Advertise on podcast: How Success Happens

Nate Bargatze has never cursed on stage, never gone political, and never changed his last name (even when someone told him he should). While his comedy friends were chasing edgy crowds and late-night buzz, Nate just kept doing his thing. Twenty years and every bad room in America later, he's selling out arenas. On this episode of How Success Happens, Nate breaks down what it actually takes to build something that lasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want to make a name for yourself in hair care? Step one, obviously, is to study electrical engineering, fail your second year, and start busking on the streets of London. At least that’s how it worked for Akash Mehta, co-founder and CEO of Fable & Mane, who turned his grandmother’s Sunday-night hair-oiling rituals (and the bedtime stories that came with them) into a brand that landed a day-one Sephora exclusive before he and his sister had even made a sample. Akash tells Dan Bova about cold-messaging a Sephora buyer on LinkedIn, why he puts his eight-year-old self in charge of his “virtual boardroom,” and how the Fable Fund has already put nearly a million dollars toward wildlife conservation. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 01:53 – What Ayurveda actually means 04:53 – Turning a “stinky” childhood ritual into beautiful packaging 05:54 – From electrical engineering to beauty 09:30 – Chasing happiness: Estée Lauder and Dior 10:38 – Grandma’s stories and the name Fable & Mane 12:47 – Cold-messaging Sephora on LinkedIn 16:30 – The “test people three times” rule 17:46 – Launching the Fable Fund 21:21 – Putting your inner child on the boardroom 23:17 – How the fund works and the Fable 100 list 26:24 – Speed round 29:41 – Wrap-up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forrest Galante has eaten rat, hippo, and squid so old it should've filed a complaint. None of it gave him any trouble. Crocodile-infested water did. On this episode, the wildlife filmmaker takes Dan Bova through what it actually takes to get a film crew to the middle of nowhere, trailers, canoes, borrowed boats, and an itinerary that's fiction by hour two. Despite the chaos and the long days, Forrest explains why his core crew has stuck with him since he was 27. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin McCarthy is the CEO of Unreal Candy, which makes him the most popular house on the block every Halloween (and, according to his neighbors, the other 364 days too). Kevin joined Unreal fresh out of college, when the company had just three employees and had relaunched in a humble 38 stores. Today it’s the largest better-for-you chocolate brand in America, sold in 35,000 stores.Dan, meanwhile, eats roughly 20 pieces of candy in the name of journalism. Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:42 Meet Unreal Candy CEO Kevin McCarthy 1:39 What’s “unreal” about Unreal Candy 3:02 The origin story: confiscated Halloween candy 4:37 Scaling too fast: from 34,000 stores to 38 5:43 Joining at 22 with no food background 6:57 Why shoppers started reading the label 8:05 Why taste comes first 9:33 The unlimited chocolate perk 11:42 Inside a chocolate debate: the peanut butter drops 12:56 What landing Costco means for a brand 13:51 Advice for entrepreneurs cooking in their kitchens 14:54 Packaging that makes your mouth water 16:41 Why chocolate makes people so happy 17:39 Keeping millions of bars consistent 19:13 Pulling an all-nighter to fix a production line 20:54 How to stay level-headed as a leader 22:04 Is Halloween the candy Super Bowl? 23:21 Halloween at the candy CEO’s house 24:09 Spotting Unreal in the wild 24:54 Blind rankings: the most divisive candy 27:10 Wrap-up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guy Fieri crashes Bert Kreischer's interview and immediately starts asking the questions that would get any normal person fired. But that’s okay, anything for the fans! Turns out even a man like Bert who fills arenas still says the wrong thing, and occasionally embarrasses himself in front of his heroes. In fact, he'll tell you that sometimes the wildest, most awkward celebrity encounter makes for the best story you'll ever tell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our  Dan Bova spent last summer at Mattel’s design lab, and all he got was a gorgeous art book he wrote: Hot Wheels: The Creative Drive. (And maybe a few cars in his pockets.) Ted Wu, Mattel’s vehicles boss, joins Dan to explain why Hot Wheels all face right, which toy is worth a million bucks, and how he got his own Porsche made into a Hot Wheels. Buy Dan’s book. Buy two, actually. Ted’s orders Chapters 0:00 Ted admits to an abuse of power 0:44 Dan’s Hot Wheels book and his trip to Mattel HQ 2:36 Ted’s 23 years at Mattel 4:20 The most passionate fans in toys 5:49 The custom Camaro at the heart of Dan’s book 7:12 Why do all Hot Wheels face right? 8:49 The Donut Drifter and designer Easter eggs 10:15 The designer who put his real phone number on a toy 11:47 Design vs. marketing 15:30 What makes a Lamborghini a Hot Wheels Lamborghini 17:45 Why track sets aren’t supposed to work perfectly 20:49 Selling to kids and adult collectors 23:03 Ted’s favorite Hot Wheels (spoiler: it’s his own car) 24:29 The employee-only car Dan would like mailed to him 26:37 Thomas the Tank Engine and the million-dollar Pink Beach Bomb 30:13 How to keep up with Hot Wheels 32:47 One last book plug and why you should always buy two Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Hardin didn’t wake up planning to commit a crime. In this story, the ex–insider trader and future FBI informant walks through the day he was handed insider information, expected to make money fast, and trapped inside what investigators call the ‘fraud triangle.’ He reveals how pressure, opportunity, and rationalization all collided—and why it felt normal in the moment. This is the part of white-collar crime most people never see. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bruce Campbell’s advice for aspiring indie filmmakers is refreshingly simple. Writing is the cheap part, so quit complaining and get to it. Tired of watching the same five guys land the roles he wanted, the Evil Dead legend wrote one for himself. The result is Ernie & Emma, a sweet, funny film with zero chainsaws that might just make you cry five times.  Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:38 Ernie & Emma is the real Bruce Campbell 2:51 What it’s like when your wife is your boss 3:16 What going fully independent unlocks 5:36 Why Campbell wouldn’t star in this as a studio movie 7:42 How fans typecast him more than Hollywood does 8:41 Writing is the cheapest part of filmmaking 10:27 Self-funding and avoiding the low-budget look 11:21 How a camera deal with Sony came together 12:33 Skipping the gray-and-green Fincher look 14:04 Taking the film on tour with Alamo Drafthouse 16:01 Why he’s skipping traditional distribution 17:36 The fan who cried five times 19:31 Are movies worse today? 21:05 Weaning himself off studio habits 22:11 How to protect your original vision 23:55 Advice for aspiring filmmakers 26:21 Bruce rates other jobs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did Lucy Guo become the world's youngest self-made female billionaire? The tech founder breaks down her 5:45 AM routine, double Barry's workouts, and the investor pitch strategy that raised a massive Series A. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Max Amini is a very funny guy. He's sold out Madison Square Garden and is one of the most-viewed comedians on social media. But when he started out in stand-up, no agent or manager wanted to sign him, so he built his own touring machine from scratch. In this episode, he tells Dan how he thinks about comedy, and how he built the team that takes him around the world and sells out theaters. Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:03 Max's childhood and his dad's funny bone 2:45 Choosing UCLA over auditioning in New York 4:19 His first time doing stand-up 6:05 Why comedy is never about the money 7:26 Finding his comedic voice 8:59 Authenticity vs. relatability 12:14 Chasing a record at the Dolby Theatre 13:46 Max's pre-show routine 16:54 The Michael Jordan flu game mindset 17:50 Building Abstraction Media from scratch 22:11 Why you should hire someone better than you 25:38 Risk, fear, and the no-Novocaine root canal 28:16 Where to follow Max 29:30 Blind ranking jobs 34:05 Wrap-up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Got a pressing business problem you'd love to hash out with your peers? Looking to meet and network with other founders? Does spending the afternoon with Gary Vaynerchuk, Megan Thee Stallion, and Robert Irvine sound like a good time? Then sign up for Entrepreneur's latest event, Overcoming Impossible! Live in New York on October 23, this event will help you solve your impossible problem and make new connections along the way. Sign up at https://entm.ag/levelup2026 and use code SUCCESS at checkout to get 30% off. (00:00) An emergency snack: introducing Overcoming Impossible (00:55) Jason Feifer joins for a Marvel-style crossover (01:45) Why this isn't a typical business event 02:55) How the day works: VIP workshop, lunch, and an afternoon of stars (04:55) The Gary Vee you don't see on stage (06:55) Gary's marketing advice: don't niche down too hard (08:55) Megan Thee Stallion on ownership and being understood, not just seen (11:05) Event details: October 23 at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge (12:10) How to save 30% with code SUCCESS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest needs no introduction, but we're going to give him one anyway. Maury Povich, the legendary host of Maury and now host of the podcast On Par with Maury Povich, sits down with Dan to talk about how he got that unmistakable voice (spoiler: it's not vocal lessons), what Jerry Springer really thought of his show, and why he never wanted to know who the father was until you did.  Chapters: 0:00 Jerry Springer's greatest compliment 0:27 Welcome to the one-name club 1:36 Are Poviches built to never stop? 2:29 Starting at 16 and a case of "big shot-itis" 4:06 Four cities, four St. Patrick's Days 5:48 Connie Chung and the leap to A Current Affair 6:41 Whiskey, cigarettes and that voice 9:20 The daytime talk wars, from Donahue to Ricki Lake 11:25 The first paternity test 12:40 Storytelling and curiosity 15:03 The man who was kidnapped three times 16:45 "My show is wrestling" 17:59 The talent who went on sales calls 20:18 MoPo Productions and an Oscar 23:04 Don't get pegged 24:24 Staying sharp at 87 26:02 Geraldo and Al Capone's vault 26:46 The How Success Happens speed test 30:13 Wrap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Gurley doesn’t just invest in unicorns—he helps create them. In this clip, legendary Silicon Valley VC Bill Gurley shares candid advice with college students on how to think about careers, risk, and opportunity long before you launch your own startup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeneva Rose is back on the show, and this time she brought horror. Her new collection, Sometimes I Scare Myself, trades the believability rules of thrillers for haunted houses, curses and the scariest question of all: who do you become when things go wrong? Jeneva talks about writing it just nine weeks postpartum, running her author career like a 9-to-5, and how social media helped authors break a publishing rule. Dan, meanwhile, promises her parenting gets easier (it doesn't) and discovers in real time that his research on her movie deal is a few years out of date. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan hits the road and takes listeners on a trip to NYC's premier recording space, Embassy Studios, to sit down with the CEO and owner,Frank Babar, an absolute legend in the music recording business. Frank shares the big swings and microscopic details that have powered his success. From trusting your instincts and adapting when the path takes a sharp turn, to treating people well and protecting the value of every asset. He and Dan dig into how to spot opportunity before everyone else does and why artists (and entrepreneurs) need to build real income-producing work instead of just chasing marketing hype. It’s a fast-moving master class in hustle, strategy, and turning creative passion into lasting value. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices