The Doneson Podcast

Welcome to Episode 29 of the DONESON podcast! The time has come to discuss the founder of one the most used social platforms in the world: Mr. Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook. Zuckerberg is credited with transforming the everyday life of almost everyone on the planet by bringing Facebook into our lives. His creation has transformed human relationships and connections across the miles. And it only continues to grow. With acquisitions of companies like WhatsApp and Instagram, Zuckerberg has taking over the social market. However, does he really deserve all the credit? His ongoing legal battles with early partners would say otherwise. And for all the good that Facebook has brought us, it is also been proven to promote addiction in some people. Loss of sleep, depression and more has been cited from the overuse of Facebook. And of course, there is always the privacy issue. Is Facebook stealing our information? Because we all know that it most certainly can. Is that really what leadership looks like?

Join us today on Episode 28 of the DONESON podcast as we discuss the founder of Apple, Mr. Steve Jobs! Despite an acceptance rate into the company that is way lower than some Ivy League schools, working at Apple is still something many strive for. Jobs was known for being committed to always evolving and having fresh, exciting new products. Simple consistent products and methods, were his mantra. He believed that successful people didn't rely on others but accepted final responsibility for their work. However, despite these qualities, he also has been known for his refusal to give to charities of any kind, his well-known denial of paternity to his first child and most notably as a tyrant in the workplace. How does this reflect on him as a leader? His leadership and contributions in technology might be undeniable but were his methods acceptable?

Dive right in and join the fun on Episode 27 of the DONESON podcast! Mark Grogan joins us today as well, he's our special guest host and/or deranged fan depending on how you look at it. Either way, he did whatever he had to, to get on the show and he made it! Today we discuss, Mr. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon! Amazon has literally taken over the retail world which is an incredible feat for an online bookstore that originated in Bezos' garage. Amazon grew exponentially within its very first month in business. One of the best tactics that they used, were mobile billboards outside brick and mortar stores that prompted customers to go online. Now, millions of people use Amazon for the convenience, ease and often better pricing than their local stores. So many advantages for the consumer but what about the other side of the coin? Merchants who sell on Amazon, cannot house their goods in the warehouse and many brick and mortar stores have gone under because it's impossible to compete with Amazon. And most recently, there have been allegations of horrible working conditions for the employees during the Covid-19 pandemic. So how does all this reflect on Jeff Bezos as a global leader?

Welcome to Episode 26 of the DONESON podcast! Today we have special guest Nekotia Jones joining us. Mr. Jones is the Director of Client Support at XOi Technologies. You can connect with him through LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/in/nekotia-jones-3195791 Today we are discussing Mr. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft. Gates has been an influential powerhouse for the tech world and has paved the way for many but after learning more him, you may ask yourself…has his time come and gone? Microsoft has permeated all aspects of modern life from education to business and beyond. Gates has also aimed to use his success for the greater good. He has cited Rockefeller as being an influence in his charity work that has helped to make great advances in many areas. Gates even warned the world about the current pandemic as far back as 2015. On the other hand, he has also made controversial comments about population control and Microsoft has been in violation of anti-trust laws. And when it comes to leadership, and Gates has admitted this himself; Microsoft totally missed the mark on the mobile market. So, is he really a leader to follow into the next part of the 21st century?

Join us today on episode twenty-five of the Doneson podcast as we learn about Philip Knight, the brains behind the NIKE empire! Mr. Knight had ambitions for his company right from the start. A graduate of Standford business school, his goal was to bring the high quality of Japanese shoes to the US market. Although the name went through a few changes at the beginning, it was one of the original employees that suggested naming it after the Greek goddess of victory -Nike. Despite always supporting professional athletes and amateurs, as well as showing body positive and motivational ad campaigns, Nike has also supported several controversial people in order to get more exposure. Not to mention they have been accused several times of horrible unethical labor practices in their overseas factories. This bears asking: how much good outweighs the bad? Some? Or none at all? Join us on the podcast to find out!

Welcome to episode twenty-four of the Doneson Podcast. Today we dive into the coffee house world with Howard Schultz of Starbucks. After coming home from Italy with grand ideas about unique ways to sell coffee, Schultz was knocked down by the powers that be. He left to start his own company but in the end was approached to buy Starbucks just a few years later. After buying it in 1987 for 3.8 million, Schultz grew the company to an international heavyweight across 75 countries. Starbucks fans tend to be hardcore super fans while those who aren't, are often at the other end of the spectrum. As a company, they are known for their incredible commitment to healthcare for their employees. However, they aren't always up front about everything. Starbucks has been known to use stale coffee beans and hide the taste behind sugar and other sweeteners. Even more disturbing, Starbucks has recently been accused of standing on the wrong side of racial issues, both on an employee level and on a grand scale company level. With this in mind, how does Starbucks really measure up as a leader?

