Podcasts about EBay

With 2026 officially underway, Episode 352 sets the tone for a bigger, broader year ahead for the Kibbe & Friends Show. Rob kicks things off with stories from a frozen Yellowstone adventure that included snow coaches, snowmobiles, and the kind of mechanical failure that feels right at home on this show. The guys also dig into a questionable General Lee listed on eBay, breaking down what's wrong, what doesn't add up, and why details matter when it comes to Dukes history. From there, the crew goes all the way back to the beginning with a review of The Dukes of Hazzard pilot episode, “One Armed Bandits.” This first outing is far edgier than most fans remember—more Smokey and the Bandit than wholesome family TV—with bar fights, crooked politics, and Daisy Duke causing trouble from the start. Rough around the edges but packed with nostalgia, this episode lays the foundation for everything that followed, including the iconic jump over Sheriff Roscoe's car that became part of the show's opening credits for years to come. The post K&F Show #352: Goals for 2026 and KF Phase Four Begins!! // Dukes VIDEO Review S1E1 “One Armed Bandits” first appeared on The Muscle Car Place.

Want to quit your job and build a real land investing business? ⁠Land Portal⁠ gives you access to the fastest-growing land software plus ⁠Land Portal University⁠, where we walk you step-by-step through getting your first land deal. Looking for 1-on-1 Land Flipping or Subdividing coaching?  Schedule a ⁠FREE strategy call⁠ here.================================In this episode, Ron Apke sits down with veteran land investor, Travis King, to reveal how he scaled from flipping $500 lots from Ebay to closing 6-figure land deals through private capital, smarter marketing, and value-adding strategies. Travis breaks down what's actually working in today's land investing market, from new strategies targeting landlocked properties and subdivisions to standing out with segmented direct-to-seller marketing.If you want to build a scalable land investing business, replace your W-2 income, and make fewer deals for bigger profits, this episode is a must-watch!

Creep love is in the air: we've got creeps who met through totes and Tinder, Trump nipping into Venezuela for a quick kidnap, Blackwater's rent-a-war madness, eBay execs losing the run of themselves and a haunted bra for dessert. Listen ad-free and get an extra episode every week (plus first dibs on our Meat Creep Valentine's show tickets) over on Patreon: patreon.com/thecreepdive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A CMO Confidential Interview with DJ Patil, Great Point Ventures investor and former U.S. Chief Data Scientist in the Obama Administration. DJ discusses why AI adoption is "lumpy" like unbaked cake mix, the difference between large models and focused applications, and why consultants are probably not the best way to make progress. Key topics include: Maslow's Hierarchy of AI with power, data and water as the foundation; a timeline juxtaposition of AI evolution versus culture and policy change; and his belief that marketers have a unique position to add "human connectivity" in to the mix. Tune in to hear a view on AI and health care as well as how Waymo almost ruined a date night. What does AI adoption *really* look like inside large organizations—and why does it feel so uneven?In this episode of **CMO Confidential**, host **Mike Linton** sits down with **DJ Patil**—former U.S. Chief Data Scientist, AI leader at eBay and LinkedIn, and longtime advisor and investor—for a clear-eyed update from the front lines of AI.DJ explains why AI progress feels “lumpy,” why culture—not technology—is the biggest blocker to ROI, and what boards, CEOs, and CMOs must do now to avoid falling behind. From autonomous warfare and small models to Wall Street hype cycles, job displacement, and what AI means for the future of marketing, this is a practical, executive-level conversation about what's real, what's noise, and what comes next.If you lead a company, manage a brand, sit on a board, or are building a career in marketing, this episode will recalibrate how you think about AI adoption, investment, and organizational change.

Join the Discord and Partner with us via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/purehustlepodcast Sign Up with MY RESLLER GENIE with 15% off your first month for the best bookkeeping geared for resellers by using the link below and USE OUR CODE “PUREHUSTLE” all in caps: https://www.myresellergenie.com/?ref=purehustle Dive into Episode 481 of Pure Hustle Podcast where hosts Mike and Orlando react to viral reselling clips, share game-changing tips, and celebrate massive hustles from the community. From debunking anti-reseller myths to uncovering hidden gems like vintage jeans worth thousands and high-end shoe bolos, this episode is packed with motivation for eBay sellers, thrift flippers, and side hustlers. Whether you're sourcing at garage sales, optimizing your eBay store, or hunting for trends like distressed Carhartt, we've got the insights to level up your reselling game in 2026. Don't miss the epic stories of $50K+ profits from single hauls and practical advice on taxes and inventory management. Hit play for real talk on turning thrift finds into serious cash! Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro to Pure Hustle Podcast Episode 481: Reaction Video Kickoff 1:27 - Episode Overview & Call to Subscribe 2:11 - Reacting to "Normalize Not Buying to Resell" - Debunking Anti-Reseller Myths 4:24 - Why Resellers Provide a Valuable Service & Greater Good Impact 6:20 - Reselling Changes Lives: Stories of Transformation 8:47 - Thrift Stores, Charities, and the Real Benefits of Reselling 9:45 - Final Thoughts on Reseller Critics 11:18 - eBay Tip from Aylan Flips: Turning Off Checkout Notes to Avoid Demands 13:34 - Common Buyer Requests & Why This Hack Saves Time and Headaches 15:17 - Minimizing Negative Feedback Risks on eBay 16:24 - Promo: MyResellerGenie for Easy Reselling Bookkeeping & Taxes (Use Code PureHustle for 15% Off) 20:25 - Reacting to Vintage Jeans Falling from Ceiling: $15K-$20K Bolo Alert 22:03 - Motivation: Hidden Treasures Still Out There (Babe Ruth Cards, Superman Comics) 22:54 - Hustle of the Week: Adam's $58K Profit from Ralph Lauren Hoard 26:36 - More Epic Hustles: John's $72K from Coffee Cans & $5K License Plate Flip 32:11 - Mike's Hustle: Parting Out Camera Gear for Big Profits 34:29 - Orlando's Hustle: Vintage Hot Wheels Score & Connecting Buyers to Gems 36:55 - eBay Tips & Trends: Would Tips for Sellers Work? 38:45 - Shoe Bolo Breakdown: Alden, John Lobb, Crockett & Jones, and More High-End Brands 43:13 - John Lobb Shoes: $3K+ Retail Gems to Flip 45:02 - Reacting to Carhartt Trends: From Workwear to Fashion Gold (Distressed Jackets Sell Big) 46:37 - Thrifting Insights: Gen Z Trends Driving Resale Value 48:39 - Closing Thoughts: Stay Motivated & Keep Hustling     Get a free $15 on Whatnot by using the link below: https://whatnot.com/invite/purehustlepodcast Get that Skullshaver using the link below and our code "Hustle": https://skullshaver.com/discount/Hustle?rfsn=6980222.2cfe107&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=6980222.2cfe107 Purchase bubble wrap from the best deal available ANYWHERE: https://www.americanbubbleboy.com?sca_ref=650095.KTEipe5MI4&sca_source=YouTube

In this episode of Passion to Profession, presented by eBay, I'm joined by Drew Hester, Chief Operating Officer at Greg Morris Cards.We talk about what it takes to run a high-volume operation without losing the human side of the hobby. Why trust beats transactions. Why vintage behaves differently than modern. And why consistency and communication still win, even as the hobby moves faster than ever.Drew shares his path from entrepreneur to operator, what he's learned studying collector behavior up close, and why Greg Morris Cards has stayed relevant by playing the long game.If you care about relationships, stability, and building something that lasts in the hobby, this conversation is for you.A special thank you to eBay for sponsoring Passion to Profession. The biggest and best marketplace to buy your next favorite trading card.Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon[Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this linkFollow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

