What are your options for emergency funding in the US? Can you use the U.S. CARES Act to get financial assistance? Should you consider crowdfunding? We talk to Karen Cahn, CEO of iFundWomen, about what you need to know. Who qualifies for the forgivable and traditional loans within this $2.2 trillion stimulus package? Do you have to apply today? How much money could you get? And is a loan a good idea? Karen gives us the details – and makes the case that now is the best time to crowdfund. Hosted by editor-at-large Bob Safian. Learn what IFW is doing to help entrepreneurs during COVID: ifundwomen.com/covid-19Read the weekly Masters of Scale newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dlirtX

Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman

Special: Relief funding & crowdfunding in a crisis w/Karen Cahn of IFundWomen

"Anxiety," "grief," "mom": these are the words that are coming up at this extreme moment in time. That data comes from Crisis Text Line’s Nancy Lublin, whose online counselors are using both empathy and aggregated data to help people through this pandemic. Crisis Text Line provides free, confidential crisis counseling via text, 24/7. To help counselors meet the moment, they anonymize and analyze real-time data on how their users are feeling – and that data is telling them the story of right now. Hosted by editor-at-large Bob Safian.Jaw-dropping data reporting here: "How Is America Feeling?" Read: https://www.crisistextline.org/everyday-empathy/Want to support Crisis Text Line? Here's what Nancy suggests:SEND US MORE PEOPLE IN PAIN. We want to help. Share CrisisTextLine.orgSEND US MORE PARTNERS. We want more people to know we are here and 100% operational. Media partners, companies, influencers, hotlines. Find us at CrisisTextLine.orgSEND US MORE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO VOLUNTEER. People can be part of a solution, from their couch, in their jammies. CrisisTextLine.org/volunteer

Special: Pay attention to crisis data, because it's the story of our times, says Nancy Lublin

Hourly workers are the 'hero class' says VC Tony Tjan. And the pandemic is wreaking havoc on their financial stability. At Boston’s Cue Ball Group, Tony’s portfolio includes companies that employ hundreds of nail care workers, cooks and servers, and he's asking: How can we protect hourly workers and help them prepare for an uncertain future? And how can we plan for the long term, when the daily keeps changing? Co-hosted by Masters of Scale editor-at-large Bob Safian. 

Special: Hourly workers are a ‘hero class’ w/Cue Ball’s Tony Tjan

Can you blitzscale when the world grinds to a halt? How do you do right by your team AND your investors? What will the entrepreneurial world look like on the other side of this? In this special episode, our host Reid Hoffman, sits on the other side of the mic, contextualizing the crisis and offering a hopeful viewpoint. Hosted by Masters of Scale editor-at-large Bob Safian.

Special: First, be human – Thoughts on the crisis from Reid Hoffman

Last week, Danny Meyer laid off 2,000 people – that's 80 percent of staff at Union Square Hospitality Group, representing 20+ restaurants across the country. It was a heartbreaking decision made with full understanding of the impacts, short and long-term – or as much as can possibly be known in this volatile time. In this special episode, Danny returns to the show to share why and how he acted so quickly, the process he and his team used to make this decision, the impact of the layoff, and what comes next for his industry. Co-hosted by Masters of Scale editor at large Bob Safian.

Special: Danny Meyer on the wrenching decision to do layoffs

The first in a series of special episodes with tools you need RIGHT NOW | Suddenly, many of us are remote workers. As companies radically reimagine their day-to-day in response to the pandemic, we all need to know what Matt Mullenweg has learned: How to thrive as a successful remote team. As founder of Automattic (creators of WordPress etc), Matt runs a 1000-person team that’s almost entirely remote. How do they do it? Matt shares his best practices here. It won't sound like our typical episodes. This is just Reid and Matt, sharing insights on how to run fully distributed teams that build culture and trust — and succeed.

Special ep: Remote teams with WordPress/Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg

What if your idea is so radical that people have trouble grasping what it is – or even believing it won't harm them? Every founder believes their product is revolutionary – and the more revolutionary their product, the more reassuring they’ll need to be to get consumers on board. No one knows this better than Wences Casares, the trailblazing entrepreneur credited with bringing crypto to Silicon Valley (and convincing Reid himself). With his unicorn start up Xapo, a Bitcoin wallet, Wences aims to reassure the masses that Bitcoin isn’t as different – or as dangerous – as they may think. Cameo appearances: Linda Rottenberg (Endeavor), Anne Wojcicki (23andMe).

