How to Turn a Small, Struggling Business into a National Powerhouse
Guy Raz Newsletter – October 30, 2025
Every so often, I meet an entrepreneur whose path forces us to rethink some of our assumptions about what it means to build a business.
Jeff Braverman is one of those people.
When Jeff Braverman told his dad he was leaving Blackstone to join the family nut business, his father said, verbatim: “You’re nuts.”
The math was insane.
Jeff was 23, making over $100K per year in finance. His dad and uncle were grinding six days a week at a Newark storefront, making far less than Jeff did. They’d almost lost the house trying to keep it afloat.
“Don’t do this,” his dad said. “I hate this business.”
Jeff did it anyway.
He went from Manhattan to Newark. From spreadsheets to 100-pound burlap sacks. From six figures to a $28,000 draw against future profits that might never come.
His childhood friend’s dad used to mock him for coming from a family that “sold nuts.” Now Jeff was choosing that life on purpose.
But here’s what nobody saw coming: That dusty Newark storefront, started by Jeff’s grandfather in 1929, would become Nuts.com – a $100 million empire that would survive riots, recessions, and a pandemic!
The transformation involved some genuinely bonkers moments.
Jeff helped send 40,000 pounds of peanuts to CBS to protest a TV cancellation (it worked). Rachel Ray accidentally renamed his company on live television. He paid $700,000 for a domain name, negotiating against himself eight times.
And he created a rap jingle so annoying that customers begged him to stop.
But the real story is about what happens when the third generation takes the keys – and drives in a completely different direction.
And the way he did it is full of lessons for founders, creators, family business owners — and really, anyone trying to build something meaningful.
Here are 9 takeaways I pulled from Jeff’s story:
1. Your Biggest Obstacles Might Be The People You Love Most
Jeff’s challenge wasn’t competitors.
It was convincing his dad and uncle that the internet was real.
They feared change. They feared risk. They feared losing the identity of the business.
Innovation often requires emotional courage, not just intelligence.
2. Sometimes the Best Opportunities Aren’t Found — They’re Inherited
Jeff didn’t need to invent something new.
He needed to see something old in a new way.
Sometimes your “breakthrough idea” is already sitting in your family garage.
3. Start Before You Have Permission
When Jeff registered NutsOnline.com in the late 1990s, there was no Shopify, no Amazon Prime, no playbook for e-commerce.
He didn’t have clarity.
He just had conviction.
Start.
Even if the path is blurry.
4. When You Don’t Know What to Do Next, Go Talk to Your Customers
One of Jeff’s earliest moves was not digital.
He drove to supermarkets and buyers and simply asked:
“What do you need that we aren’t providing?”
That question unlocked new products — and trust.
Listening is a growth strategy.
5. Expand by Solving Real Problems for Real People
Example:
Everyone sold salted sunflower seeds.
No one was selling unsalted.
Turns out:
Diabetics really wanted unsalted seeds.
Not a flashy insight.
A useful one.
Small needs can become big markets.
6. Bet Early and Bet Hard on Channel Shifts
Google AdWords in 2003 was like TikTok ads in 2020.
Cheap. Understood by few. Wildly leverageable.
Jeff took the business from a few orders a day to 10X almost overnight — simply by committing to paid search before the industry caught up.
When a platform is new and underpriced, that’s your moment.
7. Brand Matters More Than People Think
In 2012, Jeff bought Nuts.com for $700,000.
That wasn’t a marketing decision.
It was a strategic moat.
A brand isn’t just what you sell.
It’s what people remember after the transaction.
8. A Moment of Culture Can Become a Moment of Growth
This part is wild:
When CBS cancelled the show Jericho, fans mailed 40,000 pounds of peanuts to protest.
And Jeff helped coordinate the peanut shipment.
It went viral.
National TV. Newspaper headlines.
A spotlight money couldn’t buy.
Opportunistic storytelling is a real skill.
9. Success Is Not Always Reinvention. Sometimes It’s Stewardship.
Jeff didn’t abandon his grandfather’s values.
Quality. Integrity. Care.
The soul of the business remained the same.
He simply found a way to scale it.
Growth doesn’t have to mean losing who you are.
Final Thought
This story is not about nuts.
