I do this and 857 00:42:55,080 --> 00:42:57,240 Speaker 3: would what I would say to everyone at that age 858 00:42:57,800 --> 00:43:00,960 Speaker 3: is it's important that you just focus on learning as 859 00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:05,440 Speaker 3: much as you can. Finding mentors or people that have 860 00:43:05,520 --> 00:43:09,800 Speaker 3: been successful that you respect in terms of their values. 861 00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:12,880 Speaker 3: You'll learn a lot about leadership, a lot about people, 862 00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:15,360 Speaker 3: lessons that you don't even realize you're learning just to 863 00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:18,160 Speaker 3: osmosis being around the person that will pay huge dividends 864 00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:21,080 Speaker 3: in the future. So I think I think learning is 865 00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:26,279 Speaker 3: really important. I think also following your passion. So like 866 00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:28,160 Speaker 3: when my daughters asked me, like, I don't know what 867 00:43:28,239 --> 00:43:30,480 Speaker 3: to do? Should I do this? Should I? It's like, 868 00:43:31,280 --> 00:43:33,080 Speaker 3: what do you want to do? What's going to make 869 00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:37,279 Speaker 3: you happy? Like this month, next month, and like, yeah, 870 00:43:37,320 --> 00:43:39,520 Speaker 3: but I want to do that, this would make me happy, 871 00:43:39,560 --> 00:43:40,920 Speaker 3: But then I won't be able to get here or 872 00:43:40,920 --> 00:43:45,040 Speaker 3: get there, and I just sort of disagree with that philosophy. 873 00:43:45,080 --> 00:43:47,840 Speaker 3: I think follow your passion if you've got to drive 874 00:43:47,960 --> 00:43:50,640 Speaker 3: something burning inside you that you want to go do 875 00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:53,640 Speaker 3: or learn about, like the time to do it is 876 00:43:53,640 --> 00:43:57,560 Speaker 3: when you're young, and that'll take you places that you 877 00:43:57,640 --> 00:44:00,440 Speaker 3: have no idea and can plan out. But I do 878 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:03,680 Speaker 3: know if you follow your passion, you surround yourself with 879 00:44:03,719 --> 00:44:08,879 Speaker 3: great people, you learn, and you give more than you take, 880 00:44:09,520 --> 00:44:12,680 Speaker 3: and give without any regard for what you might get 881 00:44:12,680 --> 00:44:14,840 Speaker 3: in the future. And if you come from that place 882 00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:18,920 Speaker 3: of giving, surrounding yourself with great people, learn, follow your passion, 883 00:44:18,960 --> 00:44:20,360 Speaker 3: I think magical things will happen. 884 00:44:20,800 --> 00:44:24,520 Speaker 1: Great Mark, Thank you so much, Thank you, Mark, Thank you. 885 00:44:32,440 --> 00:44:36,040 Speaker 4: The Deal is a production from Bloomberg Podcasts and Bloomberg Originals. 886 00:44:36,560 --> 00:44:40,000 Speaker 4: The Deals hosted by Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly. 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