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Jeff didn’t just rescue a business. He reinterpreted a legacy for a new generation. And maybe that’s the most powerful kind of entrepreneurship there is.

8. Growth doesn’t mean abandoning your values Jeff modernized the business— But kept his grandfather’s values: quality, care, and integrity. Success wasn’t reinvention. It was stewardship.

7. Culture moments are growth moments CBS canceled Jericho. Fans protested with 40,000 lbs of peanuts. Jeff helped coordinate the shipment. The stunt went viral. National news. It didn’t cost millions. Just awareness and timing.

6. Brand is not an expense — it’s a moat In 2012, Jeff bought the https://t.co/iTsrlHfGnZ domain for $700K. It wasn’t vanity. It was strategy. A brand isn’t just what you say. It’s what people remember.

5. Bet early on channel shifts Jeff leaned hard into Google AdWords in 2003. It 10X’d his orders overnight. New platforms are chaotic. Underpriced. That’s when you go all in.

4. When in doubt, ask your customers Jeff hit the road and asked supermarket buyers: “What do you need that we’re not providing?” Turns out, unsalted sunflower seeds were a gap. Diabetics needed them. Small needs can become big wins.

3. Start before you have permission Jeff registered https://t.co/8PopNziNCB before Shopify. Before Amazon Prime. He didn’t have clarity. Just conviction. Start even if the path is blurry.

2. Some of the best ideas are inherited, not invented Jeff didn’t create something new. He saw something old in a new way. That storefront, opened in 1929, became the backbone of a $100M online business.

1. Your biggest obstacle might be your own family Jeff’s dad and uncle didn’t believe in the internet. They feared change, risk, and losing their identity. Innovation doesn’t just require intelligence. It takes emotional courage.

The transformation? Unbelievable: – A fan-led protest that shipped 40,000 lbs of peanuts to CBS – A $700K domain name – A rap jingle customers begged him to kill – A pandemic-proof business built on customer service and salted snacks Here’s what I learned:

Jeff wasn’t chasing a dream. He was walking back into a dying family business— A dusty storefront run by his dad and uncle. His pay dropped from $100K+ to $28K. His title went from investor… to guy hauling 100 lb sacks of walnuts.

Jeff Braverman left a six-figure job at Blackstone… To sell cashews in Newark. His dad begged him not to. “Don’t do this,” he said. “I hate this business.” Jeff did it anyway. And built a $100M brand called @nutsdotcom. 🧵

The wild story behind @NutsDotCom—the gamble that paid off—is on How I Built This with @guyraz.

He quit Wall Street to sell peanuts. Everyone thought he was nuts. But Jeff Braverman saw e-commerce gold in a family nut shop on the brink of collapse. One viral moment—and 40,000 lbs of nuts later—he turned it into a $100M online food empire.

2. Follow the itch — even when it looks impractical. Joanna’s dream started in a small NYC boutique. She didn’t have a plan—just a feeling. Years later, that spark became Magnolia. Dreams often start as whispers, not strategies.

1. Failure isn’t the end — it’s the first draft. When Chip was cut from Baylor’s baseball team, he was devastated. That moment led to lawn care, fireworks, college laundry services… and ultimately, entrepreneurship. Sometimes rock bottom is the beginning.

When I first met Chip and Joanna Gaines, I expected to talk about houses. What I didn’t expect was a masterclass in resilience, faith, and building something that lasts — not just a business, but a life. Here are 10 lessons from their story that stuck with me: 🧵

To hear the full episode with Mike and Alex Faherty, listen to How I Built This: