How Success Happens

Ever wonder what your filmmaking heroes were like before they became legends? We’re talking the giants: Lucas. Spielberg. Coppola. Paul Fischer literally wrote the book on it, The Last Kings of Hollywood. In this conversation with Dan, he breaks down how these icons found their voices and the fascinating mix of friendship, rivalry, and creative friction that pushed them all to greatness.

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Like many of us, Adam Lynn spent his college years partying. But unlike the rest of us, he was able to turn those parties into a viable career path. After getting his start in a frat house, Adam would go on to ring the bell at the NASDAQ when his event company Breakaway hit a nine-figure valuation. In this chat with Dan, Adam shares how he turned party planning into a legit business and some of the hard lessons he learned along the way.

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Nate Bargatze is a busy guy. He has a new movie coming out, The Bread Winner, and he's hard at work on Nateland, his very own amusement park. But he took some time out of his packed schedule building roller coasters (don't worry, he's got a few experts helping with that part) to stop by and chat with Dan about some of his most hilarious moments. Like how his now-famous George Washington SNL sketch almost never made it to air.

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While every other startup is busy making AI products that will eventually become sentient and steal our jobs, Madhav Agarwal (CEO) and Tanvi Gadamsetti (COO) went in a completely different direction. They made a better shoelace. Fresh out of Michigan State, these two patent-holding, Shark Tank-winning founders built a materials science company around laces that actually stay tied. In this snack-sized episode, they explain why they started the day they had the idea and why you probably shouldn't wait either.

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John Paul DeJoria co-founded Paul Mitchell hair care and Patrón tequila, but he'll be the first to tell you he started with nothing. Unless you count the dime his mom handed him to drop in a Salvation Army bucket when he was six. That dime taught him everything. After getting fired from three jobs and living out of his car, he finally started making real money at 35 with Paul Mitchell. Then came Patrón. When he sold it, it was the biggest sale in alcohol industry history. But DeJoria never forgot that dime. He's planted over a million trees, helped generate 42,000 tons of food through Grow Appalachia, and given away millions every year to house and employ the homeless. In his new memoir, Success Unshared is Failure, he makes the case that no matter how much you make, it means nothing if you're not sharing it with others.

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Alex Faherty sat down to chat with Dan about one of their favorite topics; The Knicks! But Alex wasn’t just there to agree that Jalen Brunson is the best. Alex and his twin brother Mike built Faherty Brand from a college essay idea into an 80-store empire. Alex gets real about what it actually feels like to quit your cushy finance job and chase a dream you've been cooking up since you were a teenager. Turns out it's equal parts exhilarating and "what the heck did I just do?"

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Dan went to NFL Draft Week in Pittsburgh. He sat down with 49ers tight end George Kittle and his wife Claire to talk about what it actually takes to keep your head on straight when the lights are blinding. It turns out both Kittles minored in Entrepreneurship in college. That class stuck with them more than anything else, except sports! They know how to soak up the good times, and they know how to flush the bad ones on and off the field. 

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Everyone says if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. But is that actually true? Marcus Buckingham has spent 30 years crunching the numbers on human performance, and he's got a very specific, and maybe surprising, answer to just how much of your day needs to spark joy before you stop wanting to quit.  You can learn more about his research in his new book Design Love In. At the end of the episode Dan has his own surprise brush with love. 

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Wheelwright Lumber started as a small second-hand store in Ogden, Utah back in 1890 and has grown into a 13-acre, full-service lumberyard now led by the family’s fifth generation. In this episode, fifth-generation owner Paul Wheelwright shares how each era has put its stamp on the business, from evolving with the construction industry to modernizing operations while preserving the company’s identity. He discusses how to keep values and vision aligned across 130 years, what ongoing succession looks like as the company prepares for its sixth generation and why the right financial partners are critical when a legacy business decides to expand or reinvent itself.

To learn more about how Chase for Business can help you plan for your business’s long-term success, visit https://entm.ag/CfBPodWL

JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC

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When founder and CEO Arturo “Archie” Montemayor III decided it was time to think about the future of his Austin-based CPA firm, he didn’t look outside for buyers—he looked across the hall. In this episode, Archie shares how he structured a thoughtful transition by transferring ownership shares to longtime employees while staying active in the business, preserving client trust and the firm’s hard-earned reputation. He breaks down how he identified leadership potential, mentored new owners and built a collaborative ownership group that keeps the firm’s values front and center. Along the way, he reveals what every small business owner should know about planning early, investing in internal talent and protecting the legacy they’ve worked so hard to build.

To learn more about how Chase for Business can help you plan for your business’s long-term success, visit https://entm.ag/CfBPodMBBC

JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC

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