From College Dropout to Running Polo, Nike, Weight Watchers, and HSN | Mindy Grossman
NOV 21, 202483 MIN
From College Dropout to Running Polo, Nike, Weight Watchers, and HSN | Mindy Grossman
NOV 21, 202483 MIN
Description
<p>In today’s episode of <em>Big Shot</em>, we’re joined by Mindy Grossman, former CEO of Weight Watchers, who led the company’s transformation into a global wellness brand. Like many of our past guests, Mindy’s journey involves perseverance, bold decisions, and calculated risk-taking.</p>
<p>Mindy’s remarkable career began with a surprising choice—dropping out of college. She then worked up to executive roles at Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike, the Home Shopping Network, and Weight Watchers. In our conversation today, we cover: </p>
<ul>
<li>Why Mindy dropped out of college and the value of risk-taking </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Mindy’s impact on Nike as the most senior woman executive</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The importance of rooting out toxic employees in your organization</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>How Mindy revived the culture and inspired employees at HSN</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Taking Home Shopping Network public </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Meeting Oprah, their arena tour, and keeping Weight Watchers alive during the pandemic</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Mindy’s sales philosophy, move to private equity, thoughts on family and the Jewish success story, and much more!</li>
</ul>
<p>—</p>
<p><strong>In This Episode We Cover:</strong></p>
<p>(00:00) Intro</p>
<p>(02:33) Mindy’s early years as an adopted child of working-class Jewish parents</p>
<p>(06:00) Why Mindy quit school and moved to New York </p>
<p>(09:00) Mindy’s first job as an Executive Assistant </p>
<p>(11:40) Mindy’s mantra, “passion, purpose, and impact”</p>
<p>(12:42) How Mindy landed her first sales role</p>
<p>(15:06) Bashert vs. self-determination</p>
<p>(15:44) The importance of calculated risk-taking</p>
<p>(17:26) Why Mindy left Tommy Hilfiger for Ralph Lauren</p>
<p>(20:40) The success of Mindy’s new category, main floor</p>
<p>(24:00) Why Mindy resigned from Ralph Lauren</p>
<p>(25:10) How Ralph Lauren retained Mindy by creating a new role for her</p>
<p>(26:50) Mindy’s time as CEO of Polo Jeans </p>
<p>(28:44) “Intrapreneurship” and the excitement of working with visionaries</p>
<p>(31:30) Founders and boards Mindy works with </p>
<p>(32:40) Mindy’s time at Nike and why she left Polo Jeans</p>
<p>(37:05) Mindy’s pitch to Barry Diller and her position at Home Shopping Network</p>
<p>(45:31) Reviving the culture at HSN</p>
<p>(50:10) The huge impact Mindy made on employee morale by buying new chairs</p>
<p>(52:18) The “There’s no place like HSN” campaign </p>
<p>(54:40) The magic moment that affects human behavior to get a sale </p>
<p>(57:11) Taking HSN public</p>
<p>(1:04:39) Meeting Oprah and joining Weight Watchers</p>
<p>(1:08:19) Mindy and Oprah’s arena tour </p>
<p>(1:09:10) How Mindy kept Weight Watchers customers connected during the pandemic</p>
<p>(1:12:25) Mindy’s shift to private equity and advising</p>
<p>(1:18:30) Mindy’s thoughts on Jewish success </p>
<p>(1:21:00) The death of her parents and the legacy of belief Mindy passes down </p>
<p>—</p>
<p><strong>Where To Find Mindy Grossman:</strong></p>
<p>• X: <a href="https://x.com/mindygrossman" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://x.com/mindygrossman</a></p>
<p>• Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mindygrossman/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.instagram.com/mindygrossman</a></p>
<p>• LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-grossman/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-grossman</a></p>
<p>—</p>
<p><strong>Where To Find Big Shot: </strong></p>
<p>• Website: <a href="https://bigshot.show/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"></a><a href="https://www.bigshot.show/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.bigshot.show/</a></p>
<p>• YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@bigshotpodcast" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/@bigshotpodcast</a> </p>
<p>• TikTok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@bigshotshow" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.tiktok.com/@bigshotshow</a></p>
<p>• Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bigshotshow" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.instagram.com/bigshotshow/</a> </p>
<p>• Harley Finkelstein: <a href="https://twitter.com/harleyf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/harleyf</a> </p>
<p>• David Segal: <a href="https://twitter.com/tea_maverick" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/tea_maverick</a></p>
<p>• Production and Marketing: <a href="https://penname.co/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://penname.co</a></p>