Room & Board: John Gabbert. A Broken Deal, a Family Rift, and the Birth of a Furniture Giant

Room & Board: John Gabbert. A Broken Deal, a Family Rift, and the Birth of a Furniture Giant

John Gabbert built a massive furniture brand. But in order to do it, he had to defy his family.  John grew up working at his dad’s furniture store in the suburbs of Minneapolis. It sold classic, American-made furniture, with flowery prints and curved legs. But in 1972, John took a life-changing trip to Sweden, where he discovered an obscure store called IKEA. It was selling an entirely different type of furniture: simple, modern, and inexpensive, with a manufacturing process they controlled. To John, it looked like the future of furniture. The only problem, his dad didn’t agree.  That disagreement led to a 10-year family rift—but also a new business.  In 1980—zafter a deal to buy out his dad broke down—John spun out his own furniture brand, Room & Board. Today, it sells hundreds of millions of dollars of furniture in its own classic designs, mostly made by small American manufacturers.  This is the story of how John did it, without outside investors, and without chasing growth for growth’s sake. What You’ll Learn Why the right thing for your business might be the hardest thing for your family How John connected with young boomers—not their parents  The key to long-term success: growing slow and saying “no” Why John refused private equity money Why Room & Board transitioned to employee ownership Timestamps: 00:06:10 - Gabberts: flowery furniture in a fake living room 00:09:41 - Becoming president of the family business at age 23 00:13:33 - A fateful trip to IKEA in Sweden: “That's what the future needed to be” 00:18:36 - John tries to buy out the family business… until his dad backs out 00:35:47 - Design inspiration from modern art—and steel frames 00:46:38 - Why making furniture in America makes sense 00:55:27 - Investors come to call… and John says no 01:01:48 - The decision that transferred ownership to employees This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Rommel Wood. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Kwesi Lee.  Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis/] X → @HowIBuiltThis [https://x.com/howibuiltthis] Facebook → How I Built This [https://www.facebook.com/howibuiltthis] Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz [https://www.instagram.com/guy.raz/] Youtube → guy_raz [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNSfrxNEmCruNtjIzxCBHjg] X → @guyraz [https://x.com/guyraz] Substack → https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$guyraz.substack.com [http://guyraz.substack.com/] Website → https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$guyraz.com [http://guyraz.com/] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Advice Line with Jonah Peretti of Buzzfeed

Today’s callers: Anthony from Miami considers the best method to grow his pop-up outdoor movie theater business. Then Andrew in San Francisco asks how to set his cat wrestling toy apart from competitors. Finally, Melissa in Massachusetts seeks strategies for getting busy parents excited about her healthy frozen muffins.  Plus, Jonah shares what’s next for Buzzfeed as the company marks 20 years of business. Thank you to the founders of Motion Flix, CATSUMO, and Unrefined Foods for joining us on the show. If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode—where Guy and former show guests take questions from early-stage founders—leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to hibt@id.wondery.com [hibt@id.wondery.com] or call 1-800-433-1298.  And be sure to listen to Buzzfeed’s founding story [https://art19.com/shows/831bd173-0992-41b7-b1eb-112db904d947/episodes/2ddbc152-0b9e-4602-8442-4ce2749c673b/embed] as told by Jonah on the show in 2017.   This episode was produced by Katherine Sypher with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Casey Herman. Our audio engineer was Kwesi Lee. You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com [http://guyraz.com] and on Substack. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Beautycounter: Gregg Renfrew. She Built Beautycounter to $1B… Then Got Fired From Her Own Company

