From Scratch with Jessica Harris
211 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 89 ratingsA Show about the Entrepreneurial Life
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Episodes
Jules Kroll
April 09, 2014 22:00Jules is the founder of Kroll, the leading risk consulting firm. Jules is considered one of the pioneers of the modern day corporate investigative and security industry, investigating individuals, governments and corporations. Kroll’s work includes restructuring Enron after its bankruptcy and uncovering Ferdinand Marcos’ secret wealth in the mid 1980s. Jessica Harris speaks with Jules […]
Jake Burton
April 09, 2014 22:00Some entrepreneurs start companies, but others pioneer whole industries. Jake Burton, founder of Burton Snowboards, both built an international snowboard company and helped to turn snowboarding from an underground activity to a more widely acceptable sport. He convinced ski resorts one by one to allow snowboarders on the mountains, and, with his help, snowboarding became […]
Raegan Moya-Jones
April 09, 2014 22:00The ancient practice of swaddling, or wrapping a baby in a tight blanket, proves to have benefits for a baby’s health and development. Growing up in Australia, Raegan Moya-Jones was exposed to mothers swaddling their babies with muslin, a type of cotton. Years later, after a move to the United States and the birth of […]
David Dodson
April 09, 2014 22:00Vitamin consumption is often taken for granted in prosperous nations. In contrast, populations in developed countries often do not have access to essential vitamins or minerals. Especially pregnant women in developing countries run the risk of denying their fetuses proper nutrition because basic foods are not fortified with micronutrients like folic acid, iron, iodine, and […]
Bob Silvers
April 09, 2014 22:00During the New York newspaper strike of 1963, people missed reading the New York Times Book Review. A literary group of friends—including New York Review of Books founding editors Bob Silvers and Barbara Epstein—decided to start a book review of their own. With essays on politics, science, art, and books, the New York Review of […]
Bob Moore
April 09, 2014 22:00Bob Moore founded Bob’s Red Mill in 1978 after an earlier career in the auto mechanics business. The company produces all natural whole-grain products that are prepared in the age-old tradition of quartz stone grinding. Based in Portland Oregon, Bob’s Red Mill provides roughly 400 natural grain products to natural food stores across the United […]
Danny Meyer
April 09, 2014 22:00A successful restaurant is more than a dining establishment; it is a form of entertainment. Danny Meyer, with his emphasis on hospitality, has become one of New York’s most successful restaurateurs. His restaurants include the Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, and The Modern, at the Museum of Modern Art. Jessica Harris speaks […]
Chuck Close
April 09, 2014 22:00When we see a painting hanging on the hallowed walls of a museum, we get a sense of an artist’s technique and imagination, but we don’t get a sense of the process and hurdles that artist faced on the way to critical acclaim. What goes on behind the scenes, or behind the canvas? How does […]
Khalil Nasrallah
April 09, 2014 22:00Growing up in the middle of a civil war in Lebanon, Khalil Nasrallah and his family made their way to Egypt where they founded a leading natural foods company in the middle of the desert. Their company, Wadi Foods, pioneered the production of high quality, healthy food products in the Middle East. Khalil speaks with […]
Ina Garten
April 05, 2014 20:00Photo: Quentin Bacon Ina Garten is a cookbook author and the star of Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics, which airs on the Food Network. She is also the cofounder of a line of baking mixes, called Barefoot Contessa Pantry, which is sold in specialty food stores throughout North America. Ina speaks to Jessica Harris about […]
Michael and Rick Mast
December 26, 2013 17:00Artisanal chocolate has experienced a revolution, especially in the United States; but only a handful of producers actually go through the entire process of producing chocolate from the bean. Michael and Rick Mast were the first culinary craft men in New York City to make the “bean to bar” unchartered chocolate journey. The two brothers […]
David Carmel
December 13, 2013 17:00During his senior year in college, David discovered that building literacy skills in a child’s early years was vitally influential to their future success. Seeking a way to address this, he co-founded Jumpstart, a non-profit organization that pairs college students and community volunteers with pre-schoolers from low-income households. Throughout the one-year program, children are provided […]
Leah Busque
December 05, 2013 22:00 - 32 minutes - 28.1 MBTaskRabbit is an online service that allows users to outsource small tasks to individuals known as TaskRabbits. These TaskRabbits are freelance workers who have been background checked, and they perform small jobs ranging from grocery shopping to furniture assembly. Leah started the company in 2008, and the service is available in leading cities including Boston, […]