https://bbvproductions.co.uk/products/Faction-Paradox-The-Confession-of-Brother-Signet-AUDIO-DOWNLOAD-p389922366 The first season of the American science fiction horror drama television series Stranger Things premiered worldwide on the streaming service Netflix on July 15, 2016. The series was created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. This season stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, and Matthew Modine, with Noah Schnapp, Joe Keery, and Shannon Purser in recurring roles. The first season of Stranger Things received critical acclaim, in particular for its originality, homages to the 1980s, characterization, tone, visuals, and performances (particularly those of Ryder, Harbour, Wolfhard, Brown, Heaton and Modine). Premise The first season begins on November 6, 1983, in a small town called Hawkins. Researchers at Hawkins National Laboratory open a rift to the "Upside Down," an alternate dimension that reflects the real world. A monstrous humanoid creature escapes and abducts a boy named Will Byers and a teenage girl. Will's mother, Joyce, and the town's police chief, Jim Hopper, search for Will. At the same time, a young psychokinetic girl who goes by the name "Eleven" escapes from the laboratory and assists Will's friends, Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, and Lucas Sinclair, in their efforts to find Will.[1] Cast and characters See also: List of Stranger Things characters Main cast Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers[2] David Harbour as Jim Hopper[2] Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler[3] Millie Bobby Brown[3] as Eleven ("El") Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson[3] Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair[3] Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler[3] Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers[3][4][5] Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler[6] Matthew Modine as Martin Brenner[7] Recurring Noah Schnapp as Will Byers Joe Keery as Steve Harrington Shannon Purser as Barbara "Barb" Holland[8] Joe Chrest as Ted Wheeler Ross Partridge as Lonnie Byers[9] Rob Morgan as Officer Powell John Paul Reynolds as Officer Callahan Randy Havens as Scott Clarke Catherine Dyer as Connie Frazier Aimee Mullins as Terry Ives[10] Amy Seimetz as Becky Ives Peyton Wich as Troy[11] Tony Vaughn as Principal Coleman Charles Lawlor as Mr. Melvald Tinsley and Anniston Price as Holly Wheeler Cade Jones as James Chester Rushing as Tommy H. Chelsea Talmadge as Carol Glennellen Anderson as Nicole Cynthia Barrett as Marsha Holland Jerri Tubbs as Diane Hopper Elle Graham as Sara Hopper Chris Sullivan as Benny Hammond Tobias Jelinek as lead agent Robert Walker-Branchaud as repairman agent Susan Shalhoub Larkin as Florence ("Flo") Episodes See also: List of Stranger Things episodes No. overall No. in season Title Directed by Written by Original release date 1 1 "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers" The Duffer Brothers The Duffer Brothers July 15, 2016 On November 6, 1983, in Hawkins, Indiana, a scientist is attacked by an unseen creature at a U.S. government laboratory. 12-year-old Will Byers encounters the creature and mysteriously vanishes while cycling home from a Dungeons & Dragons session with his friends Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair. The following day, Will's single mother Joyce Byers reports his disappearance to the police chief Jim Hopper, who starts a search but assures Joyce that almost all missing children are quickly found. The lab's director, Dr. Martin Brenner, investigates an organic substance oozing from the lab's basement, claiming that "the girl" cannot have gone far. A nervous young girl wearing a hospital gown wanders into a local diner. The owner, Benny, finds a tattoo of "011" on her arm and learns that her name is Eleven. Brenner, monitoring the phone lines, sends agents to the diner after Benny calls social services. The agents kill Benny, but Eleven manages to escape using telekinetic abilities. Joyce's phone short circuits after receiving a mysterious phone call that she believes is from Will. While searching for Will in the woods, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas come across Eleven. 2 2 "Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street" The Duffer Brothers The Duffer Brothers July 15, 2016 The boys bring Eleven to Mike's house, where they disagree on what to do. Mike formulates a plan for Eleven to pretend to be a runaway and seek help from his mother, Karen. Eleven refuses, however, revealing that "bad men" are after her. Will's brother Jonathan visits his estranged father Lonnie in Indianapolis to search for Will, but Lonnie rebuffs him. Hopper's search party discovers a scrap of hospital gown near the lab. After recognizing Will in a photograph and demonstrating her telekinesis, Eleven convinces the boys to trust her, as they believe she can find Will. Using the Dungeons & Dragons board, Eleven indicates that Will is on the "Upside Down" side of the board and is being hunted by the "Demogorgon" (the creature). Mike's sister Nancy and her friend Barbara 'Barb' Holland go to a party with Nancy's boyfriend Steve Harrington. Searching for Will near Steve's house, Jonathan secretly photographs the party. Joyce receives another call from Will, hears music playing from his stereo, and sees a creature coming through the wall. Left alone by the swimming pool, Barb is attacked by the Demogorgon and vanishes. 3 3 "Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly" Shawn Levy Jessica Mecklenburg July 15, 2016 Barb awakens in the Upside Down: a decaying, overgrown alternate dimension. She attempts to escape but is attacked by the Demogorgon. Joyce believes Will is communicating through pulses in light bulbs. Hopper visits Hawkins Lab, and the staff permits him to view doctored security footage from the night Will vanished, leading Hopper to investigate Brenner and discover his involvement with Project MKUltra and that a woman named Terry Ives alleged years earlier that Brenner took her daughter. Eleven recalls Brenner, whom she calls "Papa," punishing her for refusing to hurt a cat telekinetically. Steve destroys Jonathan's camera after discovering the photos from the party. Nancy later recovers a photo of Barb, simultaneously realizing that Barb is missing. Returning to Steve's house to investigate, Nancy finds Barb's untouched Volkswagen and encounters the Demogorgon but manages to escape. Joyce paints an alphabetic board on her wall with Christmas lights, allowing Will to sign to her that he is "RIGHT HERE" and that she needs to "RUN" as the Demogorgon comes through the wall. Believing Eleven knows where Will is, the boys ask her to lead them to him. Eleven leads them, to their frustration, to Will's house. From there they follow emergency vehicles to a nearby quarry just as Will's body is recovered from the water. 4 4 "Chapter Four: The Body" Shawn Levy Justin Doble July 15, 2016 Joyce refuses to believe that the body found at the quarry is Will's. Mike feels betrayed by Eleven until she proves that Will is still alive, channeling his voice through Mike's walkie-talkie. The boys theorize that Eleven could use a ham radio at their school to communicate with Will. Nancy notices a figure behind Barb in Jonathan's photo, which Jonathan realizes matches his mother's description of the Demogorgon. Nancy tells the police about Barb's disappearance. She later fights with Steve, who only cares about not getting in trouble with his father. Hopper has suspicions regarding the authenticity of the body found in the quarry when he learns that the usual coroner was sent home. Hopper confronts the state trooper who found it and beats him until he admits he was ordered to lie. The boys sneak Eleven into their school to use the radio, while Joyce hears Will's voice through her living room wall. Tearing away the wallpaper, she sees him. Eleven uses the radio to channel Will talking to his mother. Hopper goes to the morgue and finds that the body is a fake, and, suspecting that Brenner is responsible, breaks into the lab. 5 5 "Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat" The Duffer Brothers Alison Tatlock July 15, 2016 Hopper searches the lab before being knocked out by the lab's guards. The boys ask their science teacher, Mr. Clarke, if it would be possible to travel between alternate dimensions, to which he answers that there could be a theoretical "gate" between dimensions. Hopper awakens at his house and finds a hidden microphone, realizing that Joyce was right the whole time. The boys follow their compasses, searching for a gate that could disrupt the Earth's electromagnetic field. Eleven recalls memories of being placed in a sensory-deprivation tank to telepathically eavesdrop on a man speaking Russian; while listening, she came across the Demogorgon. Fearing another encounter with the Demogorgon, Eleven redirects the compasses. Lucas misinterprets this as an act of betrayal, leading Mike and Lucas to fight and Eleven to telekinetically fling Lucas away from Mike. While Dustin and Mike tend to the unconscious Lucas, Eleven runs off. Nancy and Jonathan formulate a plan to kill the Demogorgon. While searching in the woods, they come across a small gate to the Upside Down. Nancy crawls through it but inadvertently draws the Demogorgon's attention. Jonathan unsuccessfully tries to look for Nancy, as the gate to the Upside Down begins to close. 6 6 "Chapter Six: The Monster" The Duffer Brothers Jessie Nickson-Lopez July 15, 2016 Jonathan pulls Nancy back through the gate. That night, Nancy is afraid to be alone and asks Jonathan to stay in her bedroom. Steve, attempting to reconcile with Nancy, sees them together through her bedroom window and assumes they are dating. Joyce and Hopper track down Terry Ives, who is catatonic and tended by her sister Becky. Becky explains that Terry was a Project MKUltra participant while unknowingly pregnant and that Terry believes Brenner kidnapped her daughter Jane at birth due to her supposed telekinetic and telepathic abilities. Nancy and Jonathan stockpile weapons to kill the Demogorgon, theorizing that it is attracted by blood. Steve is brutally beaten up in a fistfight with Jonathan after he insults Will and calls Nancy a slut. Jonathan is arrested and held at the police station for beating up Steve and inadvertently punching one of the responding officers in the face. Eleven walks into a grocery store and shoplifts several boxes of Eggo waffles. Searching for Eleven, Mike and Dustin are ambushed by two bullies but are rescued by her, as she uses her powers to break one bully's arm after he attempts to kill Mike. Eleven collapses and recalls being asked by Brenner to contact the Demogorgon and, in her terror, inadvertently opening the gate. She tearfully admits to Mike that she is responsible for allowing the Demogorgon to enter this dimension. Lucas sees agents, who have tracked down Eleven, preparing to ambush Mike's house. 7 7 "Chapter Seven: The Bathtub" The Duffer Brothers Justin Doble July 15, 2016 Lucas warns Mike that agents are searching for Eleven. Mike, Dustin, and Eleven flee the house. Eleven telekinetically flips one of the vans that block their path as the kids escape. Lucas reconciles with Mike and Eleven, and the kids hide in the junkyard. Nancy and Jonathan reveal their knowledge of the Demogorgon to Joyce and Hopper. Hopper also learns that Eleven is with the kids. The group contacts the kids, and everyone meets at the Byers' house. Joyce and Hopper realize that Eleven is Jane Ives. The group asks Eleven to search for Will and Barb telepathically, but her earlier feats have weakened her. They break into the middle school and build a makeshift sensory deprivation tank to amplify Eleven's powers. After telepathically entering the Upside Down again, Eleven finds Barb dead and Will alive, hiding in the Upside Down version of his backyard fort. Realizing that the gate is in the basement of the lab, Hopper and Joyce break into the lab and are apprehended by security guards. Nancy and Jonathan sneak into the police station to retrieve the weapons they purchased previously, planning to lure and kill the Demogorgon. In the Upside Down, the Demogorgon breaks into Will's fort. 8 8 "Chapter Eight: The Upside Down" The Duffer Brothers Story by : Paul Dichter Teleplay by : The Duffer Brothers July 15, 2016 Hopper, haunted by the death of his daughter Sara from cancer years earlier, gives up Eleven's location to Brenner, who in exchange allows Hopper and Joyce to enter the Upside Down to rescue Will. Nancy and Jonathan cut their hands to attract the Demogorgon at the Byers' house. Steve, intending to apologize to Jonathan about their fight, arrives just as the Demogorgon appears. Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan fight the Demogorgon and light it on fire, forcing it to retreat to the Upside Down. Meanwhile, Eleven and the boys hide in the middle school when Brenner and his agents arrive to kidnap Eleven; she kills most of them before collapsing from exhaustion. As Brenner and his remaining agents pin Eleven and the boys down, the Demogorgon appears, attracted by the dead agents' blood, and attacks Brenner and the remaining agents as the boys escape with Eleven. Hopper and Joyce enter the Upside Down's version of the Hawkins library, where they encounter several corpses of the Demogorgon's victims, including Barb, and find Will unconscious with a tendril down his throat. Hopper revives him using CPR after removing the tendril. The Demogorgon corners the kids, but Eleven recovers from her exhaustion and disintegrates it, causing them both to disappear. Will recovers in the hospital, reuniting with his family and friends. One month later, it is Christmas and Nancy is back together with Steve, and both are friends with Jonathan. Will coughs up a slug-like creature and has a vision of the Upside Down, but hides this from his family. Production Development Ross (left) and Matt Duffer, the creators of the series Stranger Things was created by Matt and Ross Duffer, known professionally as the Duffer Brothers.[12] The two had completed writing and producing their 2015 film Hidden, which they had tried to emulate the style of M. Night Shyamalan, however, due to changes at Warner Bros., its distributor, the film did not see a wide release and the Duffers were unsure of their future.[13] To their surprise, television producer Donald De Line approached them, impressed with Hidden's script, and offered them the opportunity to work on episodes of Wayward Pines alongside Shyamalan. The brothers were mentored by Shyamalan during the episode's production so that when they finished, they felt they were ready to produce their own television series.[14] The Duffer Brothers prepared a script that would essentially be similar to the series' actual pilot episode, along with a 20-page pitch book to help shop the series around for a network.[15] They pitched the story to a number of cable networks, all of which rejected the script on the basis that they felt a plot centered around children as leading characters would not work, asking them to make it a children's show or to drop the children and focus on Hopper's investigation in the paranormal.[14] In early 2015, Dan Cohen, the VP of 21 Laps Entertainment, brought the script to his colleague Shawn Levy. They subsequently invited The Duffer Brothers to their office and purchased the rights for the series, giving full authorship of it to the brothers. After reading the pilot, the streaming service Netflix purchased the whole season for an undisclosed amount;[16] the show was subsequently announced for a planned 2016 release by Netflix in early April 2015.[17] The Duffer Brothers stated that at the time they had pitched to Netflix, the service had already been recognized for its original programming, such as House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black, with well-recognized producers behind them, and were ready to start giving upcoming producers like them a chance.[15] The brothers started to write out the series and brought Levy and Cohen in as executive producers to start casting and filming.[18] The series was originally known as Montauk, as the setting of the script was in Montauk, New York and nearby Long Beach locations.[17][19] The brothers had chosen Montauk as it had further Spielberg ties with the film Jaws, where Montauk was used for the fictional setting of Amity Island.[20] After deciding to change the narrative of the series to take place in the fictional town of Hawkins instead, the brothers felt they could now do things to the town, such as placing it under quarantine, that they really could not envision with a real location.[20] With the change in location, they had to come up with a new title for the series under the direction from Netflix's Ted Sarandos so that they could start marketing it to the public. The brothers started by using a copy of Stephen King's Firestarter novel to consider the title's font and appearance and came up with a long list of potential alternatives. Stranger Things came about as it sounded similar to another King novel, Needful Things, though Matt noted they still had a "lot of heated arguments" over this final title.[21] Writing The idea of Stranger Things started with how the brothers felt they could take the concept of the 2013 film Prisoners, detailing the moral struggles a father goes through when his daughter is kidnapped, and expand it out over eight or so hours in a serialized television approach. As they focused on the missing child aspect of the story, they wanted to introduce the idea of "childlike sensibilities" they could offer and toyed around with the idea of a monster that could consume humans. The brothers thought the combination of these things "was the best thing ever". To introduce this monster into the narrative, they considered "bizarre experiments we had read about taking place in the Cold War" such as Project MKUltra, which gave a way to ground the monster's existence in science rather than something spiritual. This also helped them to decide on using 1983 as the time period, as it was a year before the film Red Dawn came out, which focused on Cold War paranoia.[14] Subsequently, they were able to use all their own personal inspirations from the 1980s, the decade they were born, as elements of the series,[14][22] crafting it in the realm of science fiction and horror.[23] The Duffer Brothers have cited as influence for the show (among others): Stephen King novels; films produced by Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Robert Zemeckis, George Lucas and Guillermo del Toro; films such as Alien and Stand by Me; Japanese anime such as Akira and Elfen Lied; and video games such as Silent Hill and The Last of Us.[21][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] With Netflix as the platform, The Duffer Brothers were not limited to a typical 22-episode format, opting for the eight-episode approach. They had been concerned that a 22-episode season on broadcast television would be difficult to "tell a cinematic story" with that many episodes. Eight episodes allowed them to give time to characterization in addition to narrative development; if they had less time available, they would have had to remain committed to telling a horror film as soon as the monster was introduced and abandon the characterization.[15] Within the eight episodes, the brothers aimed to make the first season "feel like a big movie" with all the major plot lines completed so that "the audience feels satisfied", but left enough unresolved to indicate "there's a bigger mythology, and there's a lot of dangling threads at the end", something that could be explored in further seasons if Netflix opted to create more.[32] While explaining their intentions for the show, the Duffers adamantly stated their intentions to not explain the mythology in the show so they could leave a mystery and lot for the audience to speculate over their lack of understanding by the season finale, which they accepted but asked to be explained about at the very least, which they found like a really good exercise as they spent quite a bit of time with their writers' room figuring out exactly what the Upside Down would actually consist for, writing a 20-page mythology document whose details wouldn't be clarified for the audience until the show's fifth and final season.[33] Regarding writing for the children characters of the series, The Duffer Brothers considered themselves as outcasts from other students while in high school and thus found it easy to write for Mike Wheeler and his friends, and particularly for Barbara "Barb" Holland.[21] Joyce Byers was fashioned after Richard Dreyfuss's character Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, as she appears "absolutely bonkers" to everyone else as she tries to find her son Will Byers.[34] Other characters, such as Billy in the second season, have more villainous attributes that are not necessarily obvious from the onset; Matt explained that they took further inspiration from Stephen King for these characters, as King "always has really great human villains" that may be more malicious than the supernatural evil.[35] Casting The Duffers cast David Harbour as Sheriff Hopper believing this was his opportunity to play a lead character in a work. In June 2015, it was announced that Winona Ryder and David Harbour had joined the series as Joyce and as the unnamed chief of police, respectively.[2] The brothers' casting director Carmen Cuba had suggested Ryder for the role of Joyce, which the two were immediately drawn to because of her prominence in 1980s films.[14] Levy believed Ryder could "wretch up the emotional urgency and yet find layers and nuance and different sides of [Joyce]". Ryder praised that the show's multiple storylines required her to act for Joyce as "she's out of her mind, but she's actually kind of onto something", and that the producers had faith she could pull off the difficult role.[36] Upon being offered the role, Ryder felt intrigued at being given the pilot's script due to know knowing what streaming was and finding it "terrifying", with her sole condition to the Duffers for accepting the role being that, if a Beetlejuice sequel ever materialized as she and Tim Burton had been discussing since 2000, they had to let her take a break to shoot it, a condition the Duffers agreed and ultimately proved to work out when Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was greenlighted years later.[37] The Duffer Brothers had been interested in Harbour before, who until Stranger Things primarily had smaller roles as villainous characters, and they felt that he had been "waiting too long for this opportunity" to play a lead, while Harbour himself was thrilled by the script and the chance to play "a broken, flawed, anti-hero character".[21][38] Additional casting followed two months later with Finn Wolfhard as Mike, Millie Bobby Brown in an undisclosed role, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, and Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers]].[3] In September 2015, Cara Buono joined the cast as Karen Wheeler,[6] followed by Matthew Modine as Martin Brenner a month later.[7] Additional cast who recur for the first season include Noah Schnapp as Will,[3][5] Shannon Purser as Barbara "Barb" Holland,[8] Joe Keery as Steve Harrington,[39][5] and Ross Partridge as Lonnie Byers,[9] among others. Actors auditioning for the children's roles read lines from Stand By Me.[14] The Duffer Brothers estimated they went through about a thousand different child actors for the roles. They noted that Wolfhard was already "a movie buff" of the films from the 1980s period and easily filled the role, while they found Matarazzo's audition to be much more authentic than most of the other audition tapes, and selected him after a single viewing of his audition tape.[15] As casting was started immediately after Netflix greenlit the show, and prior to the scripts being fully completed, this allowed some of the actors' takes on the roles to reflect into the script. The casting of the young actors for Will and his friends had been done just after the first script was completed, and subsequent scripts incorporated aspects from these actors.[32] The brothers said Modine provided significant input on the character of Dr. Brenner, whom they had not really fleshed out before as they considered him the hardest character to write for given his limited appearances within the narrative.[34] Filming The brothers had desired to film the series around the Long Island area to match the initial Montauk concept. However, with filming scheduled to take place in November 2015, it was difficult to shoot in Long Island in the cold weather, and the production started scouting locations in and around the Atlanta, Georgia area. The brothers, who grew up in North Carolina, found many places that reminded them of their own childhoods in that area, and felt the area would work well with the narrative shift to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.[20] The filming of the first season began on September 25, 2015, and was extensively done in Atlanta, Georgia, with The Duffer Brothers and Levy handling the direction of individual episodes.[40] Jackson served as the basis of the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.[41][42] Other shooting locations included the Georgia Mental Health Institute as the Hawkins National Laboratory site, Bellwood Quarry, Patrick Henry High School in Stockbridge, Georgia, for the middle and high school scenes,[43] Emory University's Continuing Education Department, the former city hall in Douglasville, Georgia, Georgia International Horse Park, the probate court in Butts County, Georgia, Old East Point Library and East Point First Baptist Church in East Point, Georgia, Fayetteville, Georgia, Stone Mountain Park, Palmetto, Georgia, and Winston, Georgia.[44] Set work was done at Screen Gem Studios in Atlanta.[44] The series was filmed with a Red Dragon digital camera.[34] Filming for the first season concluded in early 2016.[41] While filming, the brothers tried to capture shots that could be seen as homages to many of the 1980s references they recalled. Their goal was not necessarily to fill the work with these references, but instead to make the series seem to the viewer like a 1980s film.[21] They spent little time reviewing those works and instead went by memory. Matt further recognized that some of their filming homages were not purposely done but were found to be very comparable, as highlighted by a fan-made video comparing the show to several 1980s works side by side.[14][45] Matt commented on the video that "Some were deliberate and some were subconscious."[14] The brothers recognized that many of the iconic scenes from these 1980s films, such as with Poltergeist, was about "taking a very ordinary object that people deal with every day, their television set, and imbuing it with something otherworldly", leading to the idea of using the Christmas light strings for Will to communicate with Joyce.[21] The brothers attributed much of the 1980s feel to set and costume designers and the soundtrack composers that helped to recreate the era for them.[14] Lynda Reiss, the head of props, had about a $220,000 budget, similar to most films, to acquire artifacts of the 1980s, using eBay and searching through flea markets and estate sales around the Atlanta area. The bulk of the props were original items from the 1980s with only a few pieces, such as the Dungeons & Dragons books made as replicas.[46] Visual effects To create the aged effect for the series, a film grain was added over the footage, which was captured by scanning in film stock from the 1980s.[34] The Duffers wanted to scare the audience, but not to necessarily make the show violent or gory, following in line with how the 1980s Amblin Entertainment films drove the creation of the PG-13 movie rating. It was "much more about mood and atmosphere and suspense and dread than they are about gore", though they were not afraid to push into more scary elements, particularly towards the end of the first season.[34] The brothers had wanted to avoid any computer-generated effects for the monster and other parts of the series and stay with practical effects. However, the six-month filming time left them little time to plan out and test practical effects rigs for some of the shots. They went with a middle ground of using constructed props including one for the monster whenever they could, but for other shots, such as when the monster bursts through a wall, they opted to use digital effects. Post-production on the first season was completed the week before it was released on Netflix.[14] The title sequence uses closeups of the letters in the Stranger Things title with a red tint against a black background as they slide into place within the title. The sequence was created by the studio Imaginary Forces, formerly part of R/GA, led by creative director Michelle Doughtey.[47] Levy introduced the studio to The Duffer Brothers, who explained their vision of the 1980s-inspired show, which helped the studio to fix the concept the producers wanted. Later, but prior to filming, the producers sent Imaginary Forces the pilot script, the synth-heavy background music for the titles, as well as the various book covers from King and other authors that they had used to establish the title and imagery, and were looking for a similar approach for the show's titles, primarily using a typographical sequence. They took inspiration from several title sequences of works from the 1980s that were previously designed by Richard Greenberg under R/GA, such as Altered States and The Dead Zone. They also got input from Dan Perri, who worked on the title credits of several 1980s films. Various iterations included having letters vanish, to reflect the "missing" theme of the show, and having letters cast shadows on others, alluding to the mysteries, before settling into the sliding letters. The studio began working on the title sequence before filming and took about a month off during the filming process to let the producers get immersed in the show and come back with more input. Initially, they had been working with various fonts for the title and used close-ups of the best features of these fonts, but near the end the producers wanted to work with ITC Benguiat, requiring them to rework those shots. The final sequence is fully computer-generated, but they took inspiration from testing some practical effects, such as using Kodalith masks as would have been done in the 1980s, to develop the appropriate filters for the rendering software. The individual episode title cards used a "fly-through" approach, similar to the film Bullitt, which the producers had suggested to the studio.[48] Music Main articles: Music of Stranger Things and Stranger Things (soundtrack) The Stranger Things original soundtrack was composed by Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon of the electronic band Survive.[49] It makes extensive use of synthesizers in homage to 1980s artists and film composers including Jean-Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Goblin, John Carpenter, Giorgio Moroder, and Fabio Frizzi.[50] According to Stein and Dixon, The Duffer Brothers had been fans of Survive's music, and used their song "Dirge" for the mock trailer that was used to sell the show to Netflix.[49][51] Once the show was green-lit, the Duffers contacted Survive around July 2015 to ask if they were still doing music; the two provided the production team with dozens of songs from their band's past to gain their interest, helping to land them the role.[49] Once aboard, the two worked with producers to select some of their older music to rework for the show, while developing new music, principally with character motifs.[51] The two had been hired before the casting process, so their motif demos were used and played over the actors' audition tapes, aiding in the casting selection.[51][52] The show's theme is based on an unused work Stein composed much earlier that ended up in the library of work they shared with the production staff, who thought that with some reworking would be good for the opening credits.[49] The first season's original soundtrack, consisting of 75 songs from Dixon and Stein split across two volumes, was released by Lakeshore Records. Digital release and streaming options were released on August 10 and 19, 2016 for the two volumes, respectively, while retail versions were available on September 16 and 23, 2016.[53][54] In addition to original music, Stranger Things features period music from artists including The Clash, Toto, New Order, The Bangles, Foreigner, Echo and the Bunnymen, Peter Gabriel and Corey Hart, as well as excerpts from Tangerine Dream, John Carpenter and Vangelis.[54][55] In particular, The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" was specifically picked to play at pivotal moments of the story, such as when Will is trying to communicate with Joyce from the Upside Down.[54] Music supervisor Nora Felder felt the song "furthered the story" and called it an additional, unseen, main character of the season.[56]

Is Marvel's Ultimate Endgame #1 blind bag a future key - or a disaster waiting to happen? This week we dig into early reports of damaged copies, why some stores are already seeing uneven quality, and how higher-grade examples could separate themselves from the pack.We also tackle eBay scammers, crack open viewer mail, and share a little Show & Tell.For our Old Fart Rule, we rewind to 1986 and revisit Watchmen #1, the issue that redefined superhero comics and helped usher in the Modern Age. From its lasting cultural impact to current collector prices, we break down why this book still matters nearly four decades later.Plus, in Underrated Books of the Week, we spotlight:Bloodstone #1 (2001) - the ahead-of-its-time debut of Elsa BloodstoneMarvel Premiere #57 (1980) - the first U.S. comic book appearance of Doctor Who in the Marvel lineAll that, market talk, collector insight, and plenty of old-school perspective — let's get into it.⭐ SUPPORT THE SHOWBecome a Member for $2.99/month and get:• Members-only live streams• Bonus Show & Tell episodes• On-screen shoutoutsJOIN → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkHTY1eNYHr9JoTndx_m6kA/join

Send us a textOur Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/HockeyCardsGongshowOn this episode of the Hockey Cards Gongshow podcast we start with Get To Know Your Hockey Hall of Famers, this time looking at the life, hockey career, and hobby market for hockey hall of famer, Max Bentley (8:58).  Next, after another week of NHL play, we take a look at Who's Hot & who's got a seat on The Struggle Bus (20:45). In hobby news, Olympic rosters have been announced and Connor Bedard gets snubbed, Team USA bombs out at the World Junior Championships, and an eBay scam to be aware of (47:45).  Upper Deck Holiday Hanger Boxes are driving big secondary market sales (1:18:30). Next, we answer your hockey cards questions in the Gongshow mailbag (1:27:30), then end the show with personal pickups (1:57:34). Partners & SponsorsGongshow Reloaded - https://www.GongshowReloaded.comHockeyChecklists.com - https://www.hockeychecklists.comSlab Sharks Consignment - http://bit.ly/3GUvsxNSlab Sharks is now accepting U.S. submissions!GP Sports Cards - https://gpsportcards.com/Total Sports Cards - https://totalsportcards.comSign up for Card Ladder - https://app.cardladder.com/signup?via=HCGongshoFollow Hockey Cards Gongshow on social mediaInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/hockey_cards_gongshow/TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@hockey_cards_gongshowFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/HockeyCardsGongshowTwitter - https://twitter.com/HCGongshowThe Hockey Cards Gongshow podcast is a production of Dollar Box Ventures LLC

As an eBay seller dealing with a busy Q4, chances are your home office is looking a little messy at this point, at least around the edges. In this 300th episode of the I Love to Be Selling podcast, you'll learn 3 simple ways to tell if your eBay inventory is out of control — and discover 3 surefire strategies for reorganizing, resetting, and regaining control. Tune in to find easy-to-implement solutions that fit your business on eBay. They'll help it to continue flourishing and growing in the new year. You'll also gain access to I Love to Be Selling's exclusive free eBay Promoted Listings Fee Guide. It's 5 tips to keep you in the game (and protect your wallet). Download your complimentary copy now at https://ilovetobeselling.com/webinars-and-workshops/ebay-promoted-listings-fees-guide/. I'm Kathy, and I love to be selling!

Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. AI agents are your next customers. Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX:https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ In this exclusive interview, Vince Menzione sits down with Darryl Peek, Vice President for Partner Sales (Public Sector) at Elastic, to decode how Elastic achieved the rare “triple crown”—winning Partner of the Year across Microsoft, Amazon, and Google Cloud simultaneously. Darryl breaks down the engineering-first approach that makes Elastic sticky with hyperscalers, reveals the rigorous metrics behind their partner health scorecard, and shares his personal “one-page strategy” for aligning mission, vision, and execution. From leveraging generative AI for cleaner sales hygiene to the timeless lesson of the “Acre of Diamonds,” this conversation offers a masterclass in building high-performance partner ecosystems in the public sector and beyond. https://youtu.be/__GE0r2fPuk Key Takeaways Elastic achieved “Pinnacle” status by aligning engineering roadmaps directly with hyperscaler innovations to become essential infrastructure. Successful public sector sales require a dual approach: leveraging resellers for contract access while driving domain-specific co-sell motions. Partner relationships outperform contracts; consistency in communication is more valuable than only showing up for renewals. Effective partner organizations track “influence” revenue just as rigorously as direct bookings to capture the full value of SI relationships. Generative AI can automate sales hygiene, turning scattered meeting notes into actionable CRM data and reducing friction for sales teams. The “Acre of Diamonds” philosophy reminds leaders that the greatest opportunities often lie within their current ecosystem, not in distant new markets. If you're ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Keywords: Elastic, Darryl Peek, public sector sales, hyperscaler partnership, Microsoft Partner of the Year, AWS Partner of the Year, Google Cloud Partner, partner ecosystem strategy, co-sell motion, partner metrics, channel sales, government contracting, Carahsoft, generative AI in sales, sales hygiene, Russell Conwell, Acre of Diamonds, open source search, observability, security SIM, vector search, retrieval augmented generation, LLM agnostic, partner enablement, influence revenue, channel booking, SI relationships, strategic alliances. Transcript: Darryl Peek Audio Episode [00:00:00] Darryl Peek: I say, I tell my team from time to time, the difference between contacts and contracts is the R and that’s the relationship. So if you’re not building the relationship, then how do you expect that partner to want to lean in? Don’t just show up when you have a contract. Don’t just show up when you have a renewal. [00:00:13] Darryl Peek: Make sure that you are reaching out and letting them know what is happening. Don’t just talk to me when you need a renewal, right? When you’re at end of quarter and you want me to bring a deal forward, [00:00:23] Vince Menzione: welcome to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi. Own your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. [00:00:34] Vince Menzione: We just came off Ultimate Partner live at Caresoft Training Center in Reston, Virginia. Over two days, we gathered top leaders to tackle the real shifts shaping our industry. If you weren’t in the room, this episode brings you right to the edge of what’s next. Let’s dive in. So we have another privilege, an incredible partner, another like we call these, if you’ve heard our term, pinnacle. [00:01:00] Vince Menzione: I think it’s a term that’s not widely used, but we refer to Pinnacle as the partners that have achieved the top rung. They’ve become partners of the year. And our next presenter, our next interview is going to be with an organization. And a person that represents an organization that has been a pinnacle partner actually for all three Hyperscalers, which is really unusual. [00:01:24] Vince Menzione: Elastic has been partner of the Year award winner across Microsoft, Amazon, and Google Cloud, so very interesting. And Darrell Peak, who is the leader for the public sector organization, he’s here in the Washington DC area, was kind enough. Elastic is a sponsor event, and Darryl’s been kind enough to join me for a discussion about what it takes to be a Pinnacle partner. [00:01:47] Vince Menzione: So incredibly well. Excited to welcome you, Darryl. Thank you, sir. Good to have you. I love you. I love your smile, man. You got an incredible smile. Thank you. Thank you, Vince. Thank you. So Darryl, I probably didn’t do it any justice, but I was hoping you could take us through your role and responsibilities at Elastic, which is an incredible organization. [00:02:08] Vince Menzione: Alright. Yeah, [00:02:09] Darryl Peek: absolutely. So Darrell Peak vice President for partner sales for the US public sector at Elastic. I’ve been there about two and a half years. Responsible for our partner relationships across all partner types, whether that’s the system integrators, resellers, MSPs, OEMs, distribution Hyperscalers, and our Technology Alliance partners. [00:02:26] Darryl Peek: And those are partners that aren’t built on the Elastic platform. In regards to how my partner team interacts with our team. Our ecosystem. We are essentially looking to further and lean in with our partners in order for them to, one, understand what Elastic does since we’re such a diverse tool, but also work with our field to understand what are their priorities and how do they identify the right partners for the right requirements. [00:02:50] Darryl Peek: In regards to what Elastic is and what it does elastic is a solution that is actually founded on search and we’re an open source company. And one of the things that I actually did when I left the government, so I worked for the government for a number of years. I left, went and worked for Salesforce, then worked for Google ran their federal partner team and then came over to Elastic because I wanted to. [00:03:11] Darryl Peek: Understand what it meant to be at an open source company. Being at an open source company is quite interesting ’cause you’re competing against yourself. [00:03:17] Vince Menzione: Yeah, that’s true. [00:03:18] Darryl Peek: So it’s pretty interesting. But elastic was founded in 2012 as a search company. So when you talk about search, we are the second most used platform behind Google. [00:03:28] Darryl Peek: So many of you have already used Elastic. Maybe on your way here, if you use Uber and Lyft, that is elastic. That is helping you get here. Oh, that is interesting. If you use Netflix, if you use wikipedia.com, booking.com, eBay, home Depot, all of those are search capabilities. That Elastic is happening to power in regards to what else we do. [00:03:47] Darryl Peek: We also do observability, which is really around application monitoring, logging, tracing, and metrics. So we are helping your operations team. Pepsi is a customer as well as Cisco. Wow. And then the last thing that we do is security when we’re a SIM solution. So when we talk about sim, we are really looking to protect networks. [00:04:03] Darryl Peek: So we all, we think that it’s a data problem. So with that data problem, what we’re trying to do is not only understand what is happening in the network, but also we are helping with threat intelligence, endpoint and cloud security. So all those elements together is what Elastic does. And we only do it two ways. [00:04:18] Darryl Peek: We’re one platform and we can be deployed OnPrem and in the cloud. So that’s a little bit about me and the company. Hopefully it was clear, [00:04:24] Vince Menzione: I’ve had elastic people on stage. You’ve done, that’s the best answer I’ve had. What does Elastic do? I used to hear all this hyperbole and what? [00:04:32] Vince Menzione: What? Now I really understand what you do is an organiz. And the name of the company was Elasticsearch. [00:04:36] Darryl Peek: It was [00:04:37] Vince Menzione: elastic at one time when I first. Worked with you. It was Elasticsearch. [00:04:40] Darryl Peek: Absolutely. Yeah. So many moons ago used to be called the Elk Stack and it stood for three things. E was the Elasticsearch which is a search capability. [00:04:48] Darryl Peek: L is Logstash, which is our logging capability. And Cabana is essentially our visualization capability. So it was called Elk. But since we’ve acquired so many companies and built so much capability into the platform, we can now call it the elastic. Platform. [00:05:00] Vince Menzione: So talk to me about your engagement with the hyperscalers. [00:05:02] Vince Menzione: You’ve been partner of the Year award winner with all three, right? I mentioned that, and you were, you worked for Google for a period of time. Yes. So tell us about, like, how does that work? What does that engagement look like? And why do you get chosen as partner of the year? What are the things that stand out when you’re working with these hyperscalers [00:05:19] Darryl Peek: and with that we are very fortunate to be recognized. [00:05:23] Darryl Peek: So many of the organizations that are out there are doing some of the same capabilities that we do, but they can’t claim that they won a part of the year for all three hyperscalers in the same year. We are able to do that because we believe in the power of partnership, not only from a technology perspective, but also from a sales perspective. [00:05:39] Darryl Peek: So we definitely lean in with our partnerships, so having our engineers talk, having our product teams talk, and making sure that we’re building capabilities that actually integrate within the cloud service providers. And also consistently building a roadmap that aligns with the innovation that the cloud service providers are also building towards. [00:05:56] Darryl Peek: And then making sure that we’re a topic of discussion. So elastic. From a search capability, we do semantic search, vector search, but also retrieval augmented generation, which actually is LLM Agnostic. So when you say LLM Agnostic, whether you want to use Gemini, Claude or even Chad, GBT, those things are something that Elastic can integrate in, but it actually helps reduce the likelihood of hallucination. [00:06:18] Darryl Peek: So when we’re building that kind of solution, the cloud service provider’s you’re making it easy for us, and when you make it easy, you become very attractive and therefore you’re. Likely gonna come. So it becomes [00:06:28] Vince Menzione: sticky in that regard. Very sticky. So it sounds like very much an engineer, a lot of emphasis on the engineering aspects of the business. [00:06:35] Vince Menzione: I know you’re an engineer by background too, right? So the engineering aspects of the business means that you’re having alignment with the engineering organizations of those companies at a very deep level. [00:06:44] Darryl Peek: Absolutely. So I’m [00:06:45] Vince Menzione: here. [00:06:45] Darryl Peek: Yeah. And being at Elastic has been pretty amazing. So coming from Google, we had so many different solutions, so many different SKUs, but Elastic releases every eight weeks. [00:06:54] Darryl Peek: So right before you start to understand the last release, the next release is coming out and we’re already at 9.2 and we just released 9.0 in May. So it’s really blazing fast on the capability that we’re really pushing the market, but it’s really hard to make sure that we get it in front of our partners. [00:07:10] Darryl Peek: So when we talk about our partner enablement strategy, we’re just trying to make sure that we get the right information in front of the right partners at the right time, so this way they can best service their customers. [00:07:19] Vince Menzione: So let’s talk about partner strategy. Alyssa Fitzpatrick was on stage with me at our last event, and she Alyssa’s fantastic. [00:07:25] Vince Menzione: She is incredible. Yes, she is. She was a former colleague at Microsoft Days. Yes. And then she, we had a really interesting conversation. About what it takes, like being in, in a company and then working with the partners in general. And you have, I’m sure you have a lot of the similarities in how you have to engage with these organizations. [00:07:42] Vince Menzione: You’re working across the hyperscalers, you’re also working with the ecosystem too. Yes. ’cause the delivery, you have delivery partners as well. Absolutely. So tell us more about that. [00:07:50] Darryl Peek: So we kinda look at it from a two, two ways from the pre-sales motion and then the post-sales. From the pre-sales side. [00:07:56] Darryl Peek: What we’re trying to do is really maximize our, not only working with partners, because within public sector, you need to get access to customers through contract vehicles. So if you want to get access to some, for instance, the VA or through GSA or others, you have to make sure you’re aligned with the right partners who have access to. [00:08:12] Darryl Peek: That particular agency, but also you want domain expertise. So as you’re working with those system integrators, you wanna make sure that they have capability that aligns. So whether it is a security requirement, you wanna work with someone who specializes in security, observability and search. So that’s the way that we really look at our partner ecosystem, but those who are interested in working with us. [00:08:30] Darryl Peek: Because everybody doesn’t necessarily have a emphasis on working with a new technology partner, [00:08:36] Vince Menzione: right? [00:08:36] Darryl Peek: So what we’re trying to do is saying how do we build programs, incentives and sales plays that really does align and strike the interest of that particular partner? So when we talk about it I tell my team, you have to, my grandfather to say, plan your work and work your plan. And if you fail a plan, you plan to fail. So being able to not only have a strong plan in place, but then execute against that plan, check against that plan as you go through the fiscal year, and then see how you come out at the end of the fiscal year to see are we making that progress? [00:09:01] Darryl Peek: But on the other side of it, and what I get stressed about with my sales team and saying what does partners bring to us? So where are those partner deal registrations? What is the partner source numbers? How are we creating more pipeline? And that is where we’re now saying, okay, how can we navigate and how can we make it easier? [00:09:17] Darryl Peek: And how can we reduce friction in order for the partner to say, okay, elastic’s easy to work with. I can see value in, oh, by the way, I can make some money with. [00:09:25] Vince Menzione: So take us through, have there been examples of areas where you’ve had to like, break through to this other side in terms of growing the partner ecosystem? [00:09:33] Vince Menzione: What’s worked, what hasn’t worked? Yes, I’d love to learn more about that. [00:09:36] Darryl Peek: I’ll say that and I tell my team one, you partner program is essential, right? If you don’t have an attractive partner program in regards to how they come on board, how they’re incentivized the right amount of margin, they won’t even look at you. [00:09:49] Darryl Peek: The second thing is really how do you engage? So a lot of things start with relationships. I think partnerships are really about relationships. I say I tell my team from time to time, the difference between contacts and contracts is the R and that’s the relationship. So if you’re not building the relationship, then how do you expect that partner to want to lean in? [00:10:07] Darryl Peek: Don’t just show up when you have a contract. Don’t just show up when you have a renewal. Make sure that you are reaching out and letting them know what is happening. I like the what Matt brought up in saying, okay, talk to me when you have a win. Talk to me when you have something to talk about. [00:10:22] Darryl Peek: Don’t just talk to me when you need a renewal. When you’re at end the quarter and you want me to bring a deal forward, that doesn’t help ab absolutely. [00:10:28] Vince Menzione: So engineering organizations, sales organizations, what are, what does a healthy partnership look like for you? [00:10:35] Darryl Peek: So I look at metrics a lot and we use a number of tools and I know folks are using tools out there. [00:10:41] Darryl Peek: I won’t name any tools for branding purposes, but in regards to how we look at tools. So some things that we measure closely. Of course it’s our partner source numbers, so partner source, bookings, and pipeline. We look at our partner attached numbers and pipeline as well as the amount or percentage of partner attached business that we have in regards to our overall a CV number. [00:11:00] Darryl Peek: We also look at co-sell numbers, so therefore we are looking at not only how. A partner is coming to us, but how is a partner helping us in closing the deal even though they didn’t bring us the deal? We’re also looking at our cloud numbers and saying what amount of deals and how much business are we doing with our cloud service providers? [00:11:15] Darryl Peek: Because of course we wanna see that number go up year over year. We wanna actually help with that consumption number because not only are we looking at it from a SaaS perspective, but also if the customer has to commit we can help burn that down as well. We also look at influence numbers. [00:11:27] Darryl Peek: Now, one of the harder things to do within a technology business is. Capturing all that si goodness. And saying how do I reflect the SI if they’re not bringing me the deal? And I can’t attribute that amount of deal to that particular partner, right? And the way that we do that is we just tag them to the influence. [00:11:44] Darryl Peek: So we’re able to now track influence. And also the M-S-P-O-E-M work that we are also tracking and also we’re tracking the royalties. And lastly is the professional service work that we do with those partners. So we’re looking to go up into the right where we start them out at our select level, we go to our premier level and then our elite level. [00:12:00] Darryl Peek: But left and to the right, I say you gotta go from zero to one, one to five, five to 10, and then 10 to 25. So if we can actually see that progression. That is where we’re really starting to see health in the partnership, but also the executive alignment is really important. So when our CEO is able to meet with the fellow CEO of the co partner company that is really showing how we are progressing, but also our VPs and others that are engaged. [00:12:20] Darryl Peek: So those are things that we really do measure. We do have a health score card and also, we track accreditations, we track certifications as well as training outcomes based on our sales place. [00:12:30] Vince Menzione: Wow. There’s a lot of metrics there. Yeah. So you didn’t bring, you didn’t bring any slides with that out? [00:12:35] Darryl Peek: Oh, no. I’m not looking at slides, by the way. [00:12:40] Vince Menzione: Let’s talk about marketplace. [00:12:42] Darryl Peek: All right? [00:12:42] Vince Menzione: Because we’ve had a lot of conversations about marketplace. We’ve got both vendors up here talking about marketplace and the importance of marketplace, right? You’ve been a Marketplace Award winner. We haven’t really talked about that, like that motion per se. [00:12:55] Vince Menzione: I’d love to s I’d love to hear from you like how you, a, what you had to overcome to get to marketplace, what the marketplace motion looks like for your organization, what a marketplace first motion looks like. ’cause a lot of your cut a. Are all your customers requiring a lot of direct selling effort or is it some of it through Marketplace? [00:13:14] Vince Menzione: Like how does it, how does that work for you? [00:13:15] Darryl Peek: So Elastic is a global organization. Yeah. So we’re, 40 different countries. So it depends on where we’re talking. So if we talk about our international business, which is our A PJ and EMEA business we are seeing a lot more marketplace and we’re seeing that those direct deals with customers. [00:13:28] Darryl Peek: Okay. And we’re talking about our mirror business. A significant amount goes through marketplace and where our customers are transacting with the marketplace and are listing. On the marketplace within public sector, it’s more of a resell motion. Okay. So we are working with our resellers. [00:13:39] Darryl Peek: So we work our primary distribution partner is Carahsoft. So you heard from Craig earlier. Yes. We have a strong relationship with Carahsoft and definitely a big fan of this organization. But in regards to how we do that and how we track it we are looking at better ways to, track that orchestration and consumption numbers in order to see not only what customers we’re working with, but how can we really accelerate that motion and really get those leads and transactions going. [00:14:03] Vince Menzione: Very cool. Very cool. And I think part of the reason why in, in the government or public sector space it has a lot to do with the commitments are different. Absolutely. So it’s not government agencies aren’t able to make the same level of commitments that, private sector organizations were able to make, so they were able to the Mac or Microsoft parlance and also a AWS’s parlance. [00:14:23] Vince Menzione: Yeah, [00:14:24] Darryl Peek: definitely a different dynamic. Yeah. And especially within the public sector. ’cause we have Gov Cloud to work with, right? That’s right. So we’re working with Microsoft or we’re working with AWS, they have their Gov cloud and then we Google, they don’t have a Gov cloud, but we still have to work with them differently. [00:14:35] Darryl Peek: Yeah. Within that space. That’s [00:14:36] Vince Menzione: right. That’s right. So it makes the motion a little bit differently there. So I think we talked through some of this. I just wanna make sure we cover our points [00:14:43] Darryl Peek: here. One thing I’ll do an aside, you talked about the acre of diamonds. I’m a big fan of that story. [00:14:47] Vince Menzione: Yeah, let’s talk about Russ Con. Yeah, [00:14:49] Darryl Peek: let’s talk about it. Do you all know about the Acre Diamonds? Have you all heard that story before? No. You have some those in the audience. [00:14:55] Vince Menzione: I, you know what, let’s talk about it. All [00:14:56] Darryl Peek: See, I’m from Philadelphia. [00:14:57] Vince Menzione: I didn’t know you were a family. My daughter went to Temple University. [00:14:59] Vince Menzione: Ah, [00:15:00] Darryl Peek: okay. That’s all I know. So Russell Conwell. So he was, a gentleman out of the Philadelphia area and he went around town to raise money and he wanted to raise money because he believed that there was a promise within a specific area. And as he continued to raise this money, he would tell a story. [00:15:14] Darryl Peek: And basically it was a story about a farmer in Africa. And the farmer in Africa, to make it really short was essentially looking to be become very wealthy. And because he wanted to become very wealthy, he believed that selling his farm and going off to a long distant land was the primary way for him to find diamonds. [00:15:28] Darryl Peek: And this farmer didn’t sold us. Sold his place, then went off to to this foreign land, and he ended up dying. And people thought that was the end of the story, but there was another farmer who bought that land and one time this big, and they called him the ot, came to the door and said you mind if I have some tea with you? [00:15:43] Darryl Peek: He said, all right, come on in. Have a drink. And as he had the drink, he looked upon the mantle and his mouth dropped. And then the farmer said what’s wrong? What do you say? He says, do you know what that is? No. He said no. Do you know what that is? He says, no. He said, that’s the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen, and the farmer goes. [00:16:01] Darryl Peek: That’s weird because there’s a bunch right in the back where I go grab my fruits and crops every day. So the idea of the acre diamonds and sometimes that you don’t need to go off to a far off land. It is actually sometimes right under your feet, and that is a story that helped fund the starting of Temple University. [00:16:16] Vince Menzione: I’m gonna need to take you at every single event so you can tell this story again. That’s an awesome job. Oh, I love it. And yeah, they founded a Temple University. Yeah. Which has become an incredible university. My daughter, like I said, my daughter’s a graduate, so we’re Temple fan. That’s great story. [00:16:31] Vince Menzione: That is a very cool, I didn’t realize you were a Philadelphia guy too, so that is awesome. Go birds. Go birds. All right, good. So let’s talk, I think we talked a little bit about your ecosystem approach, but maybe just a little bit more on this, like you said, like a lot of data, a lot of metrics but also a lot of these organizations also have to under understand the engineering side of things. [00:16:53] Vince Menzione: Oh, yeah. There’s a tremendous amount to become. Not everybody could just show up one day and become an elastic partner [00:16:58] Darryl Peek: absolutely. Absolutely. So take us [00:16:59] Vince Menzione: through that process. [00:17:00] Darryl Peek: Yeah. So one of the things that we are trying to mature and we have matured is our partner go to market. [00:17:06] Darryl Peek: So in order to join our partner ecosystem, you have to sign ’em through our partner portal. You have to sign our indirect reseller agreement. ’cause we do sell primarily within the public sector through distribution. And we only go direct if it is by exception. So you have to get justification through myself as well as our VP for public sector. [00:17:21] Darryl Peek: But we really do try to make sure that we can aggregate this because one thing that we have to monitor is terms and conditions. ’cause of course, working with the government, there’s a lot of terms and conditions. So we try to alleviate that by having it go through caresoft, they’re able to absorb some, so this way we can actually transact with the government. [00:17:36] Darryl Peek: In regards to the team though we try to really work closely with our solution architecture team. So this way we can develop clear enablement strategies with our partners so this way they know what it is we do, but also how to properly bring us up in a conversation. Also handle objections and also what are we doing to implement our solutions within other markets. [00:17:55] Darryl Peek: So those are things that we are doing as well as partner marketing. Top of funnel activity is really important, so we’re trying to differentiate what we’re doing with the field and field marketing. So you’re doing the leads and m qls and things of that nature also with partner marketing. So our partner marketing actually is driven by leads, but also we’re trying to transact. [00:18:10] Darryl Peek: And get Ps of which our partner deal registration. So that is how we align our partner go to market. And that is actually translating into our partner source outcomes. [00:18:18] Vince Menzione: And I think we have a slide that talks a little bit about your public sector partner strategy. [00:18:23] Darryl Peek: Oh yeah. Oh, I share that. So I thought maybe we could spin it. [00:18:25] Darryl Peek: Absolutely. [00:18:25] Vince Menzione: I know you we can’t see it, but they can. Oh, they can. Okay. Great. [00:18:29] Darryl Peek: There it’s there. [00:18:30] Vince Menzione: It’s career. [00:18:31] Darryl Peek: One thing, I think this was Einstein has said, if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. So that was the one thing. So I always was a big fan of creating a one page strategy. [00:18:39] Darryl Peek: And based on this one page strategy one of the things when I worked at Salesforce it was really about a couple things and the saying, okay, what are your bookings? And if you don’t have bookings, what does your pipeline look like? If you don’t have pipeline, what does your prospecting look like? [00:18:51] Darryl Peek: Yeah. If you don’t have prospecting what does your account plan look like? And if you don’t have an account plan, why are you here? Why are you here? Exactly. So those are the things that I really talk to my team about is just really a, it’s about bookings. It’s about pipeline. It’s about planning, enablement and execution. [00:19:05] Darryl Peek: It’s about marketing, branding and evangelism, and also about operational excellence and how to execute. Very cool. So being able to do that and also I, since I came from Salesforce, I talk to my team a lot about Salesforce hygiene. So we really talk about that a lot. So make, making sure we’re making proper use of chatter, but also as we talk about utilizing ai, we just try to. [00:19:21] Darryl Peek: How do we simplify that, right? So if we’re using Zoom or we’re using Google, how do we make sure that we’re capturing those meeting minutes, translating that, putting that into the system, so therefore we have a record of that engagement with that partner. So this is a continuous threat. So this way I don’t have to call my partner manager the entire time. [00:19:36] Darryl Peek: I can look back, see what actions, see what was discussed, and say, okay, how can we keep this conversation going? Because we shouldn’t have to have those conversations every time. I shouldn’t have to text you to say, give me the download on every partner. Every time. How do we automate that? And that’s really where you’re creating this context window with your Genive ai. [00:19:53] Darryl Peek: I think they said what 75% of organizations are using one AI tool. And I think 1% are mature in that. But also a number of organizations, it’s 90% of organizations are using generative AI tools to some degree. So we are using gen to bi. We do use a number of them. We have elastic GPT. Nice little brand there. [00:20:11] Darryl Peek: But yeah, we use that for not only understanding what’s in our our repositories and data lakes and data warehouses, but also what are some answers that we can have in regards to proposal responses, RP responses, RFI, responses and the like. [00:20:23] Vince Menzione: And you’re reaching out to the other LLMs through your tool? [00:20:26] Darryl Peek: We can actually interact with any LLM. So we are a LLM Agnostic. [00:20:29] Vince Menzione: Got it. Yep. That’s fantastic. And this slide is we’ll make this available if you don’t have a, yeah, have a chance. We’ll share it. I [00:20:36] Darryl Peek: am happy to share, yeah. And obviously happy to talk, reach out about it. Of, of course. I simplified it in order to account for you, but one of the things that I talk about is mission, vision of values. [00:20:45] Darryl Peek: And as we start with that is what is your mission now? How is anybody from Pittsburgh, anybody steal a fan? Oh wow. No, there’s a steel fan over [00:20:54] Vince Menzione: here. There’s one here. There’s a couple of ’em are out here. So I feel bad. [00:20:57] Darryl Peek: The reason why I put immaculate in there is for the immaculate reception, actually. [00:21:00] Darryl Peek: Yes. And basically saying that if you ever seen that play, it was not pretty at all. It was a very discombobulated play. Yeah. And I usually say that’s the way that you work with partners too, because when that deal doesn’t come in, when you gotta make a call, when you’re texting somebody at 11 o’clock at night, when you’re trying to get that at, right before quarter end. [00:21:17] Darryl Peek: Yeah. Before the end of it. It really is difficult, but it’s really creating that immaculate experience. You want that partner to come back. I know it’s challenging, but I appreciate how you leaned in with us. Yes, absolutely. I appreciate how you work with us. I appreciate how you held our hand through the process, and that’s what I tell my team, that we have to create that partner experience. [00:21:32] Darryl Peek: And maybe that’s a carryover from Salesforce, Dave. I don’t know. But also when we talk about enhancing or accelerating our partner. Our public sector outcomes that is really working with the customer, right? So customer experience has to be part of it. Like all of us have to be focused on that North star, and that is really how do we service the customer, and that’s what we choose to do. [00:21:48] Darryl Peek: But also the internal part. So I used to survey my team many moves ago, and I said, if we don’t get 80% satisfaction rate from our employees how do we get 60% satisfaction rate from our customers? Yeah. So really focus on that employee success and employee satisfaction. It’s so important, is very important. [00:22:03] Darryl Peek: So being able to understand what are the needs of your employees? Are you really addressing their concerns and are you really driving them forward? Are you challenging them? Are you creating pathways for progression? So those are things that I definitely try to do with my team. As well as just really encouraging, inspiring, yeah. [00:22:19] Darryl Peek: And just making sure that they’re having fun at the same time. [00:22:21] Vince Menzione: It shows up in such, I, there’s an airline I don’t fly any longer, and it was a million mile member of and I know it’s because of the way they treat their employees. [00:22:29] Vince Menzione: Because it cascades Right? [00:22:30] Darryl Peek: It does. Culture is important. [00:22:32] Vince Menzione: Yeah. Absolutely. [00:22:32] Darryl Peek: What is it? What Anderson Howard they say what col. Mark Andresen culture eat strategy for [00:22:37] Vince Menzione: breakfast. He strategy for breakfast? Yes. Very much this has been insightful. I really enjoyed having you here today. Really a great, you’re a lot of fun. You’re a lot of fun. [00:22:43] Vince Menzione: Darry, isn’t you? Amazing. So thank you for joining us. Thank you all. Thank And you’re gonna be, you’re gonna be sticking around for a little while today. I’m sticking around for a little while. I’ll be back in little later. I think people are gonna just en enjoy having a conversation with you, a little sidebar. [00:22:55] Darryl Peek: Absolutely. I’m looking forward to it. Thank you all for having me. Glad to be here. And thank you for giving the time today. [00:23:01] Vince Menzione: Thank you Darryl, so much. So appreciate it. And you’re gonna have to come join me on this Story Diamond tool. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for tuning into this episode of Ultimate Guide to Partnering. [00:23:12] Vince Menzione: We’re bringing these episodes to you to help you level up your strategy. If you haven’t yet, now’s the time to take action and think about joining our community. We created a unique place, UPX or Ultimate partner experience. It’s more than a community. It’s your competitive edge with insider insights, real-time education, and direct access to people who are driving the ecosystem forward. [00:23:38] Vince Menzione: UPX helps you get results, and we’re just getting started as we’re taking this studio. And we’ll be hosting live stream and digital events here, including our January live stream, the Boca Winter Retreat, and more to come. So visit our website, the ultimate partner.com to learn more and join us. Now’s the time to take your partnerships to the next level.

