CNBC Make It
Van Leeuwen
Over the past 15 years, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream has grown from a single ice cream truck to a nationwide chain of scoop shops. Leading this mission was none other than the co-founder and CEO, Ben Van Leeuwen, armed with a vision to completely shake up the ice cream industry with freshness and top-notch quality.
Produced, filmed and scripted by Lauren Shamo
Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre
In 2022, Matt McClanahan and Lauren McChesney purchased Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre, America's oldest drive-in movie theater. Today, it brings in nearly $550,000 a year. Here's how much it costs to run.
Produced and edited by Lauren Shamo
LesserEvil
Wall Street veteran Charles Coristine bought LesserEvil, a failing snack company, in 2011. Now a profitable business known primarily for its coconut oil popcorn, it brought in $103 million in gross sales in 2023. Here's how Coristine is turning LesserEvil into a household name.
Produced, filmed, scripted and edited by Lauren Shamo
Stanley
Established in 1913, Stanley has been supplying drinkware to blue-collar workers and outdoor enthusiasts for over a century. However, in 2019, with the relaunch of their Quencher, they attracted a new audience, propelling the 110-year-old company to seemingly overnight success. Since 2019, driven by the Quencher's popularity, Stanley's annual sales have surged from $73 million to a projected $750 million in 2023.
Produced, filmed and edited by Lauren Shamo
Byway Coffee Co.
Avery Amstutz, 28, purchased a 1973 Airstream trailer for $6,000 in 2024. The Memphis entrepreneur transformed it into Byway Coffee Co., a mobile coffee trailer that brought in over $500K in its first year.
Produced and edited by Lauren Shamo
Olipop
Olipop has skyrocketed to prominence in the multibillion-dollar soda market with its healthy prebiotic soda. Leading the way to this success are the founders of Olipop, Ben Goodwin and David Lester. Learn how they turned a $100,000 investment into a multimillion-dollar soda company.
Produced, filmed, scripted and edited by Lauren Shamo
Tezza
In 2018, Tessa "Tezza" Barton and Cole Herrmann launched a photo editing app called Tezza to simplify photo editing for social media users. Instead of startup funds, the husband-and-wife duo relied on Barton's photography expertise and Herrmann's software engineering skills to create the app — starting with premade filters and expanding into more complex editing tools. Tezza brought in $26.5 million in 2023, and boasts 2.5 million monthly users today.
Produced, filmed and scripted by Lauren Shamo