EPISODE 21
"King of the Hill"- Burton Snowboards
Jake Burton Carpenter left his job in finance to pioneer a sport that was virtually unknown: snowboarding. Despite little training in design or construction, he built his first snowboards inside a Vermont barn. A decade later, Burton would be selling his iconic boards in 33 countries, the dominant player in a fast-growing industry.
"Mix Master"—Blendtec
Tom Dickson, a self-proclaimed poor student, went on to invent several successful kitchen machines including the Total Blender-- his best-selling product that pulverizes anything from glowsticks to iPads in the smash hit YouTube series, "Will it Blend?" Now, his multi-million dollar company, Blendtec, also boasts hundreds of millions of internet views.
"Millions in the Making?"- Zane's Cycles
Chris Zane starting repairing bikes when he was 12. By age 16, he owned and managed his own bike store in Connecticut. Today, he has embraced a "customer for life" philosophy that has helped to make him one of the largest distributors of bicycles in North America—and growing.