Gregg Renfrew started a movement by making better-for-you cosmetics, then enlisted an army of women to build the business through direct sales. But after selling Beautycounter, she was pushed out of the company she created. Then she got to do something almost no founder gets to do:  She bought her company back. Then lost it again. Then took the risky step of rebuilding it into a new brand, now called Counter.   This is a story about ambition, humility, and second chances.   Gregg learned her first lessons by launching an early online wedding registry and selling it to Martha Stewart. She briefly led a clothing company and was summarily fired—by messenger. In this candid conversation, Gregg talks about the bold innovation she brought to the beauty industry, and the lessons she learned from working with difficult people—including, at times, herself.  What You’ll Learn: How to build a movement—not just a product The hidden risks of “growth at all costs” Why direct sales (done right) can outperform traditional DTC The emotional toll of being fired from your own company How to rebuild your identity after losing your business What it takes to come back—and do it differently the second time Timestamps: (00:06:15) – Selling Xerox machines and getting doors slammed in her face (00:08:09) – The early inspiration for an online wedding registry. (00:16:44) – The brutal lesson of the dot-com crash: “growth at all costs” (00:21:58) – Standing up to Martha Stewart: “I was cocky.”  (00:23:51) – Getting fired as CEO… by messenger… in front of her team (00:32:47) – The moment she realized the beauty industry had a massive gap (00:35:25) – “Clean beauty didn’t exist”—and why that made it so hard (00:47:04) – Building a 60,000-person sales force, scaling to hundreds of millions in sales (00:46:40) – Selling Beautycounter for $1B… and losing control months later (01:00:13) – The emotional aftermath of being pushed out—and what came next This episode was produced by John Isabella with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Noor Gill. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Jimmy Keeley. Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis/] X → @HowIBuiltThis [https://x.com/howibuiltthis] Facebook → How I Built This [https://www.facebook.com/howibuiltthis] Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz [https://www.instagram.com/guy.raz/] Youtube → guy_raz [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNSfrxNEmCruNtjIzxCBHjg] X → @guyraz [https://x.com/guyraz] Substack → https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$guyraz.substack.com [http://guyraz.substack.com] Website → https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$guyraz.com [http://guyraz.com] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Advice Line with David Neeleman of JetBlue

Today’s callers: Barbara in Massachusetts wonders how her nutrition education theater company might live on past her own involvement. Then Jeff in Illinois looks to carry the momentum from his Ninja Warrior-inspired gyms to form a professional league around the sport. And Vince in Virginia weighs the risks from introducing new SKUs for his men’s organic underwear brand. Plus, David breaks down the resource management necessary to keep an airline aloft as rising fuel prices grip the industry. Thank you to the founders of FoodPlay Productions, Ultimate Ninjas, and Gotchies for being a part of our show. If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to hibt@id.wondery.com [hibt@id.wondery.com] or call 1-800-433-1298. And be sure to listen to JetBlue’s founding story [https://art19.com/shows/831bd173-0992-41b7-b1eb-112db904d947/episodes/faad7e53-1bd7-4cbe-9fe9-7d3cfcd4576c/embed] as told by David in 2019. This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Casey Herman. Our audio engineer was Kwesi Lee. You can follow HIBT on X [https://x.com/HowIBuiltThis] & Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis/] and sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com [http://guyraz.com/] or on Substack [https://guyraz.substack.com/]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Shep and Ian Murray: Vineyard Vines. A Stale Product Transforms into a Lifestyle Brand.

In the late 1990s, Shep and Ian Murray looked at a shrinking category–men’s ties–and saw an opportunity: a necktie isn’t just functional. It’s expressive. It can signal identity, taste, aspiration.    With no fashion experience and no outside investors, the Murray brothers started making colorful ties inspired by their childhoods in Martha’s Vineyard — tiny whales, sailboats, island street signs. What began as a small, improbable tie business grew into Vineyard Vines: a half-billion-dollar lifestyle brand with more than 100 stores and major department store distribution.  In this episode, Shep and Ian talk about why they quit their stable jobs to turn a sleepy product into a national brand, which began as a family business and remains so to this day.  What you’ll learn:  * Why a great business can start in a category that everyone thinks is dying * How to build distribution when you have no roadmap and few connections  * What bootstrapping teaches founders that outside capital often doesn’t * How improvised marketing can create outsized attention * Knowing the difference between a fashion brand and a “brand” brand Timestamps:  * 00:10:22 - The brothers both hate their desk jobs: “How was your day?” “It sucked.” *  00:11:20 - Vineyard Vines starts on a family trip, with a nudge from a hotel manager * 00:13:46 - Early designs: whales, fish, jeeps, street signs  * 00:25:39 - Finally quitting their jobs– they’re thrilled, their parents–not so much * 00:30:42 - Landing their first order for $1800. “We’re never gonna have to work anymore!” * 00:34:40 - The brand gets a boost from a PR stunt during the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal * 00:47:00 - The “Get to $5 million” mentor advice that kept them focused  * 00:49:23 - The brothers open their first store - and realize they have a lot to learn   * 01:01:18 - The 2008 financial crisis, and the brutal inventory decisions that help save the business * 01:09:06 - Why stepping back from the CEO role didn’t work — and what it taught them about brand culture This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Casey Herman.  Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis/] X → @HowIBuiltThis [https://x.com/howibuiltthis] Facebook → How I Built This [https://www.facebook.com/howibuiltthis] Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz [https://www.instagram.com/guy.raz/] Youtube → guy_raz [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNSfrxNEmCruNtjIzxCBHjg] X → @guyraz [https://x.com/guyraz] Substack → https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$guyraz.substack.com [http://guyraz.substack.com] Website → https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$guyraz.com [http://guyraz.com] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].