it might not sound thrilling, but what if I told you the world’s most feared corporate investigator got his first big break from Spider-Man? And that this same man would go on to secretly chase billions in plundered wealth across five continents—uncovering Saddam Hussein’s Parisian investment, and billions in missing gold reserves of the fallen Soviet Union? From Wall Street dealmakers, to Pulitzer-winning journalists, to governments - they all came to Jules Kroll, the man who turned private investigation into a billion-dollar business empire—and became known as “the CIA of Wall Street.” In this episode, we dive into the story of how Kroll built a global intelligence operation -and also a few of the great cases and stories that built his reputation and business- enjoy.

Subscribe now to access the the longer co-hosted episodes released on the 1st of every month as well as lots of bonus episodes and ad free weekly episodes.

Subscribe via Spotify Subscriptions, Apple Subscriptions or on Patreon by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠clicking on this link ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or going to patreon.com/greatbusinessstories

I love this story because it’s the story of the American dream. It begins in a tiny Los Angeles storefront started up by a Korean immigrant couple and within a decade, they’ve created an empire. But there’s sweatshop scandals, religion, and a relentless refusal to slow down, leading to 2 bankruptcies, this is the story of how Forever 21 went from defining a generation… to becoming a case study in retail self-destruction.

Subscribe now to access the the longer co-hosted episodes released on the 1st of every month as well as lots of bonus episodes and ad free weekly episodes.

Subscribe via Spotify Subscriptions, Apple Subscriptions or on Patreon by ⁠⁠⁠⁠clicking on this link ⁠⁠⁠⁠or going to patreon.com/greatbusinessstories

It’s a story that I’ve always wanted to dig into because if you were to tell me that 2 guys who came up with the idea for what became Facebook, had that idea very sneakily more or less stolen from them, would then go on to get involved in bitcoin at a time when it was only worth $13 dollars and predict that it would reach $40,000 and were laughed at by many for that prediction, become the first bitcoin billionaires and would found a company that has striven to ensure that bitcoin and digital currencies are regulated, attempt take that whole sector out of the wild west image that still casts a cloud over it, I would think that these 2 guys would be seen as heroes, the good guys and yet in many people’s minds, the Winklevoss twins are the assholes- why is that? It makes for a great story, so let's look into it.

Subscribe now to access the the longer co-hosted episodes released on the 1st of every month as well as lots of bonus episodes and ad free weekly episodes.

Subscribe via Spotify Subscriptions, Apple Subscriptions or on Patreon by ⁠⁠⁠⁠clicking on this link ⁠⁠⁠⁠or going to patreon.com/greatbusinessstories

In this episode I examine the remarkable rise of Dana White and the UFC- he is without doubt a master marketeer, but there are also some serious question marks over other aspects of his personality.

Subscribe now to access the the longer co-hosted episodes released on the 1st of every month as well as lots of bonus episodes and ad free weekly episodes.

Subscribe via Spotify Subscriptions, Apple Subscriptions or on Patreon by ⁠⁠clicking on this link ⁠⁠or going to patreon.com/greatbusinessstories

In this episode we get into the Trevor Milton/Nikola scandal- it's a great story, although it would have been better if he got what he deserved

Subscribe now to access the the longer co-hosted episodes released on the 1st of every month as well as lots of bonus episodes and ad free weekly episodes.

Subscribe via Spotify Subscriptions, Apple Subscriptions or on Patreon by ⁠⁠⁠clicking on this link ⁠⁠⁠or going to patreon.com/greatbusinessstories

In this episode I look at some of the best short-selling stories from the inception of short selling in 1609 and all the way up to 2025- we cover the legendary Jesse Livermore, the Piggly Wiggly short sale, the spectacular short pulled by Porsche- and more. It's a cracker of an episode

Subscribe now to access the the longer co-hosted episodes released on the 1st of every month as well as lots of bonus episodes and ad free weekly episodes.

Subscribe via Spotify Subscriptions, Apple Subscriptions or on Patreon by ⁠⁠⁠clicking on this link ⁠⁠⁠or going to patreon.com/greatbusinessstories

Adam Osborne was one of the most important figures in the early years of the personal computer and yet, I’d never heard of him- he’s an extraordinary figure and it’s a great story- enjoy

Subscribe now to access the the longer co-hosted episodes released on the 1st of every month as well as lots of bonus episodes and ad free weekly episodes.

Subscribe via Spotify Subscriptions, Apple Subscriptions or on Patreon by ⁠⁠clicking on this link ⁠⁠or going to patreon.com/greatbusinessstories

The title says it all- in this episode I do a deep dive on Bernie Ecclestone, the controversial F1 supremo for over 40 years.

Subscribe now to access the the longer co-hosted episodes released on the 1st of every month as well as lots of bonus episodes and ad free weekly episodes. Subscribe via Spotify Subscriptions, Apple Subscriptions or on Patreon by ⁠clicking on this link ⁠or going to patreon.com/greatbusinessstories

Subscribe now to access the the longer co-hosted episodes released on the 1st of every month as well as lots of bonus episodes and ad free weekly episodes. Subscribe via Spotify Subscriptions, Apple Subscriptions or on Patreon by clicking on this link or going to patreon.com/greatbusinessstories

You’ll find out pretty quickly that both myself and Keith are big fans of Diller- he’s the guy who brought us Roots, and in so doing he pioneered the introduction of the TV mini series- he green lighted some of the best TV comedies- from Cheers to Taxi to the Simpsons not to mention some of the best movies of the 80’s.

He also got involved in some of the biggest, most high profile and dramatic media battles of the 80’s and 90’s. And then he pivoted, - and he pivoted many times throughout his career eventually becoming the main driver behind online dating- he got in early with Match.com and later his company bought plenty of fish, tinder and practically owned the dating sector.

And though it all, Diller was this calm, very classy guy- it makes for a fascinating story, enjoy.

this is the story of one of the most remarkable and probably overall talented people we’re ever likely to cover. 

A rugby superstar who would go on to lead Heinz for 20 years, become one of the highest paid and most successful CEO’s during that time while at the same time building a media and business empire on the other side of the ocean, who charmed and mixed with global elite, became Ireland’s first billionaire and then lost it all. It’s a remarkable story - enjoy