If you wish to support the show and PFC Irvine's Journey you can find his Ebay store here----> PFC NETWORK  Like our Facebook Page: Learning To Deal Podcast Learning To Deal Is a podcast about the host's (PFC Irvine) Journey in being a coin dealer while dealing with life and invisible combat injuries. 

In 1968, a group of Luton apprentices started creating a rock opera. Chris Stokes and his band Genesis (not that Genesis) conceived a concept album with baroque piano arrangements and experimental passages, then packed it away and got on with their day jobs. For over 50 years, this album and other material spanning a decade, existed only on deteriorating tape and acetates. Chris recorded with various lineups from the mid-1960s including The Mantis Set, Genesis, and Sunday Painter, mostly at home on a Revox tape machine; self-financed, largely improvised, never properly released. Then Dimorphodons from Hand of Glory Records bought a battered Hohner keyboard on eBay for £10, heard a sample track, and discovered a treasure trove of lost British psychedelia. Chris and Dimorphodons share highlights from this incredible archive, with the bulk of these tracks heard in public for the first time. Further information handofglory.co.uk A Story By The Genesis The Genesis – podcast tracks Podcasts also available: The British Psychedelic Sounds of 1967, A Kaleidoscope Of Sounds Psychedelic & Freakbeat Masterpieces, Arthur Brown, Hawkwind's Days of the Underground, Pete Brown – Cream/Jack Bruce This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Google apps and all usual platforms If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi The post The Genesis That Time Forgot: Unearthed British Psychedelia appeared first on The Strange Brew .

In this episode, Mr. EBay and Dr. Chad reflect on their New Year's experiences, share insights from their Secret Santa event, and discuss various hobby news and announcements. They also highlight the importance of community support through eBay affiliate links and give away an eBay gift card to a lucky listener. The conversation is filled with humor, personal anecdotes, and a deep appreciation for their listeners and the hobby community. In this episode, Mr. EBay and Dr. Chad discuss their experiences with Secret Santa gifts, the excitement of the Fatal Fourway event, and their Christmas traditions. They share heartfelt thanks for the gifts received, including sports cards and memorabilia, and reflect on the joy of community and giving during the holiday season. In this engaging conversation, Mr. EBay and Dr. Chad explore various themes surrounding collectibles, gift-giving, and personal experiences related to their hobbies. They discuss the fun of wrestling arcade games, the excitement of receiving unique gifts, and insights from a recent card show. The conversation also delves into trends in rookie cards and the thrill of opening a box of Upper Deck hockey cards, culminating in heartfelt reflections on the connections these hobbies foster. Check Out Our Other Content:  New Product Releases with Mrs. Doc - Every Wednesday Fanatics Football Card Auction Review - Every Friday

2025 was not a random spike. It was a convergence.In this episode, Brett steps back from individual card sales and looks at the forces that pushed the hobby into a true bull market. Online sales hit record highs. Platforms evolved. Corporations moved in. New collectors showed up. The center of gravity shifted.This is a collector-first breakdown of what drove the growth in 2025 and why it matters when you buy, sell, and hold cards.Topics covered include • Why $422M in online sales in a month matters more than any single card • How Fanatics, Topps, eBay, and live commerce reshaped demand • The rise of breakers, repacks, and platform-driven velocity • What corporate money changes for collectors on the ground • Signals to watch as the market moves into 2026This episode is about context. Because better context leads to better decisions.Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On HypeStart your 7 day free trial of Stacking Slabs Patreon Today[Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this linkFollow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, the host interviews Brad Allen, an Amazon seller and entrepreneur, about his journey from eBay and retail arbitrage to building a successful Amazon FBA business. Brad shares how he sourced high-end European skincare products, overcame a major account suspension and $400,000 debt, and transitioned to private label. He highlights the importance of active business management, cash flow planning, and creativity. The episode concludes with actionable advice for Amazon sellers: stay hands-on, manage inventory and finances wisely, and innovate to stand out in the marketplace.Chapters:Introduction and Account Suspension (00:00:00)Brad is introduced; discusses his Amazon account suspension and overcoming $400K in debt.Early E-commerce Journey (00:00:33)Brad shares his start with eBay in childhood, selling household items, and his early exposure to e-commerce.Discovering Amazon FBA (00:01:11)Learns about Amazon FBA in 2012, transitions from eBay, and begins retail arbitrage with toys and other products.Corporate Career and Realization (00:02:19)Describes unfulfilling corporate jobs, getting fired, and joining a friend's epoxy flooring business in Ohio.Entrepreneurial Mindset Shift (00:03:34)Realizes he enjoys working for himself, which reignites his interest in e-commerce and Amazon.Deep Dive into Retail Arbitrage (00:04:36)Explores flipping products from eBay to Amazon, focusing on high-end skincare, and develops sourcing systems.European Skincare Arbitrage Strategy (00:06:45)Discovers sourcing high-end European skincare from overseas retailers, imports to the US, and sells on Amazon.Scaling and Living Abroad (00:08:54)Business grows; Brad moves to Buenos Aires and Africa, living a digital nomad lifestyle while running the business.Amazon Account Suspension Details (00:10:04)Explains the cause of his Amazon suspension—authenticity complaints and inability to provide manufacturer receipts.Lessons from Suspension and Financial Struggles (00:11:05)Discusses lessons learned: importance of active management, risk-taking, and not being complacent in business.Advice on Growth and Risk (00:11:48)Emphasizes reinvesting profits, financial planning, and the need for risk tolerance as an entrepreneur.Financial Intelligence and Risk Management (00:13:57)Stresses forecasting, living below means, and being prepared for the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.Three Actionable Takeaways (00:14:11)Host summarizes: 1) Active management and planning, 2) Cash flow and inventory management, 3) Creativity in the Amazon marketplace.Episode Wrap-up (00:16:43)Host thanks Brad, hints at a future episode, and closes the interview.Links and Mentions:Tools and Websites  EZSniperActionable Takeaways  Set an Annual Plan for Your Business: 00:14:11  Cash Flow Management: 00:15:04  Bring Creativity to the Amazon Marketplace: 00:16:15Transcript:Josh 00:00:00  Today I am super excited to introduce you to Brad Allen. I met him at Kevin King's, $1 Billion Seller summit, and he's going to have a lot of knowledge to share with us. I'm going to dive in like immediately to what was mentioned in your bio. You had your account suspended. You had you ran into 400 K of debt and loans, but you've kind of come out the other end and you're you're crushing it right now on Amazon. So tell me, Brad, what happened with the account suspension?Brad 00:00:33  So I, I was doing, retail arbitrage and I got, I got really into it. it it was actually kind of unique. It started off, where I was, I, I was really into eBay growing up, so I was always selling stuff, just like as a kid throughout the house, whether it was mine or not. I was grabbing, like, antiques from the basement and, like, selling stuff out of the garage. And I think that's where I got kind of, you know, introduced to e-commerce and kind of obsessed so that that kind of was always on the side.Brad 00:01:11  And I was doing that through grade school, high school, and then into college. And I learned about Amazon FBA and I think 2012. and as an eBay guy, it was like blew me away because I was, you know, the guy waiting in line at the, at the post office and having to deal with customers. So the fact that you could just send a bunch of items in and Amazon will ship it and take care of customer service was very appealing to me. So I started, I just started watching videos and the easiest way to start, which I don't know how many people really started out like this, but I'm sure some. But I was going into, you know, odd lots and Walmarts and just buying toys or whatever I could find. And essentially I was just kind of learning that process. so, you know, that was a good way to, like, get my feet wet into Amazon FBA. and then, you know, life kind of happened where that was put off to the side.Brad 00:02:19  I was in the corporate world for a while. not doing very well. I just, was not very passionate about what I was doing, and, I got a call from a buddy. I was living in South Florida. I'm from Ohio originally, and, I got fired from one job. You know, I was working for good companies. They were, like, fortune 500 companies. And I kind of noticed right away that the people that were successful were extremely passionate about the company, and they had just drank the Kool-Aid. And I just did. I just didn't care, really. I thought our products were overpriced, which is not the mentality that you want to have when you're trying to sell something. so I was just kind of, just doing enough not to get fired. And my friend, in Columbus had called me and said, hey, I just bought this epoxy coating company. So what we're doing is we're installing, like, showroom floors in garages. You know, the the garages in Columbus or the Midwest are all cracked and spoiled.Brad 00:03:34  so, you know, this was December and he was like, hey, I can't pay you that much, but, you know, this will be our company. and I'll share profits with you. So I wasn't really doing much. You know, in terms of growing personally or professionally, although I was in South Florida, which was pretty cool for for an Ohio guy. Sure. I took him up on it, and I remember it was December. I go from this cushy sales job in South Florida. Even though I didn't like it. And then all of a sudden, I am installing, garage floors in the suburbs of Columbus. In December, we're using, like, heaters to keep ourselves warm. And the funny thing was, I actually was enjoying it more, because it was ours. So that kind of, like, turned on the light that, you know, the way that I'm going to be successful is if I'm doing something for myself, like, or as a team. And that kind of drew me back to this e-commerce stuff.Brad 00:04:36  and like I was saying, I had learned about, the Amazon FBA and I had a this background in eBay. So I just kind of I remember in one of your podcasts, you were talking about how after work, you would go home and just watch videos. yeah. Because you, you know, you kind of saw that as a way out. But, you know, what you have to do is you have to put in the time. You know, even after a long day of work when most people are just watching TV or they want to decompress. I was just drawn to just scanning eBay, you know, looking at Amazon. And I was like, I was wondering if there was an opportunity for products that I could buy on eBay and flip on Amazon. And I kind of just somehow stumbled upon this, category of high end skincare. And I was noticing that there was these really, like, high end brands that were selling for, you know, almost nothing on eBay because, li...

Episode 186 — 2025 Culture Wrap-UpHappy New Year and welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show!We're ringing in 2026 the only way we know how — by looking back at the art, entertainment, and pop culture that got us through 2025.In this episode, we break down our favorite movies, songs, books, and TV shows of the year — the ones that thrilled us, surprised us, obsessed us, comforted us, and completely took over our personalities. From big cultural moments to deeply personal favorites, we debate what held up, what didn't, and what we'll still be thinking about years from now.It's part year-end countdown, part pop-culture therapy session, and part celebratory reset button — with strong opinions, passionate defenses, unexpected detours, and plenty of “wait, how did we forget THAT?” moments along the way.If you're wrapping up the year feeling nostalgic, overwhelmed, inspired, or just ready to argue about the best song of 2025 — this one's for you. Cheers to the culture that carried us through, and to whatever comes next.

Corporate success is often measured by growth and diversification, but for many conglomerates, being too big leads to a "conglomerate discount." This is the moment when the boardroom turns to corporate separation—the strategic process of intentionally breaking a business apart to create massive new shareholder wealth.In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained on FinPod, we break down why companies spin off divisions, how finance teams manage the disentanglement, and the real-world consequences of these billion-dollar maneuvers.What is a Corporate Spinoff?A spinoff occurs when a parent company takes a business unit or division and separates it into a brand-new, independent, publicly traded company.The Mechanism: Existing shareholders of the parent company automatically receive shares in the new entity.The Tax Benefit: These deals are typically structured to be tax-free for both the corporation and the investor, making it a premier tool for reorganization.The 5 Strategic Drivers: Why Break Up?Eliminating the "Conglomerate Discount": The market often penalizes highly diversified firms because analysts struggle to value a mix of slow-growth and high-growth assets. A spinoff creates a "Pure Play" company that the market can value more accurately.Strategic Focus: Different businesses have conflicting needs. Separation allows a management team to focus purely on their unique product cycles and R&D requirements (e.g., J&J spinning off Kenvue to separate stable consumer goods from high-risk pharma).Capital Structure Optimization: A spinoff allows for a customized balance sheet. A high-growth unit can start with a clean, debt-free slate to fund expansion, while the mature "cash cow" parent can take on more leverage.Regulatory & Activist Pressure: Antitrust concerns or pressure from activist investors often force management to divest units that are perceived as dragging down the total valuation.Preparation for Sale: It is significantly easier to sell a clean, standalone company than a messy division tangled in a larger corporate structure.The Operational Challenge: Assessing the "Carve-Out"Executing a spinoff is an incredibly complex process that often takes years of financial engineering:Carve-Out Financials: Finance teams must reconstruct what the business would have looked like if it had always been independent, projecting standalone revenue, margins, and cash flow.Stranded Costs: These are expenses the parent company is stuck with after the spinoff departs (e.g., half-empty headquarters or oversized software licenses). If not managed, these can destroy the expected value unlock.Transition Service Agreements (TSAs): Temporary lifelines where the parent provides HR or IT support to the new company for a fee until the spinoff can build its own infrastructure.Tax Risks (The Morris Trust): Strict IRS rules dictate that the spinoff must remain independent for a specific period. If the new company is acquired too quickly, it can trigger a catastrophic tax bill for the parent company.Case Studies: Billions UnlockedeBay and PayPal: PayPal was a high-growth fintech innovator being valued like a slow online marketplace. Once spun off, its market cap skyrocketed as it gained the freedom to partner with eBay's competitors like Amazon. IBM and Kyndryl: By spinning off its slow-growing legacy infrastructure business, IBM transformed into a "cleaner" tech growth play focused on Cloud and AI. DowDuPont: A massive "merger to split" strategy where the giants merged with the explicit goal of then breaking into three focused companies: Agriculture (Corteva), Materials (Dow), and Specialty Products (DuPont).

Andrew is obsessed with a special table from his youth, and he's unfortunately found it for sale on eBay. He also asks for Luke's help differentiating two comedians who have little in common. And listener Ben offers a list of Top Five Experiences You Can Have In A Grocery Store.

