Great Business Stories

ByMatt Walsh

Great Business Stories (gbspod.com) is essential listening for anyone serious about strategy. The podcast (available across the podcast realm) tells the true stories behind the brands, companies, and leaders that shaped the global business world, and does it with rigour and genuine entertainment value. Where most business content trades in myth or dry case studies, this series pulls on the real threads of complex commercial histories.  It is very well researched and told in an engaging way.

Several episodes stand out:

  • Ray Kroc: Hero or Villain? Uncovering the Truth Behind McDonald’s The real story of McDonald’s expansion, and it’s more complicated and nuanced than the movie The Founder.
  • PayPal: The Greatest Startup Story of All Time The intense, fractious beginnings of a fintech giant, and in little scary insight into the early days of Elon Musk.
  • Harley-Davidson: The Rise and Fall of a Great American Brand From near-bankruptcy and Japanese competition to cultural icon, the story of how Harley survived by abandoning the commodity game entirely and betting the company on a lifestyle brand and premium strategy.
  • Michael Dell, My Favourite Businessperson A profile of a leader whose impact on the tech industry is often underestimated.
  • Barbarians at the Gate: Is This The Best Business Story Ever Told? One of the most famous leveraged buyouts in history, unpacked with clarity and all the drama.
  • Ingvar Kamprad of IKEA: Frugal, Focused, Flawed and Fascinating A founder whose contradictions made him one of the most instructive business lives ever lived.  A masterclass in paying deep attention to your customers, and the roles that chance and overcoming obstacles play in strategy formulation.

Each episode captures the human element of business while grounding it in market dynamics and strategic insight. What sets it apart is how host Caemin consistently surfaces the role of chance, and how it was met, in every success and failure. A perfect fit if you learn best through story.


© 2025 Matt Walsh. All rights reserved.