this week, nick meta runs the best place to work in the whole country. a car blogger turns a hobby into a billion-dollar business. and speaking of profits, one cookie at a time. that's this week on "press: here." good morning, everybody. i'm scott mcgrew. bloomberg named my first guest to a list of 50 people changing the global business landscape. that is high praise, indeed. randy isn't in crypto or supply

chain or software. fundamentally, he sells used cars. but they're really super cool used cars. he sells a lot of them. $1.3 billion last year. cars like this 1960 austin healey. randy joins me from san francisco, and his company, bring a trailer. not only did they say you were changing a global business, someone said you are the internet'scoolest car guy? are you? >> i don't know, but we did move a lot of cars last year and put them into the hands of people that were excited for them. >> that's just a staggering number. i'm not a car guy, but i would have thought i would have heard of a company that moved $1 billion worth of cars. it started as a blog, right? >> that's right. everybody has heard of ebay, and we just invented a way to

transact via auction online, and those were -- there were some special interest cars people were giving them off the online phase. it was because they didn't trust it. now we're moving everything from a $10,000 datsun to a $1 million ferrari. >> even if you're not buying a car, it's fun to surf around and pretend. >> it's changed the way people digest automotive content, as well. this is some of the sort of trust worthiness built in. in the olden days, you would see something for sale with two blurry photos and maybe two

sentences and only one was true. now we have elevated it and made the presentation, have a higher quality, and result, like i said, the inventory as really raised the bar. so people use it for entertainment and also for a purchasing and selling destination. >> my only real understanding of exotic cars or interesting cars, you see them on television every once in a while, sort of those red carpet auctions, but you have set that business on its head, doing this all online. >> the best thing to do in an auction environment is to get as many bidders as you can. no matter how big of a tent you get at the fair grounds or wherever it may be, the internet is always better for that. >> there are all kinds of interesting -- from motorcycles to model tfxs to ferraris, but is there an average thing that

somebody is looking for, the one thing that tends to sell the fastest or you see the most go into the search box? >> i thought always car people like some of the really weird and esoteric models and things that would be a nightmare to own. but what has been interesting is we started bring a trailer like that, but it's evolved. people said wait, i can sell my muscle cars from the '60s, but what about my porsche in the garage that's four years old? with all the supply chain and new cars difficult to get, cars from zero to five years old have had a really interesting ride. so people have turned to mini marketplaces, but in particular ours to get a 2-year-old

porsche. so it's a little more main stream. it's not just model ts or crazy collectible hobby cars. it's become special suvs or special sports cars that you may want to drive every single day. so that can be on the expensive side, or that can be a really low mile, special mazda that costs $17,000. it's not only some sort of rich guy, pebble beach collectible destination. >> speaking of the rich guy thing, let me ask you this, i know in the luxury watch market, there was a huge demand for a while, and it was crypto. there was a lot of people coming into money they never had with crypto. then the luxury market, watch market has had a tough time of it. have you seen any of that in the

exotic high end? >> in a recent interview, i was asked about extensive cars, but some of those may have pulled back on the outliars type of inventory. but the main sector of bring a trailer, our average price has gone up since last year at this time. it's now at about $55,000 is about the average vehicle. it was $48,000 last year. so it's not like, oh, the value of these are going down. the values are on this nice, steady rise. but, yeah, people have talked about crypto. maybe there was some crypto buyers on bring a trailer, but that's not the majority. the majority is a little more stable than that. so that roller coaster ride has

been sort of weighed in on the marketplace. >> i was surfing around the space, looking for old bmws. when i was in college, i had a 1974 bmw. i found a similar one on your site. my girlfriend had a bmw 2002, also a fabulous car. what sort of cars do you look for when you are looking around your own site? >> oh, yeah, i love those two that you mentioned. i drove the bmw 2002 to college. yeah, we have different categories all over the site, as you may have mentioned. and the vintage trucks are an area that is hot right now. the old jeep wagoneers. pickup trucks from the '60s, '70s, and '80s. >> let me ask you a hard question, what is the most

affordable and dependable car out there that is still interesting? you know, that -- the '65 mustang comes to mind, something that people say oh, there's a special car, but it's not one when you want to get the spark plugs changed out, it will cost you $1,000. >> yeah, that's a good choice. it's interesting that you picked a car from the '60s. where my mind goes, when i was a kid, '60s were the cars that were sought after. these days, it's '80s and '90s car. you wouldn't think those are old, but they're very rare now. but cars from that era started to have air conditioning and, you know, pow erwin does, wind shield wipers that worked. and things that make them dependable. they have fuel injection, things that would make it usable.

so we're seeing a run-up in those cars, because it's special, because not that many people drive cars from the '90s any more. they used to all the time. you can turn the key and it will run, pump the carburetor. you know, the acura and the special edition lexus cars and that sort of era, because they really came into their own this that era. those cars, it's not the answer you thought i would give, but the '80s and '90s eras are considered very classic now. and we see a ton of these cars. >> just very sobering to think that. >> yeah, it changes the metric of what is a classic a little bit. >> and my last question for you, where do you go from here? do you just sell more cars online? what is the plan for five years in the future?

