Before Gymboree became a cultural icon in the 80s and 90s, it was just one lonely new mom trying to find connection. Joan Barnes started hosting weekly playgroups for parents… and demand exploded. What began as a diversion became a business. Then a franchise. Then a brand everyone seemed to know, with its padded playrooms and parachute games.

From the outside, it looked like a runaway success: hundreds of locations, glowing press coverage, celebrity buzz. But inside, the franchise model was failing. A potential Hasbro rescue vanished overnight. And Joan—while smiling for the world—was breaking under the pressure.

Then came a major pivot that helped turn Gymboree around. The company was going to survive, but Joan realized she might not. She stepped away for good, to fight for her health.

In this episode, Joan talks frankly about building Gymboree, losing control of it, and learning some vital lessons about ambition, balance, and humility.

What You’ll Learn

• The hidden math of franchising: when scale makes you weaker, not stronger
• How—years before social media—Joan used the media as her marketing engine
• The moment Gymboree nearly died—and the brilliant pivot that saved it
• What it feels like to be celebrated publicly while privately falling apart
• Why “more hustle” can be a trap

Timestamps:

(Timecodes are approximate and may shift depending on platform.)

• [08:20] “Lonely and isolated”—The new-mom need that sparked Joan’s first playgroup
• [13:43] The early days: parachute games, circle songs, and connecting with other parents
• [16:59] The first, $3,000 investment, and expanding to new venues.
• [23:08] Learning the hard way: “I didn’t even know what franchise meant.”
• [38:40] Joan discovers her business model has a terrifying Catch-22
• [45:05] A humiliating gut punch: Hasbro calls off a life-saving deal
• [50:15] The pivot to profitability: play centers + clothing stores
• [1:03:00] Success on the outside, collapse on the inside: panic, addiction, treatment
• [1:14:17] After Gymboree: yoga studios, recovery, and redefining success

Hey—want to be a guest on HIBT?

If you’re building a business, why not get advice from some of the greatest entrepreneurs on Earth?

Every Thursday on the HIBT Advice Line, a previous HIBT guest helps new entrepreneurs work through the challenges they’re facing right now. Advice that’s smart, actionable, and absolutely free.

Just call 1-800-433-1298, leave a message, and you may soon get guidance from someone who started where you did, and went on to build something massive.

So—give us a call. We can’t wait to hear what you’re working on.

This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei.

It was edited by Neva Grant with research by Rommel Wood.

Our engineers were Jimmy Keeley and Patrick Murray.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Warby Parker co-founder Neil Blumenthal joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, how AI integrations with glasses are helping us see the world in a whole new way.

First we meet Kimber in Utah, who wants to take her chewable toothpaste gummies mainstream. Then Brian in California, who’s wondering how to vet franchisees for his light therapy studios. And Tanner in Tennessee, who needs help building a team he can trust to scale his country club-inspired lifestyle brand.

Thank you to the founders of Pearl Pop, Salt and Light Wellness, and Cowboy Country Club for being a part of our show.

If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to hibt@id.wondery.com or call 1-800-433-1298.

And be sure to listen to Warby Parker’s founding story as told by Neil and his co-founder Dave on the show in 2016.

This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Cena Loffredo.

You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com or on Substack.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Todd Carmichael and J.P. Iberti met at a grunge concert in Seattle in the 1980s, they were an unlikely pair. But they shared a love for great coffee, and the two friends began to dream about opening a cafe and premium roastery that would produce coffee at a higher quality than anything in the U.S. at the time. A few years later, Todd and J.P. co-founded La Colombe in Philadelphia, and went on to play a leading role in the third wave of specialty coffee in the U.S. Today, their coffee drinks are sold in stores across the country, and in 2023, La Colombe was acquired by Chobani for $900M.

TIMESTAMPS:

• 0:11:22 - Learning barista basics: like being a DJ
• 0:25:25 - Todd squats at JP’s place, they set out to sell coffee
• 0:29:48 - How La Colombe gets its name
• 0:32:40 - Launching the business in a city they've never visited
• 0:35:49 - The first roastery: no ventilation, visits from the fire department
• 0:40:29 - Pitching the coffee–uninvited–at a top French restaurant
• 0:46:48 - The trick to making a perfect espresso
• 0:53:30 - Todd takes a sabbatical: “I was suffering from my brain.”
• 0:57:40 - Expanding to more cafes and a shift from roasting to hosting
• 1:01:17 - An impasse with investors, and a bailout from Chobani’s founder
• 1:09:38 - Small Business Spotlight

Hey—want to be a guest on HIBT?

If you’re building a business, why not get advice from some of the greatest entrepreneurs on Earth ?

Every Thursday on the HIBT Advice Line, A previous HIBT guest helps new entrepreneurs work through the challenges they’re facing right now. Advice that’s smart, actionable, and absolutely free.

Just call 1-800-433-1298, leave a message, and you may soon get guidance from someone who started where you did, and went on to build something massive.

So—give us a call. We can’t wait to hear what you’re working on.

—------------------------------------------

This episode was produced by Casey Herman with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Sarah Sarasohn. Our audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.

You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.