I have been on a bit of a podcast binge lately and here are three that I thought you would enjoy:

• "The Anti-Store" tells the story of a warehouse club pioneer and how he stumbled upon this niche and the mistakes he made along the way.
• What are the attributes of the business model that have led to the success of the warehouse clubs?
• Despite being a difficult store to shop, why do you think people continue to flock to Costco and Sam's Club?
• How is Jet seeking to disrupt the retailing space? Why do you think that Wal-Mart was interested in purchasing them?
• Do you like shopping at warehouse clubs? Why or why not?

• "The Hydrox Resurrection" chronicles the return of the popular cookie from the bin of lost brands. 
• Why do you think the entrepreneur wanted to bring this brand back to life? What was his motivation?
• What did you learn about trademark law? 
• How was he able to use the trademark name for the brand? Do you agree with his tactics?
• What do you think the appeal of such a long dormant brand is? Who do you think that it appeals to? 

• Starbury: As described on Planet Money:"Most athlete endorsements make a product more expensive. But what happens when an NBA All-Star uses his name to make a sneaker much, much cheaper? On today's show: How that worked out."
• What were Stephon Marbury's incentives for building the shoe? 
• Did you think the show would succeed when you first heard the concept at the beginning of the podcast?
• What judgments do customers make when it comes to the relationship between quality and price? 
• Can you come up with any marketing ideas to help increase sales of this shoe?
• Would you have bought this shoe? Why or why not?

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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