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Join my online school for eBay sellers here. Get my BOLO books (eBook format) hereGet my BOLO books (printed format) hereContact me for a store review Suzanne@SuzanneAWells.com Follow me on FacebookJoin my private Facebook group here.Find me on YouTube here.Visit my website here.Email your comments, feedback, and constructive criticism to me at Suzanne@SuzanneAWells.com

Hello everyone! This will be a short and sweet little debunk with my only sources being eBay!Please enjoy this short and sweet little debunk!https://ebay.us/m/WpElG6Photos from the episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DS9FT64Eanc/?igsh=MXZlMWJrNHY2N29kaA==And please go visit ‪@heartmodehorror‬ on YouTube to check out her stuff and THANK YOU JESS for the awesome song!!!

In this episode of Card Talk, hosts Mr. EBay, Dr. Chad, and Mrs. Doc discuss their top five favorite card products of the year. They explore the criteria for selection, review various products including Disney, basketball, Batman, and Upper Deck hockey, and engage with listeners about their thoughts on the list. The conversation highlights the subjective nature of card collecting and the importance of fun in the hobby. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Card Talk 00:34 Top Five Products of the Year 02:14 Criteria for Selection 04:52 Product Reviews: Disney and Basketball 07:22 Upper Deck Hockey and Batman 10:22 Conclusion and Listener Engagement   Check Out Our Other Content:  New Product Releases with Mrs. Doc - Every Wednesday Fanatics Football Card Auction Review - Every Friday

We're ending 2025 on a high as we wrap up this year with a Best of Date Night! We pulled together some of our favorite Date Night - the ones we still reference and laugh about. Come ride around LA with us as we recount our brain farts, revisit the White Couch Debacle, and never stop bringing the conversation back around to sandwiches. Plus, some true nuggets of real perspective, love, and navigating life's hard things together. 2025 was the year of getting Penny, another year of watching Sonny come into his own and be the best guy around, another year on our surrogacy journey, and another year of bringing you along with us for all of it. We just love you so much and we are excited for the many Date Nights that lie ahead! This episode is brought to you by eBay, Vital Vitamins, and Google ShoppingeBay has millions of pre-loved finds, from hundreds of brands, backed by eBay Authenticity Guarantee. eBay. Things. People. Love.Vital Vitamins is offering my listeners 20% off all orders with code WITHWHIT at myvitalvitamins.comYou have to check out Google's Try On feature. Check it out at g.co/shop/tryon. Trust me, your holiday season just got a whole lot merrier. This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tonight we're rewinding back to everyone's favorite Late Show Pod Show game, 'Celebrity Boss' - Part One. Originally dropped in April, Stephen answered a variety of questions so we normals could find out more about what life is like for the rich and famous. Find out if stars really are like us, what they shop for on eBay, how it works when a restaurant has a framed photo of a celebrity on the wall, and so on. Then enjoy Stephen's interview from December 2024 with Oscar-winner Adrien Brody! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is the final episode of The Staging Area for 2025, presented by dcsports87.Brett and Tory break down ten cards that sold through dcsports87 this year and use them as a lens to read the market. Not as predictions. As signals.The conversation spans multiple sports and eras, from early Prizm basketball and vintage baseball to modern football, soccer, hockey, and NIL cards. Along the way, Brett and Tory discuss what these sales reveal about collector behavior, shifting demand, and where attention is quietly moving.They also dive into the launch of Topps Chrome Basketball, how wax pricing often leads singles performance, and why some products sustain momentum while others fade.The episode closes with a forward-looking discussion on patience, risk, and common mistakes collectors make when they move too fast. If you want context instead of noise heading into the next year, this episode is for you.A special thank you to dcsports87 for supporting this series. Check out dcsports87 for your eBay consignment needs and visit the dcsports87 eBay store to find great cards ending every night.Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On HypeGet exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon[Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this linkFollow dcsports87: | Website | eBay | Instagram | Twitter  Follow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In "The Fulfillment Playbook: ShipStation's Strategy for Building an Unbreakable Shipping Network", Joe Lynch and Josh Steinitz, Chief Strategy Officer at Auctane, discuss how to turn complex global logistics into a seamless competitive advantage. About Josh Steinitz Josh Steinitz serves as Chief Strategy Officer at Auctane, a leading global company empowering businesses with intelligent mailing and shipping solutions through trusted products like ShipStation, Stamps.com, Metapack, and Packlink. In his role, Steinitz leads corporate development, strategic partnerships, carrier relationships and strategy, and cross-border solutions. With a distinguished career in both travel and logistics, Steinitz previously led corporate business development for Amazon Worldwide Operations, held senior leadership positions at Revinate and Away.com, and founded NileGuide. Steinitz holds a bachelor's degree from Princeton University. About ShipStation Every day, tens of thousands of ecommerce businesses rely on ShipStation to solve the day-to-day challenges of importing orders and processing shipments. Since 2011, ShipStation's online shipping solution has helped businesses scale and deliver exceptional customer experiences—wherever they sell and however they ship. The multi-channel and multi-carrier platform offers over 400 integrations and partnerships with leading shopping carts, marketplaces, carriers, and fulfillment services, including USPS, UPS, FedEx, GlobalPost, Amazon, Shopify, and BigCommerce. ShipStation is a member of the Auctane family of companies and is headquartered in Austin, TX. For more information, visit www.shipstation.com. Key Takeaways: The Fulfillment Playbook: ShipStation's Strategy for Building an Unbreakable Shipping Network In "The Fulfillment Playbook: ShipStation's Strategy for Building an Unbreakable Shipping Network", Joe Lynch and Josh Steinitz, Chief Strategy Officer at Auctane, discuss how to turn complex global logistics into a seamless competitive advantage. Diversification is the Foundation of "Unbreakable" Logistics: Drawing from Josh's experience at Amazon Worldwide Operations (where he helped launch Amazon Logistics and expand Amazon Air), a primary takeaway is that a resilient network cannot rely on a single carrier. An unbreakable strategy requires a multi-carrier approach—integrating giants like UPS and FedEx with regional players and postal services to mitigate risks like strikes, capacity crunches, or price hikes. Move from "Reactive Shipping" to "Proactive Strategy": As Chief Strategy Officer, Josh emphasizes that shipping should not be an afterthought at the end of a sale. The "Playbook" involves using logistics as a competitive lever. By leveraging Auctane's suite of tools (ShipStation, Metapack, etc.), businesses can transform fulfillment from a cost center into a strategic asset that drives customer retention. Automation is the Antidote to Operational Complexity: ShipStation's core value proposition is streamlining the "day-to-day challenges of importing orders." Automation is key - automatically selecting the best carrier, service, and packaging based on pre-defined criteria. This eliminates human error and allows a small team to handle the volume of a much larger enterprise. The Power of "Unified Commerce" and Deep Integration: With over 400 integrations, ShipStation's strategy highlights that an unbreakable network must be "plug-and-play." Your fulfillment system should seamlessly sync with marketplaces (Amazon, eBay), platforms (Shopify, BigCommerce), and inventory management. Leveraging "The Amazon Effect" for Small and Mid-Sized Brands: Josh's background at Amazon gives him unique insight into what consumers now expect: speed, transparency, and low costs. A major takeaway is how ShipStation democratizes these "Amazon-level" capabilities for smaller merchants, providing them with discounted rates and branded tracking experiences that allow them to compete with the world's largest retailers. Multi-Channel Order Centralization: ShipStation acts as a "single pane of glass" by integrating with over 100 different e-commerce marketplaces (like Shopify, Amazon, and eBay). For a shipper, this eliminates the need to jump between platforms; it centralizes every order into one dashboard, significantly reducing manual data entry and the risk of fulfillment errors. Automated Rate Shopping and Discounted Shipping: The platform provides instant access to deeply discounted rates with major carriers like UPS, USPS, and FedEx. Shippers can use automation rules to "rate shop" in real-time - automatically selecting the most cost-effective or fastest carrier based on the package's weight, destination, or service level - which directly protects profit margins and scales shipping operations without adding headcount. Learn More About The Fulfillment Playbook: ShipStation's Strategy for Building an Unbreakable Shipping Network Josh Steinitz | Linkedin ShipStation | Linkedin ShipStation The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube

#922: Join us as we sit down with Matt & Nora Kramer – co-Founders & CEO of Sunny Fine Foods, a brand that creates fresh dressings & sauces made with only real food ingredients. What started as a passion for home-cooking, quickly revealed a major gap in the market: clean, flavorful dressings & sauces without shortcuts, made with fresh real ingredients – which led the path to developing Sunny Fine Foods. In this episode, Matt & Nora break down their leap from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, the early days of building a brand in their kitchen, lessons learned along the way, & the milestones that led to launching nationwide to stores near you.    To Watch the Show click HERE   For Detailed Show Notes visit TSCPODCAST.COM   To connect with Sunny Fine Foods click HERE   To connect with Lauryn Bosstick click HERE   To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE   Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE   Head to our ShopMy page HERE and LTK page HERE to find all of the products mentioned in each episode.   Get your burning questions featured on the show! Leave the Him & Her Show a voicemail at +1 (512) 537-7194.   To learn more visit https://sunnyfoods.us or Sunny's products can be found nationwide on the shelves of Sprouts, Whole Foods, Hungryroot and more.    Visit http://istandwithmypack.org to support I Stand With My Pack's (ISWMP) mission by donating or adopting. Every contribution helps!   This episode is sponsored by Maui Nui Just go to http://mauinuivenison.com/SKINNY to grab yours.   This episode is sponsored by EBay There's always more to discover – eBay has millions of pre-loved finds, from hundreds of brands, backed by eBay Authenticity Guarantee. eBay. Things. People. Love.   This episode is sponsored by Fatty15 Fatty15 is on a mission to replenish your C15 levels and restore your long-term health. You can get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit by going to http://fatty15.com/SKINNY and using code SKINNY at checkout.   This episode is sponsored by Cymbiotika Go to http://Cymbiotika.com/TSC today to get 20% off plus free shipping.    This episode is sponsored by Mizzen+Main Go to http://Mizzenandmain.com and use promo code SKINNY20 to get 20% off your first purchase.   This episode is sponsored by Cort  Build your own furniture rental package today at cort.com, that's http://cort.com/podcast.   This episode is sponsored by Primal Kitchen It's easier than ever to find Primal Kitchen Pure Avocado Oil because it's now available at Walmart. You can find Primal Kitchen in Walmart stores or online at Walmart.com and http://PrimalKitchen.com. Produced by Dear Media

As the year wraps up, we are replaying some of our favorite conversations from 2025, including this one!AI can create immersive, human-centric experiences that not only drive sales but also foster enduring brand relationships in a rapidly evolving market. Today we're going to talk about how AI-driven personalization allows retailers to move beyond generic experiences, crafting unique interactions that resonate with individual preferences and behaviors, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. I'm thrilled to be joined by Noah Zamansky, Vice President of Product, Tech and Design, Client Experience at Stitch Fix here at eTail Boston. About Noah Zamansky Noah Zamansky is VP of Product, Client Experience at Stitch Fix He was previously with eBay where he was the Senior Director of Product Management for Fashion & Vertical Experiences. Noah is a seasoned leader who has shaped product vision, strategy and experience as well as helped launch new lines of business. He is a strong collaborator with an ability to bring stakeholders and perspectives together to create the best result.  Noah Zamansky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nzamansky/ Resources Stitch Fix: https://www.stitchfix.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://ratethispodcast.com/agileConnect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Wrap up 2025 with Mike and Orlando on the Pure Hustle Podcast as they share an inspiring end-of-year update packed with reselling tips, mindset shifts, and strategies for crushing it in 2026. Discover how discipline and grit transformed their reselling game, from building habits like consistent listing and sourcing to overcoming challenges in eBay selling. Whether you're a full-time reseller or side hustler, learn actionable advice on turning weaknesses into strengths, harnessing passion for long-term success, and using tools like Google Lens for lightning-fast eBay listings.In this episode, we dive into personal reflections on reselling highs and lows, including a massive War Machine miniatures score for huge profits, inventory organization hacks with Plano boxes, and eBay strategies to avoid greed and boost sales. Plus, hear why books like "Atomic Habits" and "Grit" are game-changers for building perseverance in your hustle. We also touch on real-life reselling updates, like doubling 90-day totals through consistent effort and navigating top-rated seller status.    If you're into eBay tips, reselling strategies, or hustle motivation, hit that subscribe button, like this video, and join our Discord community for more discussions. Drop your 2026 goals in the comments—what's your biggest reselling resolution? Check out My Reseller Genie for effortless bookkeeping: [link to My Reseller Genie]. For more on building habits, grab "Atomic Habits" by James Clear or "Grit" by Angela Duckworth.#ResellingTips #eBaySelling #HustleMindset #2026Goals #PureHustlePodcast #DisciplineAndGrit #SideHustleSuccess   Join the Discord and Partner with us via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/purehustlepodcast Sign Up with MY RESLLER GENIE with 15% off your first month for the best bookkeeping geared for resellers by using the link below and USE OUR CODE “PUREHUSTLE” all in caps: https://www.myresellergenie.com/?ref=purehustle Get a free $15 on Whatnot by using the link below: https://whatnot.com/invite/purehustlepodcast Get that Skullshaver using the link below and our code "Hustle": https://skullshaver.com/discount/Hustle?rfsn=6980222.2cfe107&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=6980222.2cfe107 Purchase bubble wrap from the best deal available ANYWHERE: https://www.americanbubbleboy.com?sca_ref=650095.KTEipe5MI4&sca_source=YouTube

Jayne Peressini returns to Passion to Profession for a second conversation. She works on product inside eBay Collectibles and lives this market every day.This episode focuses on signals that shape the hobby beyond headline sales.We talk aboutSupply and how to read it without emotionLiquidity and time to cashVelocity and why turnover mattersWhy comps lag realityHow collectors build strategy with limited budgetsWhat demand looks like when you zoom outThis is a collector conversation grounded in product reality.If you buy, sell, or plan your collection with intent, this episode will change how you look at the market.A special thank you to eBay for sponsoring Passion to Profession. The biggest and best marketplace to buy your next favorite trading card.Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On HypeGet exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon[Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this linkFollow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

As an eBay seller, you don't want to leave money on the table. In this episode of the I Love to Be Selling podcast, you'll discover savvy strategies for getting top dollar while still selling your items quickly. Tune in as real-life eBay listings are analyzed to show why those sellers could raise their prices.   You'll also get access to I Love to Be Selling's free eBay Promoted Listings Fees Guide: 5 Tips to Keep You in the Game (and Protect Your Wallet!). Download your complimentary copy now at https://ilovetobeselling.com/webinars-and-workshops/ebay-promoted-listings-fees-guide/.   I'm Kathy, and I love to be selling!

