good morning. coming up on msnbc's "your business," having four partners with completely different backgrounds successfully navigate the macaroons company. and we have tips from not one but two billion-dollar skin care brands. dermatologists turned entrepreneurs. and the last of the hln candidate pitches will try to convince judges to let her go and sell the shoe and boot covers. when it comes to making business decisions, we have your back. let's grow fast and work small coming up next.

>> msnbc "your business" is sponsored by american express. don't do business without it. >> "your business" is sponsored by american express. don't do business without it. hi, there, earn. i'm jj ramberg and welcome to "your business," the show dedicated to help your growing business. this may sound like a tongue twister, but you're about to meet these boyfriends who started smelling for monstart started this business between competing founders. >> it started in 2012 with four

friends from totally different backgrounds all with one giant sweet tooth. >> the business where i started by accident, we never really planned for it to be what it is today. >> it was an opportunity to sell french macaroons at holland park. >> we opened the location and made $250,000 in nine weeks. >> with that quick success, it began to sink in that they may be on to something. >> it was pretty amazing, we were sitting at home and were look, woops, we have a business. >> reporter: todaythe largest macaroon company. it's successful because of the partnership between the four founders that had to evolve over the years. >> oh, yeah. >> i see potential there. >> all too often i see a lot of partnerships in businesses grow because a couple friends came together and just become partners. they don't think through what a partnership means. >> in the beginning, that

describes them. they divvy up jobs without thinking much about it. >> it really happened organically. we just knew what everyone's strengths and weaknesses were. raj was a bit more broader understanding of the u.s. market. it was very natural for him to take on the finance. gal, managing people at his previous job, it was very clear to us that this is what they need to focus on. >> gil had experience leading people and we made him the ceo. and tal, she's a design genius. she has a fantastic eye for look and feel. >> as much as they recognized each other's strengths, it was not clear who could weigh in on what we call amounts of ownership. everyone felt entitled to say what they thought whenever they thought it. >> we are all very opinionated. >> it is very easy to get involved in everything because you care so much about the business and growing it and being passionate about it and putting everything into it.

>> there were too many cooks in the kim tchen and give us room achieve something. >> to be clear, they still get together to talk about the big issue us and are still opinionated. >> no, we never fight, never. we have our disagreements and have to decide on strategy, we just close the door in the office and can curse each other. but, at the end of the day, someone calms down and calms everyone else down as well. we are all invested in the business and for us it's a very emotional thing. >> they have a chain of command. gil documents the outcome. and they document what happens if things go off the rail. >> if things don't work out, it's no different than a prenup

or going into a marriage. so we need creative detailed agreements. >> while the documents provide protection, this is something the lawyers cannot dictate. >> it is about trust, comprom e compromise. >> reporter: that trust turned these four into what they are today. >> once you create this business, it will come to you when you wake up in the morning and you have to make sure that even if you don't agree, you need to compromise and you know when to give up. that's the only way to succeed. wrote dan & fields could be the most popular product line that you have never seen. these are sold by the community of more than 200,000 consultants and is a sales strategy working. katie rodan and kathie fields are the dermatologists behind

the billion-dollar company recently named the number one skin care company in north korea. they sat down to talk about partnership, the distribution and buying back their company. ♪ remember this? >> it's an easy quick three-step system that combines powerful acne-fighting medicines well gant skin care formulationsle. >> reporter: the two legendary dermatologists behind the infomercials have revolutionized the world of skin care not once but twice. and it all began with this. >> okay, i'll read it. >> so i typed this up on a typewriter and it still hangs in my house and i love it. it reminds me every day where we started. it says kathie rodan and kathy fields are in 50/50 partners.

both parties share equally in the profits and expenses. here's the real quicker, all expenses over $50 must be approved by both parties. i kept thinking, i can't spend $50, i need diapers this month. so really, that's where it all began. >> and that has lasted 30 years. the spirit of the business. >> we had a shared vision. we love dermatologist and still practice, by the way. with that, we want to take the best in our office and make it

available to everyone. >> after the launch, estee lauder came knocking and they sold. a decision they took immedia immediately. >> you bought estee lauder and then sold it again. >> we were never their highest priority and never going to get anywhere. the counselor to start again with all the risk, completely on our shoulders, everything we had in trying to figure out how to sell this product. timing was critical, too. we just knew there had to be

another method. selling through infomercials was very disruptive in terms of distribution. so we had to figure out another way to speak directly to the customers. >> reporter: after buying their brand, it started with this. >> you expected lots a open lots of people to show up. and 60 people showed up. how do you deal with disappointments? >> that was devastating. let me you. here we are watch iing this.