Craig Weiss
November 20, 2013 22:00 - 32 minutes - 28.7 MBNJOY is an electronic cigarette company that produces the flagship product NJOY King. E-cigarettes are non combustion cigarettes that contain nicotine and strive to have the look and feel and plume of a traditional cigarette. Craig’s brother Mark discovered ecigarettes in China, and the family started the company in 2006. Craig is a patent lawyer […]
Alex Counts
November 20, 2013 17:00Microfinance lending, the practice of making small loans to individuals who would otherwise not qualify for traditional loans, has been a proven method of nurturing entrepreneurship in developing countries. As a college student, Alex read about the work of Noble Prize winning Dr. Muhammad Yunus and his efforts in microfinance. Eager to contribute, he moved […]
Stephen McDonnell
October 16, 2013 17:00Jessica meets Stephen McDonnell, the founder of Applegate Farms. Applegate is a natural meat company that has been a leader in the natural meat movement since the mid 1980s. Applegate supports over 200 family farms, dedicated to the humane treatment of animals, and the company’s meat is sold in delis and markets such as Whole […]
Andy Levine
September 12, 2013 17:00Andy Levine connects music bands to their fans in an unlikely venue: at sea. Since 2001 Andy has been creating and marketing musical experiences for music fans, working with artists like John Mayer, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Barenaked Ladies, among others. Andy speaks to Jessica Harris about the many hats he has worn in the music […]
Peter Thiel
August 30, 2013 17:00The ability to buy and sell products online was one of the internet’s key innovations, but how do you convince people who are not used to e-commerce to trust that their money is arriving into the right hands? There were several companies in the late 1990s working to make online buying and selling easy and […]
Brij Kothari
August 23, 2013 17:00Imagine if every citizen in the United States didn’t know how to read. That’s 300MM people. That’s about the number of illiterate citizens in India, a nation of over a billion people. Jessica Harris speaks with Brij Kothari, a social entrepreneur who is tackling India’s literacy problem through Bollywood films. His organization, Planet Read, offers […]
Gerald Chertavian
April 23, 2013 22:00 - 32 minutes - 28.8 MBYear Up provides a one year intensive job training and internship program to young urban adults, 18-24 years old. Year Up enrolls close to 2,000 students per year, and roughly 400 organizations have hired Year Up students as interns or permanent employees. Prior to launching Year Up in 2000, Gerald was an internet entrepreneur. Gerald […]
Kevin Ryan
April 18, 2013 22:00 - 32 minutes - 26.1 MBKevin is an internet entrepreneur who has led innovation in the online advertising and e-commerce space since the late 1990s. Kevin was the CEO of DoubleClick, the advertising serving company that was eventually sold to Google for $3.5 Billion. Kevin has since founded a number of internet companies including Gilt Groupe, a luxury e-commerce community, 10Gen, […]
Connie Duckworth
March 22, 2013 17:00Connie Duckworth is the founder and President of Arzu, an organization that promotes economic independence among women in Afghanistan through the sale of rugs. Arzu sources rugs from weavers in Afghanistan, sells them in the United States, and compensates these women at above market rates. Connie is also the author of The Old Girls’ Network, […]
Maurice Kanbar
March 01, 2013 17:00Maurice’s creations include the D-Fuzz-It sweater comb, which removes lint from sweaters, the Safety Glide Hypodermic Needle Protector, a LED traffic Light, and SKYY Vodka, which was sold to Campari International for over $400 Million. Maurice founded the QUAD Cinemas in New York City in 1972, the first multiplex theater on the East Coast. Maurice […]
Dr. Eboo Patel
December 20, 2012 22:00 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MBInterfaith Youth Core is an organization that promotes service and religious pluralism among youth on college campuses. Eboo is a member of President Obama’s advisory council for the White House Office for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. He is the author of Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul […]
Albert Maysles
December 14, 2012 23:00Albert cofounded Maysles Films with his brother David in the 1960s. Together they pioneered the documentary film genre cinema verite, which captures reality spontaneously as it unfolds in front of the camera. Albert has made more than three dozen films featuring the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Truman Capote. Other films include Salesman and Grey Gardens, […]
Paul Farmer
November 22, 2012 22:00 - 32 minutes - 29.2 MBPaul has been committed to disease and poverty reduction since his early twenties. Partners in Health, started in Haiti in the 1980s, provides health care to the world’s poorest communities. Paul launched the organization while he was a student at Harvard Medical School. Jessica Harris speaks with Paul about how he has helped to reshape […]