Today on episode twenty-three of the Doneson podcast, an in-depth study into Fred Smith of the FedX empire! FedX changed the course of the transportation and logistics on a world-wide scale when it was founded by Mr. Smith in 1971. The idea for an overnight delivery service stemmed from a disagreement with a professor at Yale. After that, Smith developed the business model that ended up being a game changer for the delivery industry. He continued aiming high by buying up Kinkos in order to compete with UPS and instituting overnight delivery between Asia and the US. But things weren't always easy for Fred Smith and sometimes he resorted to outlandish methods to keep his business afloat. The most notorious being taking the company's last $5000 to Vegas and betting it all on a blackjack game. Fortunately, it turned out in his favor and he won $27,000 and thereby saved his company. However, not everyone would agree that risks like that are worth it. A known member of the Yale secret society, Smith had his hand in a lot of powerful pockets, but is that the best approach to leadership and success?

Time to run away and join the circus! But first, join us for a discussion of P.T Barnum on episode twenty-two of the Doneson podcast. P.T Barnum was a showman and a politician but was perhaps most well-known for his world-famous Barnum & Bailey Circus. His motto was that no one got ahead by being the same as everyone else, and with that in mind, he definitely was an original. Known for creating outlandish events that entertained the masses-his most famous being that of the 161-year-old blind slave who supposedly was the nurse to George Washington. Although obviously false, it was a success nonetheless.

Barnum made his mark by selling tickets to scandalous shows featuring the bearded lady, the human caterpillar and Jumbo the elephant, just to name a few. He also proved the safety of the Brooklyn bridge by walking elephants and camels across it and introduced American society to higher culture by bringing over a European opera singer. If ever there was an opportunity to be in the spotlight, P.T Barnum took it and made it his own. However, in doing so he also created large scale hoaxes that duped the public. It raises the question-Is entertainment at the price of truth, acceptable? Was P.T Barnum just an upscale con artist or a true entertainer?

Welcome to episode twenty-one of the Doneson Podcast. Today we dive into the story of Madam CJ Walker! But before we do, we want to take a moment to introduce our guest host on today program. Today we have the honor of Ms. Sonya Davis who will be joining us! As a banker and business professional for the past 20 years, Ms. Davis has utilized her experience and passion for helping people in the community, through her leadership and service. She has pioneered and established the 15 and 30 LLC, which educates underserved youths between the ages of 15 and 30 about financial literacy. To learn more about Ms. Sonya Davis and the work she does, please find her at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonya-n-davis-942059a1

And now for Madam CJ Walker, a true entrepreneurial pioneer for African-American women in the early part of the 20th century. Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the first female self-made millionaire, Madam CJ Walker invented a line of hair products specifically designed for African-American hair. An early feminist and women's liberation activist, Madam Walker 's goal was to help black women from all over the country improve their own financial well-being by selling her products. In fact, years later, her door-to-door sales system was actually appropriated by cosmetics giant Avon.

However, there's a flip side to everything and Madam CJ Walker's story is no exception. She was also accused of stealing the recipe blueprint for her hair care products. As well, some say that her products were the original source of imposing white beauty standards on black women. So, this brings us to an important question; is CJ Walker a leader to follow? Does her success negate her alleged methods?

Join us as we dive into episode twenty of the Doneson podcast and examine the wealthiest American of all time -J.D Rockefeller. Known as the first American billionaire and the founder of Standard Oil company in 1870, he once controlled 90% of oil in the United States. His wealth grew along with the importance of gasoline during the early part of the twentieth century. However, he was not just an oil tycoon, but also an important philanthropist. He donated money to educational, religious and scientific developments. His efforts helped to eradicate disease through the developments of vaccines that saved millions of lives in America. He also gave millions to Spellman College which was a college founded to educate black women in Atlanta. The college bears the name of his wife Laura Spellman-a well-known abolitionist. However, J.D Rockefeller was also involved in various scandals. One being that his company was court ordered to be dismantled after it was in violation of anti-trust laws. Tax evasion, engaging in predatory pricing, using his charity's money for his own gain and many other financial issues were often brought to public attention. But none of these as much as the Ludlow massacre. J.D Rockefeller was known for cheating the miners. He eventually forced them out of their shacks and orchestrated the murder of 21 people including women and children from the miner's families, in order to control them and force them to bide by his rules. How do these actions reflect his leadership?