In this episode, host Travis Chappell and producer Eric swap stories about the strangest, most unconventional ways people are making real money—from TikTok shops to doodle detanglers—and how “weird” ideas can turn into serious income. Travis also opens up about his own nontraditional paths to getting paid, from door-to-door sales to a short-lived modeling side quest. On this episode we talk about: Creators making $40–50K/month purely from TikTok Shop affiliate commissions with no physical products How an eight-figure landscaper turned his experience into “Uber for lawn care” with the GreenPal app Flea market and Facebook Marketplace flippers who drive around, buy underpriced items, and resell them on eBay for five-figure profits on single deals A niche e‑commerce brand built around a single problem: detangling doodle dog hair and scaling it to seven figures Remote “job stacking” and how one guest runs three work‑from‑home jobs for a combined multiple six‑figure salary Travis' own unconventional income streams: podcast sponsorships, coaching days, Facebook Reels payouts, and even a paid modeling gig in college Top 3 Takeaways Weird often wins. The money is frequently in ultra-specific problems—like doodle hair detanglers or lawn-mowing logistics—rather than trendy, crowded ideas. Distribution is a cheat code. Platforms like TikTok Shop, Facebook Reels, and niche apps can turn other people's products and systems into meaningful cash flow if you understand how to drive attention. “Unconventional” is the new normal. Door-to-door sales, stacked remote jobs, arbitrage flipping, and content monetization show there are many viable ways to earn beyond a traditional 9–5. Notable Quotes “He doesn't even have products—it's all affiliate. He just cranks out videos and commissions.” “You can build a seven‑figure business solving one really specific problem… even if it is just tangled doodle hair.” “Almost everything I've done to make money has been the nontraditional route.” ✖️✖️✖️✖️

Our podcast is now proudly sponsored by Black Arrow Minis.Please check out their website and email contact below:Email: blackarrowgamessales@gmail.comWebsite: https://blackarrowminis.com/Ebay:https://www.ebay.com/str/blackarrowgamesCrown of Command Games YouTube⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC504rUqQda8H0uXRZajBL3g⁠⁠⁠Patreon:⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/thecrownofcommandpodcast⁠⁠⁠Discord community:⁠https://discord.gg/hJXsefB74E⁠Eavy Lead Studios:⁠⁠eavylead@gmail.com⁠⁠Check out our Herohammer Fanzine here:⁠⁠⁠www.herohammer-fanzine.com⁠⁠⁠Facebook Group⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/4274948262546353⁠⁠⁠Contact me:⁠⁠⁠thecrownofcommandpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠Shelter Song by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.comMusic promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠

If you've grown weary of traditional resolutions, but you still carry a glimmer of hope that positive change is possible for us imperfect humans—then you'll love mindful intention-setting.  In this practice from his mini-course, mindful leadership trainer Rich Fernandez shows us how to vividly envision the "imagine if" possibilities. When we tap into meaning, passion, and a felt sense of welcoming what we long for, it's easier to get clear on the purpose behind our pursuits.  Rich Fernandez is the former CEO of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI). He was previously the director of executive education and people development at Google, where he was also one of the first SIY teachers. Rich previously co-founded Wisdom Labs and has also served in senior roles at eBay, J.P. Morgan Chase and Bank of America. The transcription of this guided meditation will be online at Mindful.org next week.  Stay curious, stay inspired. Join our community by signing up for our free newsletter:  mindful.org/signup Show Notes Find more from Rich Fernandez here. Go Deeper There are subtle but crucial differences between making traditional New Year's resolutions and setting intentions for the future—because in mindfulness, everything is anchored in self-acceptance and self-love, rather than a quest for endless self-improvement. To learn more and start practicing a gentler, more sustainable way to change and growth, check out these articles on Mindful.org: Why Do Resolutions Fail? 5 Ways to Invite Positive and Lasting Change  Three Ways to Refresh and Renew—No Resolutions Needed  3 Science-Backed Strategies to Build Healthy Habits in the New Year  The Power of Sustainable Self-Care  The Power and Pleasure of Intention: How to Turn Your Dreams into Daily Reality  You can access all modules of Rich's mini-course on Mindful.org here. And to experience another approach to intention-setting, try A Guided Meditation to Set Your Intentions for the New Year  And more from Mindful here: More episodes of 12 Minute Meditation Let us know what you thought of this episode of 12 Minute Meditation by leaving a review or by emailing yourwords@mindful.org.  

In this episode, host Josh interviews Steven Yates, CEO of Prime Guidance, about strategies for scaling e-commerce brands. Steve emphasizes optimizing Amazon listings and leveraging all available tools before expanding to other marketplaces like Walmart or eBay. He discusses the importance of having a direct-to-consumer website, maximizing Amazon advertising, and using analytics tools to track performance. Steve provides actionable advice on when and how to diversify sales channels, ensuring brands grow efficiently and profitably while building a strong foundation on Amazon first.Chapters:Introduction to Steven Yates and Prime Guidance (00:00:00)Josh introduces Steven Yates, his background, and expertise in retail management and e-commerce.When to Expand Beyond Amazon (00:00:48)Discussion on timing and considerations for expanding to other marketplaces like Walmart, eBay, Wayfair, and international markets.Sales Lift Estimates from Other Marketplaces (00:01:28)Steve provides rough estimates of sales lift from Walmart, eBay, and other channels compared to Amazon.Importance of Optimizing Amazon Before Expanding (00:01:39)Emphasis on being 80-90% optimized on Amazon before moving to other marketplaces.Choosing the Right Next Marketplace (00:03:32)Advice on analyzing where your customers are and not following a cookie-cutter approach to expansion.Launching a DTC E-commerce Website (00:04:04)Discussion on when and why to launch a direct-to-consumer website alongside Amazon.Benefits of Having a DTC Website (00:04:38)Steve explains the strategic advantages of having your own e-commerce site for brand building and customer retention.Capturing and Nurturing Website Visitors (00:05:46)Tactics for capturing emails and engaging visitors who land on your DTC website.Key Levers to Pull on Amazon (00:06:21)Josh asks for a list of actionable levers to increase sales and grow a brand on Amazon.Detailed Breakdown of Amazon Optimization Levers (00:06:33)Steve details optimization tactics: product pages, infographics, A+ content, pricing, assortment, advertising, and Amazon programs.Amazon Advertising and External Traffic Strategies (00:08:05)Discussion on types of Amazon ads, external traffic, and leveraging Amazon's Brand Referral Bonus.Utilizing Amazon Programs and Betas (00:09:11)Overview of Amazon programs like FBA Small and Lite, brand store, Amazon posts, and customer engagement emails.Order of Operations for Optimization and Traffic (00:10:31)Advice on optimizing for Amazon's algorithm and conversion before scaling advertising and traffic.Three Actionable Takeaways for Brands (00:11:21)Josh summarizes three key takeaways: maximize Amazon levers, focus on Amazon traffic, then expand to other channels.Tools for Tracking Amazon Metrics (00:13:40)Discussion on aggregating and analyzing Amazon data using third-party tools and Excel.Brand Analytics and Bonus Tool Recommendation (00:14:59)Steve recommends using Amazon Brand Analytics and nozzle.ai for tracking repeat purchases and customer lifetime value.Where to Learn More About Prime Guidance (00:16:21)Steve shares how listeners can contact or follow Prime Guidance for further help.Links and Mentions:Tools and Websites  Prime Guidance  Shopify WooCommerceAmazon Attribution Program  Amazon Posts  Helium 10Nozzle AI  Transcript:Josh 00:00:00  Today, I'm excited to introduce you to Steve Yates. He is the CEO and founder of Prime Guidance. Steve developed well-rounded expertise working for multi-billion dollar fortune 500 retailers such as Amazon, Dick's Sporting Goods and eBay enterprise prior to founding Prime guidance in all industry consulting. With 30 years experience in retail management and 23 years experience in e-commerce. Steve and his team provide companies with strategic advice and innovative solutions that are based on real life experience working for industry leading retailers. He helps companies grow faster, smarter and more profitably by providing advice, mentoring and coaching for today's busy executives. So welcome to the podcast, Steve.Steven 00:00:46  Thank you. Josh. Thanks for having me.Josh 00:00:48  One of the first questions I want to ask, just kind of selfishly for myself, because we're looking to expand onto different channels right now with our business. We've grown to eight figures just on Amazon alone. But we're we are looking to, you know, is it time to explore or double down more on Walmart eBay, Wayfair? Do we try to get into target? Do we go international right and start shipping stuff into Canada, Mexico, the UK, etc.? So my question to you here, Steve, is what kind of sales lift do you see from those different marketplaces? Right.Josh 00:01:28  Like what do you estimate as hey you go to Walmart it best case scenario, you're probably looking at a 10% lift eBay. Maybe it's a 2%, you know, so on and so forth.Steven 00:01:39  Yeah. So it's a very tricky question because I've seen it wildly different. So interesting. I had to if I had to, to put a rough assumption across a lot of different categories and product lines, I would say Walmart is the very next marketplace you're going to want to focus on outside of Amazon. And by the way, don't do it until you're what I like to say 80 to 90% optimized on Amazon. Don't spend your time on these smaller marketplaces, because that's oftentimes the shiny object that gets you in trouble when you're doing a whole bunch of different things, you're not doing any of them well. You've got to you've got to be really well positioned on Amazon. And when I say 80 to 90%, I don't mean of your total opportunity for growth. But if you've identified all these levers you need to pull on Amazon, you need to have a good storefront.Steven 00:02:26  You need to have A+ content. I need to have all of these different components pulled together. Do you feel good about how well optimized they are, and are they in place 80 to 90% of where they should be before you, you know, start migrating to another marketplace? Because if you don't, you're essentially lifting and shifting a catalog that's not optimized to another marketplace. And now all of your optimization efforts are going to be that much harder because you're doing full optimizations across a whole bunch of marketplaces. That's a that's always a risk. I would say Walmart is probably, in the number of 10 to 20% of the Amazon business, and eBay is probably the neighborhood of 10%, maybe 5 to 10% of the, of the Amazon business. but it really does differ quite a bit. I've seen some I've seen some people that actually sell more on Etsy than they do on Amazon because their product is sold out after on that website. I've seen people that do phenomenal on eBay, even though eBay is, you know, not not growing.Steven 00:03:32  It's. Yeah, it's it just so happens that their customers there and that's why I go goes back to, analyzing where your customers spend their time and money and make sure you're present there, do it in the right order. But ultimately make sure you're you're present there. And where you go next is not a cookie cutter answer just because everybody else goes to this next Walmart, you know, Walmart next or eBay after that or whatever, doesn't mean that's...

This is the frankly unbelievable story of how far eBay employees went in 2019 to deal with both a small company and a Twitter user being critical of their CEO and company. Harassment, intimidation, doxing, cockroaches and a dead pig... welcome to the eBay stalking scandal, featuring special guest Kirsty Webeck!This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 10:14 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report).For all our important links: https://linktr.ee/dogoonpod Check out our other podcasts:Book Cheat: https://play.acast.com/s/book-cheatPrime Mates: https://play.acast.com/s/prime-mates/Listen Now: https://play.acast.com/s/listen-now/Who Knew It with Matt Stewart: https://play.acast.com/s/who-knew-it-with-matt-stewart/Jess Writes A Rom-Com: https://shows.acast.com/jess-writes-a-rom-comOur awesome theme song by Evan Munro-Smith and logo by Peader ThomasDo Go On acknowledges the traditional owners of the land we record on, the Wurundjeri people, in the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders, past and present. REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/26/technology/ebay-cockroaches-stalking-scandal.htmlhttps://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2021/12/02/ebay-ecommercebytes-stalking/https://www.ebayinc.com/company/our-history/https://www.britannica.com/money/eBayhttps://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/sep/29/ebay-executive-sentenced-couple-harassment-newsletterhttps://www.ebayinc.com/company/our-purpose-in-action/https://www.valueaddedresource.net/ebay-cyberstalking-security-staff-settle-execs-face-trial/https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/ebay-inc-pay-3-million-connection-corporate-cyberstalking-campaign-targeting Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James and John discuss eBay finds: 1992 Montgomery Ward newspaper ad, lot of Mac Nubus/PCI cards, and a Macintosh on RISC SDK. They look at iPhone Pocket and look back at iPod Socks. News includes a Macintosh Classic bug and Floppy Flopper. Join our Facebook page, follow us on X (Twitter), watch us on YouTube, and visit us at RetroMacCast.  

The New Republic moves to end Oskure's reign of deceit and malfeasance as the Nagai rebellion returns home, while Rynn Zenat uncovers and uncomfortable fact about her well being and Beilert Valance helps show Han Solo the path forward to being a better person in the pages of Marvel's Star Wars #8 (of 10). Comics Discussed This Week:Star Wars (Vol. 4) #8 (of 10)Star Wars Comics New to Marvel Unlimited This Week:
Boba Fett: Black, White & Red #1 (of 4)Star Wars (Vol. 4) #5 (of 10)
News:Marvel's Dark Droids crossover event is getting collected in a fairly hefty omnibus that's due out in August 2026, including the events issues from Star Wars, Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra and Bounty Hunters.A single page of original art by Carmine Infantino and Bob Wiacek from Star Wars (Vol. 1) #20 sold for $2,025 on eBay in December.A very happy holidays to you, no matter what you celebrate or if you don't celebrate at all!
Upcoming Star Wars comics, graphic novels and omnibuses:Dec. 31 _ Boba Fett: Black, White & Red #4 (of 4), Hyperspace Stories — The Bad Batch: Rogue Agents #1 (of 4)Jan. 7 _ Han Solo -- Hunt for the Falcon #5 (of 5), Tides of Terror #4 (of 4)Jan. 14 _ Legacy of Vader #12Jan. 21 _ Star Wars (Vol. 4) #9Jan. 27 _ Darth Maul: Black, White & Red TPB (Collects 1-4)Feb. 11 _ Jar Jar Binks #1 One-Shot, Hyperspace Stories: The Bad Batch — Rogue Agents #2 (of 4)Feb. 17 _ Star Wars: Hidden Empire Omnibus (Collects HIdden Empire 1-5, Star Wars (Vol. 3) 26-36, Bounty Hunters 27-34, Darth Vader (Vol. 3) 28-32, Doctor Aphra (Vol. 2) 22-31 and 2022's Star Wars: Revelations #1)Feb. 18 _ Star Wars (Vol. 4) #10March 4 _ Shadow of Maul #1 (of 5)March 11 _ Hyperspace Stories: The Bad Batch — Rogue Agents #3 (of 4); The High Republic Adventures -- Pathfinders #1 (of 6)March 17 _ Star Wars Legends: The Empire Omnibus Vol. 4 (Collects Star Wars: Underworld - The Yavin Vassilika (2000) #1-5; Free Comic Book Day 2013: Star Wars #1; Star Wars: Empire (2002) #5-6, 8-13, 15; Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron (1995) #1/2; Star Wars: A New Hope - The Special Edition (1997) #1-4; Star Wars: Tag & Bink Are Dead (2001) #1; Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope (2001) #1-4; The Star Wars (2013) #0-8; material from Star Wars Tales (1999) #1-2, 4, 6, 8-10, 12, 14, 16, 19-20); Hyperspace Stories: Grievous OGNMarch 24 _ Tales From the Nightlands TPB (Collects 1-3); Hyperspace Stories: Codebreaker TPB (Collects 1-4) March 31 _ Legacy of Vader: The Reign of Kylo Ren Vol. 2 TPB (Collects 7-12)April 8 _ Hyperspace Stories: The Bad Batch -- Rogue Agents #4 (of 4)April 14 _ Jedi Knights Vol. 2 - A Higher Path TPB (Collects 6-10), Star Wars Visions TPB (Collects Visions -- Peach Momoko #1, Visions -- Takashi Okazaki #1, Peach Momoko's Story from Darth Vader -- Black, White & Red #1)April 21 _ The High Republic Phase III -- Trial of the Jedi Omnibus (Collects 2023's The High Republic 1-10, Revelations #1's High Republic story, The Acolyte — Kelnacca one-shot, Shadows of Starlight 1-4, Fear of the Jedi 1-5, The Finale #1: The Beacon one-shot); The Mandalorian -- Seasons One & Two (Collects #1-8 of both mini-series), Jedi Knights Vol. 2 TPB (Collects 6-10); Hyperspace Stories: Tides of Terror TPB (Collects 1-4)April 28 _ Han Solo -- Hunt for the Falcon TPB (Collects 1-5)May 5 _ The High Republic Adventures -- The Complete Phase II (1-8, Nameless Terror 1-4, Quest of the Jedi one-shot)May 12 _ Star Wars: New Republic (Collects 1-10, material from Free Comic Book Day 2025: Star Wars #1)May 19 _ Star Wars Legends: Legacy Omnibus Vol. 1 (Collects Star Wars: Legacy (2006) #0, 0-1/2, 1-36, 41); Doctor Aphra — Chaos Agent TPB (Collects 1-10)May 26 _ The High Republic Adventures -- The Complete Phase III Part 1 (Collects The High Republic Adventures (Phase III 1-10), Saber for Hire 1-4 and the Crash Landing and Crash and Burn one-shots)June 16 _ Star Wars Legends: The New Republic Omnibus Vol. 3 (Collects Star Wars: Crimson Empire (1997) #0-6, Star Wars: The Bounty Hunters - Kenix Kil (1999) #1, Star Wars: Crimson Empire II - Council of Blood (1998) #1-6, Star Wars: Crimson Empire III - Empire Lost (2011) #1-6, Star Wars: Jedi Academy - Leviathan (1998) #1-4, Star Wars: The Mixed-Up Droid (1995) #1, Star Wars: Union (1999) #1-4, Star Wars: Chewbacca (2000) #1-4, Star Wars: Invasion (2009) #0-5, Star Wars: Invasion - Rescues (2010) #1-6, Star Wars: Invasion - Revelations (2011) #1-5, Star Wars Handbook (1998) #2; material from Dark Horse Extra (1998) #21-24; Dark Horse Presents (2011) #1; Star Wars Tales (1999) #8, 11, 16-19, 21); The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope — The Manga Vol. 1June 30 _ The High Republic Adventures -- The Complete Phase III Part 2 (Collects The High Republic Adventures (Phase III) 11-20, Echoes of Fear 1-4, Dispatches From the Occlusion Zone 1-4 and the one-shots 2025 Annual, The Wedding Spectacular and The Battle of Eriadu)July 21 _ Star Wars Legends: The Newspaper Strips Omnibus (Collects Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures (1994) #1-9, Classic Star Wars: Han Solo at Stars' End (1997) #1-3, Classic Star Wars (1992) #1-20, Classic Star Wars: A New Hope (1994) #1-2, Classic Star Wars: The Vandelhelm Mission (1995) #1, Star Wars newspaper strips "The Constancia Affair," "The Kashyyyk Depths" and "Planet of Kadril”); Star Wars Modern Era Epic Collection: The Screaming Citadel (Collects Star Wars (2015) #31-43, Star Wars Annual (2015) #3, Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel (2017) #1, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (2016) #7-8)
Aug. 11 _ The Bad Batch — Rogue Agents TPB (Collects 1-4)Aug. 18 _ The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope -- The Manga Vol. 2----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Star Wars Splash Page is a weekly podcast dedicated solely to contemporary Star Wars comics published by Marvel, Dark Horse and previously IDW, featuring views about the current week's comics, interviews with the writers, artists, colorists, letterers and editors who create them, as well as the latest details on publishing schedules, upcoming series and mini-series, so that you, the listener have more detail and context about the comics that are a vital part of Star Wars canon, lore and legends.