How to start a revolution – Bitcoin pioneer Wences Casares (Xapo)

Growth vs innovation, scale vs stability, founders vs CEOs? Entrepreneurs want to know! We’re back with another Strategy Session episode, featuring fast-growing, high-performing scale-ups from around the world, and they’re asking Reid their biggest questions. They want to know: What do they do next? Co-hosted by Bob Safian (previously editor-in-chief at Fast Company magazine).

Strategy Session: When to replace the founder, how to be a learn-it-all, when to take the "venture bet"

The secret to massive scale? Be a platform. Build a virtuous cycle where everyone wins, and you’ll emerge the biggest winner of all. This is what Tobi Lütke did when he built Shopify – and then opened it up to the world. Cameo appearances by: Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt (Google), Julia Hartz (Eventbrite), and Gustav Söderström (Spotify).

Shopify's Tobi Lütke: Be a platform

You need a strong culture to build a company that will scale beyond the early days of start up. And strong company cultures only emerge when every employee feels they own the culture from day one. Here's how Reed Hastings did it – and made Netflix culture (and its “culture deck”) famous in the process. Cameo appearances: Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn), Aneel Bhusri (Workday), Margaret Heffernan (entrepreneur), Tristan Walker (Walker & Co.), Mariam Naficy (Minted). 

NetFlix’s Reed Hastings – Why culture matters

When do you see the forest? And when do you see the trees? Building a company to scale requires a delicate balance of macro and micro focus – and the skill to know where to focus when. Josh Silverman has built that skill in leadership roles at Evite, eBay, Skype, and now Etsy. What he’s learned: Success isn’t just about zooming in on the details or taking the long view – but about knowing when to switch between perspectives.Read Nik Money's book The Selfish Ape: Human Nature and Our Path to Extinction.Watch Scott Suko topple dominoes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IuUp-rI0VU&feature=youtu.beRead the weekly Masters of Scale newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dlirtX

When to Zoom In, When to Zoom Out, with Josh Silverman (Etsy / eBay / Skype / Evite)

When's the right time for hypergrowth? Should you take investment when you don’t need the money? How do you deal with an exhausted team? Global entrepreneurs facing hyperfast growth ask Reid their questions about raising capital, pivoting their product, bootstrapping vs. blitzscaling and more. Featuring some of the highest-performing scale entrepreneurs from Endeavor, and cohosted by Harvard professor Youngme Moon, of the great HBS podcast After Hours.

Strategy Session: When not to blitzscale, how to persuade your board to let you slow down, and: Are you in a Glengarry Glen Ross market?  

How do you find joy in your life? Our host, Reid Hoffman, finds it through friendship, and the genuine, honest, and intimate conversations it brings. In this special episode of Meditative Story, from the same producers as Masters of Scale, Reid shares his passion for connecting with others by asking big questions.

Special: A Meditative Story from Reid Hoffman

Behind every successful business is a hidden back-end business powering it behind the scenes. No one knows this better than Jenn Hyman, CEO of Rent the Runway. RTR is known for creating a glamorous "closet in the cloud,” but it achieved ‘unicorn’ status by mastering the businesses behind their public-facing brand — including the world’s largest dry-cleaning operation and a data insights practice that’s changing the fashion industry. Cameo appearance: Kevin Venardos (Venardos Circus); Stewart Butterfield (Slack) 

What’s the hidden business behind your business? w/Rent the Runway’s Jenn Hyman

To find your big idea? Look for it. And look for it. And be ready to act. Spanx founder Sara Blakely was actively seeking a business idea when she thought of Spanx. Then she moved fast, found help in the right places, and went all-in. The result: A billion-dollar company & women's wardrobes transformed. With cameos by National Geographic Explorer Andrés Ruzo, former director of the US Patent & Trademark Office Michelle Lee, and Endeavor CEO Linda Rottenberg.LINKS:Learn more about The Boiling River Project: http://www.boilingriver.orgRead "The Boiling River" by Andrés Ruzo: https://amzn.to/36iHHNFLearn more about the US patent system: https://www.uspto.gov/Meet Andre, who dresses Oprah Winfrey: https://andrewalkerhair.comListen to Linda Rottenberg on Masters of Scale: https://mastersofscale.com/linda-rottenberg-the-next-silicon-valley-is/Get the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dlirtX

How to find your big idea w/ Spanx's Sara Blakely

How do companies grow from zero to a gazillion? Legendary Silicon Valley investor / entrepreneur Reid Hoffman tests his theories with famous founders. Guests include Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg & Sheryl Sandberg, Netflix’s Reed Hastings, Google’s Eric Schmidt, Spanx's Sara Blakely. With original music and hilariously honest stories, the show sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard. Masters of Scale is a WaitWhat original series in association with Stitcher.

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Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman

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