>> good question. yeah, we think about that all the time. we are making the site easier and easier to use. so there's a lot of investment in technology. we started with three and five a week. we're at 700 a week. being able to digest all of that on your mobile device or wherever is a meaningful challenge. there is enough people waiting to use the site that we can go to 1500 every week. so we're excited about the geography. we don't serve many vehicles outside the u.s., so we are excited to do more in canada and europe this year and help people move their cars around. and then how people buy and sell the paperwork. buying and selling cars are a hassle, so we're working to help people do that. so those sorts of things, we think people will use our platform more and more.

>> i'm excited to see where it goes. i enjoyed our conversation about cars. randy, thank you for being with us.

hold on... you're a night manager and mom, and the bill payer, baker, and nightlight maker? that's a lot. so, adding “and student” might feel daunting. but what if a school could be there for all of you? career, family, finances and mental health. -happy birthday! -happy birthday buddy. well, it can. national university. supporting the whole you. welcome back to "press: here". three of the five top companies

to work for are in the san francisco area. the other two in the top five have offices here. it shows how close knit silicone valley is that we have video of the ceos of gamesight and fox during car pool karaoke together. nick meta, the ceo of the number one place to work in america joins us now. good morning. the first question i have for you, was this a surprise? it's one thing to be in the top ten, but to be number one is pretty cool. >> i'll be honest, scott. we care a lot about our culture and take a lot of pride in it, but we also know there are some amazing companies out there. i was on vacation over the holidays, and my chief officer texted me and said nick, i hate to interrupt you, but we are number one on glass door.

in cancun, mexico, you would have seen a 45-year-old man jumping for joy. i couldn't have been more excited and surprised to be on this list at all is incredible. to be number one is mind blowing. >> the next obvious question is what is the secret? oh, you listen to your employees, you're an open and honest ceo, those seem obvious. but i guess you're going to tell me that any way, right? >> i think those are obvious. i think a couple things i was reflecting on, it's interesting, we describe our company's purpose and our mission as to be living proof you can win in business while being human first. when we say human first, we mean treat every stake holder as a human first, whether it's a job candidate, a potential customer, whether it's somebody leaving your company, whether it's a competitor, remember, they're all humans first.

we set that vision statement in 2017. during that time, we set this big goal, which is one day we'll be the most admired place to work in the world. we're like, that is no way that will ever happen. people are here because we believe in this human first concept. so i think having something you truly believe in is a big part of it. >> i was going to save this question for last, but you were surprised and excited to be number one, but now it's like a michelin star or three michelin stars, really. you have to work towards being rated next year, too. you could be number two next year. >> don't pop my bubble, scott! come on. it's like the super bowl, once you get it, you can't lose it. joking aside, we want to keep living up to it. one award is amazing. but we want to keep delivering on this. the way we got here is caring about the underlying concept, not worried about an award.

>> you'll never win this award by buying a foosball table and putting it in the breakroom. but those creature comforts are important. the unlimited time off, or meals, or heck, sometimes it's just, you know, a covered parking lot and the coffee machine working independently. those things are important. are there things you're doing that are unique? >> i'm a sucker for a good coffee machine, but i think the things that we do that are unique, that make us stand out, as an example, we all know that we struggle to take enough vacation, that's the challenge. doesn't matter if you say unlimited. so we do a recharge day. we pick 12 days a year that are not holidays, just random days, where everyone is off at

gamesight. a second example of something we do is we really focus on the experience of alumni and people leaving the country being great, too. it's always so hard when you see people leave companies and the company treats them like they are dead to them. >> they cut off the email the second they go. >> we celebrate people on the way out. i always celebrate people as human beings, forgetting about whether they're at gamesight or not. the third thing that shows up is supporting people through life events. we all remember those times when we had a death in the family or had a birth or something excited or something sad. and when your colleagues rally around you, that's what you remember. >> one serious question to wrap that up, that is, it's a fun

place to work if you haven't had to lay off fellow employees. how is gamesight managing through these economically kind of strange times or uncertain times? >> it's interesting, it's a challenge every company is dealing with. we have so much empathy for what people are going through and if you are watching and you are displaced in a company, our hearts go out to you. we're trying to help our customers find new jobs, as well. we try to manage things as carefully as we can. for example, slowing down hiring early, slowing down expenses so we can take care of the teammates we have. and none of us control the future. but a big part for us is trying to take care of the people inside the company. >> it's a pleasure to speak with you again. nick has been a guest before. congratulations again on your big award. that's the ceo of gamesight. "press: here" will be back.