Hello my friends across the interwebs. After an extended hiatus, here I am with a new blues installment just in time for the holidays. The next few days I will be smoking cigars, watching an assortment of fantastic DVDs that I bought recently, cramming sweet treats into my yap and thoroughly enjoying myself just as an abandoned middle aged man should do. This desolate path of solitude does have it's perks. For instance, I just turned the volume all the way up and blasted Future at midnight because I wanted to jump around with the dog for a bit. This week alone I've watched The Outlaw Josey Wales, Home Alone, The Bourne Identity, The Da Vinci Code and Scarface on Blu-Ray. Multiple football games and the UNC Basketball game as well. Being alone on Christmas does in a way feel like Tyson Fury just socked me right in the kisser. BUT I do get to watch football with the dog, scratch my toes and listen to Black Sabbath records so it's FINE. I did get a super sick tapestry for Christmas too so I'm on fire over here. Keisha I hope you get to rip into something super duper sick tomorrow. I might get myself another Christmas present or two. Insider baseball, I saw some wicked hot Lennie Rosenbluth autographed stuff on eBay. 1957 NCAA Player of the Year that was guarding Wilt Chamberlain in the championship game, no big deal. Met him a few years back and he couldn't have been nicer to me. Him and his wife. He sadly passed last year and I need a piece of Lennie history in this podcast room. Since I'm slowing down on the recording rate I will be upgrading the sound system in here for super wicked hot personal listening seshes. Why am I giving you an ear beating about Lennie Rosenbluth on Christmas Eve? I hope you enjoyed My Blue Christmas. If you want a more up-beat Christmas pod check out last year's Home Alone house music Christmas episode. Have a great Holiday break, everybody. Thank you for being hereYour Fav Disc Jockey,Old Saint Sickolas 

Join my online school for eBay sellers here. Get my BOLO books (eBook format) hereGet my BOLO books (printed format) hereContact me for a store review Suzanne@SuzanneAWells.com Follow me on FacebookJoin my private Facebook group here.Find me on YouTube here.Visit my website here.Email your comments, feedback, and constructive criticism to me at Suzanne@SuzanneAWells.com

Southern Charm's Venita Aspen joins me to debrief all the drama from this season. From her friendship with Salley, to her fight with Craig, and the toll of navigating it all in the public eye.We get into her friendship with Summer House's Ciara Miller, Ciara defending her online, and where things really stand with Craig Conover after Venita publicly supported Paige DeSorbo. Plus, who's the bravoleb she went on a date with?This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.Ebay.com – things people love.Keep it classic and cozy this fall cool—with long-lasting staples from Quince. Go to Quince.com/notskinny for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.Go to shopminnow.com and enter code MEETMINNOW15 at checkout to receive 15% off your first order.Learn more at weightwatchers.comSpread some holiday cheer (and serious savings) at fromrebel.comHead to Columbia.com to get your hands on an Amaze Puff jacket - they're tough on cold, soft on you.Go to vivrelle.com and apple for a membership today using code notskinny for your first month of membership FREE - the code will also allow you to skip the Vivrelle waitlist.Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode is a little all over the place, and honestly, that feels about right. In this solo, I'm looking back on 2025 without needing to wrap it up with a neat bow. I talk through the highs, the lows, and the emotional static that lived in the background: from moments that surprised me and filled me up to the exhaustion, uncertainty, and growth that didn't always have clear answers. I reflect on watching Sonny grow into himself, learning to slow down without losing ambition. navigating decision fatigue, and what it's been like living in the in-between, especially while moving through our surrogacy journey. This episode is about giving ourselves a permission slip to soften, protect our nervous systems, and redefine what success actually looks like when peace matters more than productivity. If you are closing out the year feeling grateful and tired, hopeful and unsure, or like you're still learning as you go - I'm with you, we're in this together. This episode is brought to you by eBay, Vital Vitamins, Google Shopping, and Primal Kitchen. Shop eBay for millions of finds. Each with a story. Visit eBay.com to shop your favorite finds. eBay. Things. People. Love.Vital Vitamins is offering my listeners 20% off all orders with code WITHWHIT at myvitalvitamins.comYou have to check out Google's Try On feature. Check it out at g.co/shop/tryon. Trust me, your holiday season just got a whole lot merrier.It's easier than ever to find Primal Kitchen Pure Avocado Oil because it's now available at Walmart. You can find Primal Kitchen in Walmart stores or online at Walmart.com and PrimalKitchen.comThis episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Full episodes and much more available on Patreon.com/slopquest Comedian Ryan O’Neill and Illustrator Andrew DeWitt bring you the dumbest takes on news, movies and ridiculous business ideas every week on Slop Quest! The boys lament the loss of the American penny and speculate on how they can use the savings to pay for cool things. Ryan talks about his awesome hyper inflation is going to be because he’ll see signs at the grocery store with big numbers. This week the boys fantasize about how rich they’d be if they had invested in crypto early. They talk about having an eBay for sex tapes and nudes. The boys push legislation for disclosing whether or not your car is haunted then they start a pr firm that uses ghost sightings to bring housing prices down. Then they come up with the ultimate gender war tactic by turning all dudes gay and just hanging out with the boys.

In this episode, Aaron welcomes men's style influencer O.W. Root for a deep dive into the dramatic decline of men's dress over the past 30 years. From the universal suit-wearing era of the 1990s to today's pajama pants in public, they explore how tech culture, Silicon Valley, and the shift to digital life contributed to the rise of "slob culture." Root shares why classic menswear is fun, dignified, and accessible—even on a budget via eBay thrifts—and offers practical advice for any man wanting to dress better without looking out of place.CHAPTERS(00:00 - Introduction)(00:55 - How Men's Dress Has Changed in the Last 30 Years)(02:53 - What Caused the Slide Toward Informality?)(05:07 - The Dot-Com Era and Tech's Role in Killing the Suit)(08:24 - Digital Life vs. Real World: Why Physical Appearance Declined)(11:55 - The Great Male Renunciation and the Suit as Uniform)(16:49 - Why Politicians and Media Now Dress So Boringly)(18:20 - Classic Style Is Fun: Patterns, Colors, and Joy in Dressing)(22:52 - Practical Implications: Manners, Dignity, and Arrested Development)(30:20 - How O.W. Root Got Into Classic Menswear)(31:57 - Learning Menswear in the Internet Era (Ask Andy, Style Forum))(34:05 - How to Start Dressing Better Without Looking Like a Freak)(39:34 - eBay Thrifts, Affordable Classics, and Realistic Advice)(44:32 - Final Thoughts: Dress Better for More Enjoyment in Life)O. W. ROOT LINKS:

Mike Nett, GM of Trading Cards and Memorabilia at eBay, joins Passion to Profession to share his path from childhood collecting to running the largest trading card marketplace in the world. We talk about how his experiences at Pepsi, Amazon, and PSA shaped the way he thinks about collectors, sellers, and trust at scale. Mike pulls back the curtain on how eBay makes product decisions, why sellers are the engine of the hobby, what 2025 data revealed about collector behavior, and how small experience changes can have massive impact. This conversation is about growth, perspective, and building for collectors without losing the human side of the hobby. A special thank you to eBay for sponsoring Passion to Profession. The biggest and best marketplace to buy your next favorite trading card.Get exclusive content, promote your cards, and connect with other collectors who listen to the pod today by joining the Patreon: Join Stacking Slabs Podcast Patreon[Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this linkFollow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This is a Grave Talks CLASSIC EPISODE! Blair Murphy, an independent filmmaker, and his friends found themselves embarking on a journey into the unknown when they bought the Grand Midway Hotel in Windber, Pennsylvania, all thanks to a unique eBay listing. What they didn't realize was that the hotel came with more than just history—it brought with it ghosts. The Grand Midway Hotel, though no longer operating as a hotel, still plays host to restless spirits, including Martha, a young woman who tragically lost her life on the balcony during a 4th of July celebration. From unsolved murders and human bones discovered within the walls to the tragic tale of a child buried in the basement, the hotel's dark past has left a permanent mark. Adding an air of mystique, the hotel is home to two Guinness Book of World Records: the largest Ouija board on its rooftop and the world's largest Tarot card on its ceiling. Join us as we explore the terrifying and strange stories of the Grand Midway Hotel, uncovering the secrets and spirits that still linger within its walls. This is Part Two of our conversation. If you'd like more information on the hotel, check out their website at grandmidwayhotel.com. #GrandMidwayHotel #HauntedHotel #ParanormalHistory #TrueParanormal #GhostStories #HauntedPennsylvania #TheGraveTalks #RealHauntings #UnsolvedMysteries Love real ghost stories? Don't just listen—join us on YouTube and be part of the largest community of real paranormal encounters anywhere. Subscribe now and never miss a chilling new story:

A Note from James:One of my favorite conversations on this show was with Peter Thiel. Yes—PayPal, Facebook, Palantir, and a dozen other hits. I first ran this episode years ago, and the advice still holds up. The same stories, the same frameworks—and the same challenge to think from first principles. Here's Peter Thiel, one of the most influential entrepreneurs of our time. Episode Description:In this redux, James pressure-tests the core ideas from Peter Thiel's Zero to One—why competition is for losers, how real monopolies are built, and why starting “narrow” is often the only path to something huge. They cover Facebook's early moat (real identity), PayPal's network-effect wedge on eBay, and the “10x or nothing” bar for proprietary technology. Peter shares a contrarian read on bubbles, why biotech's slump may be opportunity, and how to hire, divide roles, and keep teams from fighting. The through-line: seek secrets, combine disciplines, and make something so different that it becomes its own category. What You'll Learn:How to pick markets the Zero to One way: start with a “small, winnable monopoly,” then expand in concentric circles. The four classic moats—and which to favor first: proprietary tech, network effects, economies of scale, and brand (with a bias toward real tech). A practical rule for virality vs. network effects: growth is a tactic; enduring value comes from the network that forms once users arrive. Team design that prevents internal warfare: make roles uniquely owned; if two people own the same thing, you're paying for a fight. How to hunt “secrets”: believe they exist, look where consensus is stale, and borrow from adjacent fields to see what specialists miss. Timestamped Chapters:[02:00] A Note from James — Why this conversation still ranks among the best. [03:00] Zero to One, in one line — “Do something new, different, fresh, strange.” [05:17] Competition vs. Capitalism — Why perfect competition kills profits; aim for uniqueness. [07:28] Facebook's original edge — Real identity as the breakthrough vs. MySpace's alt-persona culture. [09:14] Bits vs. Atoms — Stagnation outside software and how biology could become an information science. [12:05] Personality and perseverance — Why mild contrarian wiring helps founders ignore status games. [15:21] “10x or nothing” — The technology and/or experience must be an order of magnitude better. [17:00] Monopoly thinking, ethically done — Create abundance by creating something truly new. [23:30] The PayPal pre-history — Why long-running trust among teammates births more companies. [30:10] Early Facebook investment logic — College-only looked “small,” which was exactly the point. [32:03] Turning down $1B — The boardroom debate, optionality, and founder conviction. [36:23] Moats in practice — Picking the right advantage (and why brand alone is shaky). [37:06] Network effects ≠ virality — How value compounds after growth. [39:54] PayPal's wedge — eBay power-sellers and the $10 incentive as a growth accelerant. [41:22] Beware the “Chinese refrigerator” TAM slide — Start small, win big. [42:01] Uber vs. Airbnb — Investor bias and why some models get over- or undervalued. [44:18] Bubbles and the public — What changes across tech, housing, and today's “government bubble.” [48:00] War on cash & credit — Why Peter favors unlevered, opaque innovation over fixed income. [51:10] Biotech headwinds (and upside) — Regulation, Eroom's Law, and why sentiment can misprice breakthroughs. [53:50] Secrets — If you assume they exist, you'll be the one to find them. [57:56] Interdisciplinary bets — CS × biology; CS × transportation; why university silos miss the action. [59:51] Silicon Valley on HBO — The “Peter Gregory” caricature and what the show gets right. Additional Resources:Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future (book) — Amazon hardcover. AmazonFounders Fund — Peter Thiel profile (bio & portfolio highlights). Founders Fund“PayPal Mafia” overview (alumni companies: YouTube, Yelp, LinkedIn, Tesla, SpaceX, Palantir, Yammer). WikipediaYahoo's 2006 $1B offer for Facebook (background reporting). Business InsiderEroom's Law (pharma R&D productivity; Nature Reviews Drug Discovery). NatureSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is a Grave Talks CLASSIC EPISODE! Blair Murphy, an independent filmmaker, and his friends found themselves embarking on a journey into the unknown when they bought the Grand Midway Hotel in Windber, Pennsylvania, all thanks to a unique eBay listing. What they didn't realize was that the hotel came with more than just history—it brought with it ghosts. The Grand Midway Hotel, though no longer operating as a hotel, still plays host to restless spirits, including Martha, a young woman who tragically lost her life on the balcony during a 4th of July celebration. From unsolved murders and human bones discovered within the walls to the tragic tale of a child buried in the basement, the hotel's dark past has left a permanent mark. Adding an air of mystique, the hotel is home to two Guinness Book of World Records: the largest Ouija board on its rooftop and the world's largest Tarot card on its ceiling. Join us as we explore the terrifying and strange stories of the Grand Midway Hotel, uncovering the secrets and spirits that still linger within its walls. If you'd like more information on the hotel, check out their website at grandmidwayhotel.com. #GrandMidwayHotel #HauntedHotel #ParanormalHistory #TrueParanormal #GhostStories #HauntedPennsylvania #TheGraveTalks #RealHauntings #UnsolvedMysteries Love real ghost stories? Don't just listen—join us on YouTube and be part of the largest community of real paranormal encounters anywhere. Subscribe now and never miss a chilling new story:

In this episode, Who What Wear Editor in Chief Kat Collings sits down with Kristen Nichols, WWW's associate director of special projects, to discuss her annual Luxury Report—a comprehensive analysis of the trends, It items, and runway moments that defined this year in luxury fashion. They recap the highly anticipated creative-director debuts we saw at major houses, including Michael Rider's first show with Celine, and they discuss which celebrity partnerships drove luxury sales all year long. Plus, Nichols shares her predictions for the trends we'll see in 2026 as new designers take on big roles at major fashion houses.  Read the Luxury Report here! Shop our editors' eBay picks here!