Toni Ko is the Founder of well-known makeup brand NYX cosmetics, which sold to L’Oreal in 2014. She has gone on to found many more ventures ranging from a sunglasses company to an investment firm focused on women-owned businesses. Her current occupation is as CEO and Founder of Bespoke Beauty Brands. However, behind Toni’s incredible success is the story of a first generation immigrant who moved to America at the age of just thirteen.

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In Wondery’s newest series, Secret Sauce, hosts John Frye and Sam Donner explore the stories and successes behind some of the most inspiring businesses, creative innovators and intrepid entrepreneurs.

First up, we’re diving into the company that revolutionized how we vacation, travel, and even how we trust other people...we’re talking about Airbnb. In 2008, Air Bed and Breakfast launched at SXSW with high hopes of becoming an alternative to overbooked hotels...but they ended up with just two people booking a stay...and one of them was a co-founder of the company. How did Airbnb persevere through adversity to become a company that would forever change the way we think about travel? What was their magic - their secret sauce - that made them such an unlikely success story? And what lessons can we learn from them?

Listen at http://wondery.fm/SS_SuccessHappens

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Nicholas Stone is the Founder & CEO of Bluestone Lane. Bluestone Lane is the fastest growing premium cafe brand in the United States, with 50+ locations across 9 markets (NY, LA, SF, DC, NJ, PA, MA & Toronto CDN). Headquartered in New York City, Bluestone Lane is influenced by Australian independent coffee-culture, and is committed to providing elevated cafe experiences focused on human connection.

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Brooke Baldwin is the author of “Huddle: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power.” The longtime CNN news anchor describes the “huddle,” as a phenomenon where women get together in politics, Hollywood, activism, the arts, sports, and everyday friendships to provide each other with support, empowerment, inspiration, and strength to ultimately create change.

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David Rogier is the CEO and Co-Founder of MasterClass—the online-learning platform where you can learn to shoot a basketball from Steph Curry, filmmaking from Martin Scorsese, and photography from Annie Leibovitz. MasterClass is slick and highly produced, carrying classes from the biggest names in their respective industries. On this week's episode Rogier details the progression of MasterClass with its foundation rooted in his love for learning.

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Jeff Arnold’s storied career began with founding QDS, a cardiac arrhythmia monitoring company, one of the first organizations to use telemedicine. He then founded WebMD, the first healthcare company to harness the internet’s power to create a destination for consumers, healthcare institutions, and physicians. Today, Arnold runs Sharecare, a digital health company helping people manage their needs in one place. In this episode, Arnold details his journey and how he’s shaped the healthcare world.

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For many companies both big and small, international expansion is an incredibly daunting task. The thought of carrying a large open balance from a custom half-way around the world and unsure if their international clients will even pay their invoices, causes much heartburn and lack of sleep for U.S. exporters.

That’s where the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) comes in! EXIM offers export credit insurance on those receivables, which provides peace of mind knowing they will be covered against non-payment. Not only does EXIM provide an insurance policy for companies, but also incredible knowledge on international expansion. In this episode we sit down with the local Vermont startup, Darn Tough, as they detail their incredible experience with EXIM helping them expand into international markets.

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For almost three decades, Frédéric Fekkai has shaped the international beauty landscape. Frédéric Fekkai evolved from a salon owner and stylist to a luxury lifestyle brand. With the brand taking off, Frédéric redesigned his flagship and opened the iconic 10,000 square foot salon on New York’s Fifth Avenue. Fekkai, which sold to Procter & Gamble was reclaimed by Frédéric in recent years, and he is now working to evolve the brand with a focus on clean ingredients and sustainable practices.

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Eric Mosley is the Founder and CEO of Workhuman. Workhuman works globally to help create a more inclusive, positive employee experience at work. Their human applications software fills the void between administrative governance and human connections. Mosley founded the company with the emotionally intelligent vision that we need to start treating people like human beings at work by connecting people and meeting their basic human needs.

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Mike Kennedy is the former CEO and Co-Founder of clearxchange, which was bought and rebranded as Zelle, the largest digital peer-to-peer network in the United States. Zelle enables individuals to electronically transfer money from their bank account to another registered user's bank account. However, as an accomplished executive it wasn’t easy for Mike to take a leap of faith and exit the corporate world. Hear from Mike as he discusses his journey from Corporate America to Entrepreneur.

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