♪ ♪ welcome back to "press: here." when my youngest was in kindergarten, there was a tradition of bringing in treats for the class on your birthday. we brought in caramel apples, just like my mom made for my birthdays. now, the diversity of california made birthdays extra delicious. one family brought in greek food, another russian honey cake. and then the school put a stop

to it. only manufactured, prewrapped food would be allowed. nothing homemade. no more honey cake. i was thinking about that when i saw a book "homemade for sale" and is that even allowed any more in these litigious days? the author, lisa, joins me from wisconsin. she teaches a best selling class on home cooking. lisa, i'm talking to you from california. you're in wisconsin. i understand the laws are going to be different. again, it's litigious everywhere. generally speaking, is it okay to mix something in your kitchen and selling? >> you bet, scott. there has never been a better time to start a business from your home kitchen. there are state specific laws, so wherever you may be listening in from, do check out your own state's laws.

but the laws have been expanding to include more products, you can make more money, you can sell in more ways. and it's an easy onramp for anybody who has had a dream of starting their own food business to do it in their kitchen without the cost and all the logistics of all the commercial regulations. >> in your case in wisconsin, you went to the supreme court of that state to make sure that home baked good selling would be constitutional. >> yes. wisconsin is its own story, where we could not get a law past. lots of states like california are really leading the country when it comes to these laws. we talk about the safer items, that don't require refrigeration, something to take to the farmer's market for the afternoon. most cookies, breads, canned

items like pickles, salsa, candies, roasted coffees, that sort of thing, a whole lot of things you can get going in your home kitchen. but states like california that are embracing the food freedom initiative, are allowing more things that wouldn't qualify as hazardous. just check in with your state. but a super, easy onramp. if there ever was a frugal lining to the pandemic, it would be the growth of cottage food. thousands of people across the country, some because they were locked down at home or lost jobs in the service industry, it was just time to follow that dream. instead of making these cookies every holiday, could this be a business? >> there is a law or a difference between selling a food item and selling food,

right? so generally speaking, i can sell pickles in a jar at the farmer's market. i can't sell a pickle on a stick. >> exactly. and that has to do with food products. so in general, we ore talking about food products just like you would buy that jar of pickles in the grocery store. but once you start opening things up and serving it, puts it on a stick, or i'm from wisconsin, we'll fry it first. just different kinds of regulations. we're not talking about catering or something like that. but a lot of opportunities under that food product realm. >> we're generally talking about moneys and nuts, things without cream and custard or meat. those sorts of things. i can tell those to restaurants, as well. if there's a coffee shop down the street, i can make muffins and they could sell my muffins

at their coffee shop. >> that's a great question. it depends on your state. it's interesting, because when we first wrote this in 2015, we said no wholesale. but that's an update. because states like california do allow wholesales to different tiers of licenses. so it's possible. it depends on where you live. so just check those things out. all states allow direct to consumer sales. so selling those cookies directly to your neighbor, which is huge, because part of the reason -- it's more than just the economics, it's building community. 100 years ago, we made things in our kitchen and sold the bread and we lost that over time. this is an opportunity to regain it, not only local economies, but knows and trusting our neighbors. >> that leads to my last

question about the home kitchen. i understand there are laws and regulations and even the cottage food industry has to follow. but i am absolutely positive, or at least 99% positive, that my local restaurant or the deli at my grocery store doesn't have a dog wandering around in the background. there's a lot of responsibility, and i could see that some restaurants and what not would say, hey, we have an inspector that comes in every six months to make sure our water is hot enough. what about these home kitchens? >> again, it depends on the state you are in, but remember, the majority of cottage food, we're talking about those nonhazardous items, there's nothing that can go wrong with that cookie, for example. so that's important to know. and secondly, people have the option whether or not they want to purchase from these products. it's total transparency.

even if you buy the jar of pickles off the shelf, where did that come from? who made that, et cetera? but in this case, you know exactly the producer. you can ask questions, you can build that relationship, and you have that option. so it does take on a different perspective, for sure, and it's going back to those core tenants of community, trust and knowing each other. for me, my kitchen is the safest place around, where i feed my family and friends. and this is hopefully something that can, again, grow as the community grows. but people have options, just check with your state to see if there is anything specific you need to do. >> thank you so much. lisa is a baker and entrepreneur, and the author of "homemade for sale." thank you for being with us and "press: here" will be right back.

that's our show for this

week. as always, i'll remind you, we do have a podcast that we're quite proud of. it's a sister podcast to the show all about venture capital and venture capitalists. i invite you to try it out. you can find it wherever you find your podcast. thanks to my guests, and thank you for making us part of your sunday morning.

the end of a beautifully crisp, blue sky february afternoon in london towne. 17 days since last they met, a prompt reunion, tottenham hotspur and the chasing champions manchester city. they are in city's sights. the stakes are, graeme, extremely high and all of this occurs after mentioning the very