Travis Kalanick
October 10, 2012 17:00Uber is a re-imagined car service that consumers access via apps on their smart phones or SMS. Travis started Uber in 2010 in San Francisco, and the service is now available in cities ranging from New York City to Washington DC and Paris, among others. Travis speaks with Jessica Harris about his former internet startups, […]
Barry Silbert
June 29, 2012 22:00 - 32 minutes - 26.5 MBSecondMarket is a private market place for buying and selling alternative assets including private company stock, bankruptcy claims, and restricted public stock. If you are an investor in a startup or an employee who wants to sell your company’s stock before the IPO, SecondMarket facilities this transaction. Companies trading on the SecondMarket exchange have included […]
Stephen Hannock
May 23, 2012 17:00Stephen Hannock is a contemporary painter whose works hang in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, The National Gallery in Washington DC and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, among others. He is known mostly for his landscape paintings, and his collectors include the singer Sting and Tom Brokaw. Fortune Magazine […]
Yvon Chouinard
April 29, 2012 22:00Yvon is one of the leading pioneers in the climbing and outdoor apparel field. Since his teens, Yvon has been an avid climber and adventure seeker. He innovated rock and ice climbing equipment, which he sold through his first company Chouinard Equipment (now Black Diamond). Yvon later started Patagonia, and the company has been a […]
Steven Alan
February 26, 2012 03:58Steven Alan is the owner of his eponymous line of clothing stores, Steven Alan, located in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. In addition to creating his own clothes, Steven is a curator and supporter of other independent clothing designers. Steven launched Steven Alan after working for his family’s jewelry business and managing a […]
Sarabeth Levine
December 23, 2011 22:00 - 32 minutes - 25.9 MBPastry chef and restaurateur Sarabeth Levine started her business by first selling marmalade, a family recipe, in a small cafe on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Prior to life in the culinary world, Sarabeth was a substitute teacher, a dental assistant, and sold health insurance. Sarabeth speaks to Jessica Harris about how she pioneered […]
Ron Gonen
December 10, 2011 17:00Most people recycle due to a sense of moral obligation towards the environment. Ron Gonen also saw a business opportunity. RecycleBank partners with municipalities and encourages households to recycle by rewarding them with points and gift cards that can be used at stores. RecycleBank is able to reduce the amount of waste being sent to […]
Tim Westergren
December 02, 2011 22:00 - 32 minutes - 26.8 MBTim Westergren, a former jazz musician and film composer, founded the online radio station Pandora in 2000. Tim brought together a team of musicologists to analyze and classify hundreds of thousands of songs based on some 400 attributes. This project, called the Music Genome Project, is the backbone of Pandora. Pandora works like this: a […]
Mike Lazerow
November 26, 2011 23:00Mike Lazerow co-founded Buddy Media with his wife Kass in 2007. Buddy Media helps corporations connect with their customers using social media. Clients like IBM, Ford, Pepsi and Jet Blue use Buddy Media’s software to engage consumers through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms. Mike is a serial entrepreneur who formerly launched Golf.com (bought by […]
Richard Saul Wurman
November 18, 2011 17:00Richard is the founder of the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Conference, TEDMED, and 19.20.21. He is also an architect and the author of over 80 books ranging from health care to travel. Throughout his career Richard has strived to make information easier to understand. Jessica Harris speaks with Richard about his wide array of […]
Simon Pearce
October 30, 2011 17:00Jessica meets Simon Pearce, a glass blower, potter, and the founder of Simon Pearce, Inc. Simon started blowing glass in Ireland in the 1960s, and he moved the company to Quechee, Vermont in the early 1980s. His products are known around the world for their high quality and practical design. Jessica Harris speaks to Simon […]
Sam Farber
October 08, 2011 17:00Jessica speaks with Sam Farber, founder of the leading kitchenware company OXO. OXO’s universal designs are appropriate for users of all ages, whether you’re 75 years old with arthritis, or a five year old who hasn’t yet mastered apple peeling. OXO’s Good Grips line has won worldwide acclaim, and has been selected for the permanent […]
Reid Hoffman
September 24, 2011 17:00LinkedIn is an online network of professionals, founded by Reid Hoffman. LinkedIn helps people find and post jobs, reference check candidates, and create new trusted contacts. Jessica Harris speaks with Reid about how he has helped to connect professionals online, and from scratch.
Bikram Choudhury
September 19, 2011 17:00Bikram Choudhury is the founder of Bikram Yoga, a series of 26 yoga postures practiced in a room that’s roughly 100 degrees. Bikram started practicing yoga in India when he was four years old, and there are now over 2000 Bikram Yoga centers across the globe, including in South Africa, China, England and the United […]
Bill Whyte
September 09, 2011 22:00 - 32 minutes - 24.3 MBPrior to founding Badger, Bill Whyte was a carpenter who wanted to find a remedy for his dry, cracked hands. While tinkering with different botanical and natural ingredients like olive oil and beeswax, he discovered that he had a knack for creating natural solutions to common skin conditions. Bill and his family started Badger in […]
Kelly Flatley & Brendan Synnott
August 07, 2011 22:00 - 32 minutes - 25.5 MBThere are more and more students graduating from college looking to become entrepreneurs. But where do they start? What kind of business should it be? Where will they get the funding without a track record? Jessica speaks with two pioneers who launched their natural food company when they were recent college grads. Kelly and Brendan […]
Erin and Phillip Stead
July 31, 2011 12:00 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MB(Photo Courtesy of Nicole Haley Photography.) Phil and Erin Stead are husband and wife, and author and illustrator of A Sick Day for Amos McGee, an award winning children’s book. A Sick Day for Amos McGee received the Caldecott Medal in 2011 and was listed as one of the 10 Best Illustrated Childrens’ Books of […]
Charlie Clifford
July 18, 2011 17:00Jessica Harris speaks with the founder of TUMI, Charlie Clifford. TUMI is a leading travel accessories company that has been making high-end, durable travel bags since 1975. The company has over 50 retail stores worldwide, with locations in Tokyo, London, NY, Paris and Chicago.
Mia Bauer
July 09, 2011 23:00Cupcakes have been a staple of American culture for generations, but lately they’ve experienced a “gourmet renaissance.” They are over sized, stuffed with just about anything you can imagine, and are priced to match. Mia Bauer left her career as an attorney and started a bakery in Manhattan that made gourmet cupcakes. A few years […]
Pat Helding
June 30, 2011 17:00Pat Helding left her Wall Street job to start her brownie bakery in 1991, my pretty… Fat Witch is a mail order company with a retail shop in Manhattan’s Chelsea Market. The logo, packaging, and yummy treats make Fat Witch a favorite destination among tourists and locals. Pat tells Jessica the story behind Fat Witch, […]
Nancy Lublin
May 30, 2011 22:00 - 32 minutes - 22.7 MBWhen you’re preparing for a job interview, you want to put your best foot forward. But sometimes there’s a catch 22 when it comes to what to wear: How do you afford a suit if you don’t have a job, and how do you get the job if you’re not wearing professional clothes? Jessica speaks […]
Greg Mortenson
May 18, 2011 23:00 - 32 minutes - 25.3 MBGrowing up in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Greg Mortenson was raised by a family of humanitarians. After his sister died from a struggle with epilepsy, he decided to climb K2 in her memory. While descending K2 after a failed attempt at the summit, Greg accidentally stumbled into Korphe, a remote Pakistani village. […]
Jennifer Morrill
April 30, 2011 23:00Baby bottles come in various shapes that aren’t necessarily “baby friendly.” But there is one company, Adiri, that makes a bottle that most closely simulates a mother’s breast and makes feeding easier for parents and baby. Jessica Harris speaks with Adiri CEO Jennifer Morrill, as we learn the inspiring story behind this innovative baby-feeding company, […]
Jim Koch
April 06, 2011 23:00When one thinks of beer, the images of scantily clad women or football games typically come to mind. But in the last few years, beer has undergone an artisanal revolution in the United States. Who are these craft beer pioneers providing new flavors and images to the beer category? Jessica’s guest is one such brewer, […]