It’s about legacy.
About the courage to return home.
To believe you can change the trajectory of something old.
To honor the past by daring to reshape it.
Jeff didn’t just rescue a business.
He reinterpreted a heritage for a new era.
And that might be the greatest entrepreneurial act of all.
— Guy
P.S. If you loved the episode, follow the show in your podcast app so you never miss one.
On the Podcasts This Week!
How Nuts.com Became a Snack Time Powerhouse
Jeff Braverman had a secure job at Blackstone and a family peanut shop doing $1 million in sales.
One was prestigious. The other was barely surviving…
So naturally, he quit Wall Street to sell nuts.
His grandfather had opened Newark Nut Company in 1929. But by 2003, it was a dusty retail shop in a declining neighborhood, where his dad and uncle worked brutal hours for razor-thin margins.
Jeff saw something that could transform the store: the internet. But first, he needed the keys to the store.
So, Jeff made a decision that would either transform the business or destroy it. He cranked their Google AdWords spend from $3 a day to $100. Orders exploded 10x overnight. His dad, terrified by the surge, begged him to “shut it off!”
Jeff refused. And that was just the beginning.
What followed was a series of wild gambles: 40,000 pounds of protest peanuts that crashed their servers. A domain purchase that cost more than most people’s houses. A rap jingle so polarizing it became legendary.
And when Rachael Ray accidentally renamed their company on national TV, Jeff turned that slip into gold.
This is the story of how a corner peanut shop became a $100M+ empire. All while staying family-owned and keeping its soul intact.
HIBT Advice Line: Bet on Yourself
This week on the Advice Line, I’m joined by Niraj Shah, co-founder and CEO of Wayfair. Niraj built his company into a home goods giant with 25 million square feet of logistics. His philosophy? Success isn’t linear – choose a problem you love working on, because only then will you endure the grind.
First up, Valerie: How do I educate customers about my new product format?
Valerie’s Cookstix makes dehydrated chicken stock sticks. It’s a genius concept, but retailers keep misidentifying them as protein drinks. Niraj and I had simple advice: be literal, not clever. When a format is new, clever branding confuses. Dial up the obvious.
Next, Bree: When should I raise money for my sunscreen brand?
Bree’s Daily Shade makes mineral sunscreen that actually disappears (no white cast). After nearly selling through her first run, she’s wondering about investment. Niraj urged extreme caution. Default to bootstrapping until the use of funds is obvious.
Finally, Tess: When do I quit my day job to go full-time on my startup?
Tess built HerHouse, a membership community where solo women travelers host each other for free stays. With 150 members across 20 countries, she’s torn about leaving her well-paid sales job. Our advice: Keep the job while you scale systems and proof points.
Niraj leaves us with this: The highlight reels hide the grind. Ups, downs, and detours are the norm. Raise when the use of funds is obvious, and otherwise keep moving one step at a time.
If you would like to be featured on an upcoming episode, call and leave a 1-minute message at 1-800-433-1298 or send a voice memo to hibt@id.wondery.com
Wow in the World!
It’s Creepy Crawly Week!
Grab your bug nets and hold onto your magnifying glasses– it’s WeWow Creepy Crawly Week!
All week long, we’re learning about bugs that might be a little gross… but they’re also super cool.
From karate-kickin’ cockroaches and brain-controlling zombie ants to insect chefs and superhero spiders, each day brings a new WOW-worthy adventure into the wild world of bugs.
So whether you’re team “ick!” or team “awesome!”, tune in for a week of science, surprises, and the creepiest, crawliest critters on Earth!
From the HIBT Archives!
Wayfair: Niraj Shah & Steve Conine
After selling one business and closing another, Niraj Shah and Steve Conine were nearly ready to settle into “normal” jobs. But in the early 2000s, they noticed something strange: people were starting to buy furniture online.
Sensing an opportunity, the former college roommates launched dozens of niche websites, each focused on a single category: barstools, vanities, birdhouses – you name it. At one point, they were running 250 different sites.
Eventually, they streamlined everything into one destination: Wayfair.
Today, Wayfair is one of the largest online furniture retailers in the world, offering millions of products and generating billions in annual sales.
See you next time!
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