Stories Archives | The Hustle

The house servant who pioneered the franchising business model

Martha Matilda Harper defied social roadblocks and gender norms to build a successful chain of hair salons. More than a century later, she’s still...

Zachary Crockett • June 28, 2020

Why sports stadiums are suddenly full of cardboard fans

2020 might be the year of the fake sports fan. Once bustling with beer-soaked fans, stadiums across the world are now full of cardboard...

Michael Waters • June 21, 2020

Why a small town in Washington is printing its own currency during the pandemic

In a bid to lessen the blow of COVID-19, the town of Tenino has started issuing its own wooden dollars that can only be...

Michael Waters • June 12, 2020

3 stories of black-owned businesses damaged in the riots

In cities across the country, rioters have taken advantage of peaceful protests, damaging, looting, and destroying local businesses — many of them owned by...

Zachary Crockett • June 6, 2020

How a Florida couple “flipped” their way to a 6-figure income

Rob and Melissa Stephenson make a full-time living by scouring flea markets for discarded items — baby strollers, forklifts, prosthetic legs — and flipping...

Zachary Crockett • May 30, 2020

4 futurists on how to be forward-thinking in a post-COVID-19 world

Long-term thinking is especially challenging during times of uncertainty — but futurists are especially good at it. So, we asked for their advice. ...

The Hustle • May 24, 2020

People are losing their clucking minds over backyard chickens

During COVID-19, purveyors of live chicks, coops, and feed have seen sales jump by more than 500%. But self-reliance isn't always the cheapest...

Caroline Dohack • May 16, 2020

Silicon Valley’s favorite magician reimagines his act in the age of Zoom

Daniel Chan has stumped billionaires, CEOs, and engineers with his technology-driven tricks. Now, in the age of Zoom, he’s trying to pivot. ...

Zachary Crockett • May 10, 2020

The man feeding a remote Alaska town with a Costco card and a ship

When Gustavus, Alaska, was cut off from its grocery supply chain, one resident decided to take action. ...

Zachary Crockett • May 3, 2020

Will COVID-19 change the parking business?

The demand for parking is down 90% — and across America, entrepreneurs are finding ways to repurpose empty lots. ...

Michael Waters • April 26, 2020

Everyone is baking — and entrepreneurs are rising up to meet the demand

A look at the numbers behind the latest quarantine craze, and the small businesses that are filling a gap in the market. ...

Zachary Crockett • April 18, 2020

small businesses

How small business owners survived the Great Recession

As COVID-19 rattles small businesses around the country, inspiration can be drawn from the stories of those who survived the last financial crisis. ...

Zachary Crockett • April 11, 2020

Meet the COVID-19 college graduates

On March 11, I opened my inbox to find an email from my soon-to-be-alma-mater, Pomona College: In light of COVID-19, I had a week...

Zachary Crockett • April 7, 2020

The end-of-the-world business is booming

There’s an old fable that doomsday preppers are particularly fond of: An industrious ant spends an entire summer gathering grain, while his neighbor,...

Zachary Crockett • March 28, 2020

Amid a pandemic, Uber drivers choose between health and livelihood

In the age of COVID-19 — of work-from-home quarantines, sweatpants, and Facetime cocktails — Mostafa Maklad’s routine is largely the same. His day...

Zachary Crockett • March 22, 2020

The economics of cruise ships

Cruise ships are often called “monsters” of the sea. If you’ve ever seen one in action, you’ll understand why: A vessel like Royal...

Zachary Crockett • March 15, 2020

How a small candy company became Warren Buffett’s ‘dream’ investment

If investing were a video game, you might suspect Warren Buffett of using some kind of cheat code. His holding company, Berkshire Hathaway,...

Zachary Crockett • March 8, 2020

Inside the wild world of government auctions

Kelvin Fichter never really wanted the four-thousand-pound IBM server that now occupies most of his studio apartment. The software engineer had taken up...

Michael Waters • February 28, 2020

How Mount Everest became a multimillion-dollar business

It is said that from the 29,029-foot summit of Mount Everest, you can see the curvature of the Earth. But for the hundreds of...

Zachary Crockett • February 23, 2020

The unpredictable economics of pawn shops

You’re down on luck, your funds are running low, and you’re in dire need of a few hundred bucks in cash — ASAP....

Zachary Crockett • February 15, 2020

One man's quest to bring the DeLorean back to life

Running across a DeLorean on the road is like spotting a rare bird in the wild: The brushed stainless-steel exterior, the gullwing doors that...

Tom Bartlett • February 7, 2020

The year startups took over the Super Bowl

On January 30, 2000, a single sentence set against a yellow background appeared on the TV screens of more than 130m Super Bowl viewers....

Conor Grant • January 31, 2020

The economics of all-you-can-eat buffets

Few things epitomize America more than the all-you-can-eat buffet. For a small fee, you’re granted unencumbered access to a wonderland of gluttony. It...

Zachary Crockett • January 25, 2020

Why it only costs $10k to ‘own’ a Chick-fil-A franchise

In America, the majority of fast-food restaurants aren’t owned by the corporation itself, but by franchisees — individuals who pay for the right to...

Zachary Crockett • January 19, 2020

Can a corporation "own" a color?

On a summer day in 2019, Daniel Schreiber opened his mailbox to find a threatening letter from one of the world’s largest telecom...

Zachary Crockett • January 12, 2020

The economics of unused gift cards

The most desired item on wish lists this past holiday season wasn’t a pair of Airpods, a Nintendo Switch, or a Baby Yoda...

Zachary Crockett • January 4, 2020

How Tipsy Elves built a $125m ugly Christmas sweater empire

’Tis the season, in the words of a popular ugly Christmas sweater, to “Get Lit.” If getting lit is a sign of Christmas...

Conor Grant • December 28, 2019

Can the American casket monopoly be disrupted?

As Ben Franklin once quipped, death is one of the only certainties in life. And with that certainty comes an endless supply of...

Michael Waters • December 20, 2019

The man who made the “worst” video game in history

On April 25, 2014, a bulldozer ripped into a landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico, and unearthed a trove of 30-year-old Atari video games....

Zachary Crockett • December 14, 2019

Why some of America’s top CEOs take a $1 salary

In the last few decades, a curious trend has emerged: A small but growing number of prominent CEOs have reduced their cash salary...

Zachary Crockett • December 8, 2019

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