and we thought, let's think big. let's rent out a ballroom. and here i peek out from the curtain and see six people in the audience. one whom is a my aunt. i was thinking, you know, we got to keep trying. >> that effort paid off from seven employees in 2008 to more than 700 employees now. plus, more than 200,000 consultants that sell the product. wrote dan&fields is now the huge business they wanted it to be. >> why? >> what we do transforms skin and does the right thing. if we are working with a product and it is going to succeed.

everything around us, our culture, it runs on the same engine. >> i think we have a real advantage compared to a lot of other dermatologists. we have been making this product for years and we have products that really work. when you start from that vantage point and put products and customers at the forefront of your business, you'll be able to figure out how to get the to be successful. and they tell me about the big launch event for their company and how it was an enormous flop. and they talked about how to sell the business to estee

lauder and how they bought it back. you heard about this in the piece, but we go into a lot more depth. i hope you all get a chance to listen to it. it's really interesting. if you do, give us feedback. thank you to those of you who have written in. and now two to been there, built that. go to wherever you tune in or get your podcasts. for several weeks now, we have been doing our elevator pitch at hln, the original tv network. we have had a few dreams come true with a few disappointments. today we'll find out if our elevator pitcher makes the cut. they will be pitching to two executives from hsn to see if they get the chance to sell their product live in a studio that goes to 90 million households. we wish them, i wish them, the best of luck.

>> so good to see you. you're wearing your product and you're ready to go that matches your shirt. what is the -- this going to look like? >> you're going to pitch to two people. how do you feel? >> i'm nervous. >> thank you for putting kolthi out there. you don't have to be nervous because you know people already love this. i think you'll do a great job. >> thank you. >> go on in, you go first. >> okay. >> hi, how are you? thank you for having me. i am from miami, florida. have you ever been surprised by

a sudden rainstorm and couldn't get to the car because of a flooded parking lot and don't want to ruin your favorite shoes in or having worse, change your outfitt outfits. this is a water resistant shoe protector. it protects any stool shoe from rain, mud or anything else. they fold into their own self-contained pouch making it easy to carry in your purse, briefcase or you can seal it to the child's backpack. seals are easy to clean. simply wash with a wash cloth or throw in the washer.

seal is ready for a snow or rainy day. >> it was like a commercial. i feel like you practiced that. seal shoe covers. it was awesome. and i think they are awesome. >> i want to show you the shoes i'm wearing. i am hiding high heels. this is my invention. once you ruin this fabric, it's over. >> okay. the shoes i have on right now would be a concern for me. >> i want to hear your feedback. >> first of all, i love the fact that you attacked a problem with a solution. and that is exactly what entrepreneurs are supposed to do. you told me the problem, you made it relatable to me. and then --

>> i'm glad to see you come in with the shoe covers on and the reveal. so if you think about that, i would say -- i'm getting my pitch down. when you think about this, how do you select your size? and you need to think about t s this -- >> i'm going to let them confer to see if you get a chance to pitch this to millions of people on hsn. and this is for kids, too, right? >> yes. >> this is where i with three kids think this is golden instead of having to carry their big shoes.

>> hey, jj, we have one question that we need to ask. that will help us make our decision. what do they retail for? >> they retail for $29.99. >> all right. so we are going to come right over here. look at the sign that says "on air." we'll see if that blinks or not. so will daniella have a chance to sell the shoe seal covers on hsn. yay! >> congratulations! >> congratulations! that's so exciting! >> can i hug you? >> your dreams are going to come true. >> thank you. >> so exciting! >> congratulations. >> thank you so much. thank you. >> daniella, you did it. let's see what we can work on here. you did it, congratulations! how do you feel? >> i'm so excited.

this is a wish come true. thank you for letting me tune in. >> me? you're the one who created this awesome thing. did you think you would get an offer? >> no. >> and you have been waiting a long time from all the sitting there. >> i know, i know. we're here at the collision conference in new orleans, which is bringing more than 25,000 people who are interested in what is new in technology. and i have sitting with me the founder of node, which is all about using artificial intelligence to get you the best opportunities in your field. so what is node? >> you are getting highly

recommend recommended information that you can use for your business. >> it is like google and linkedin had a baby. >> correct. >> let's talk about using your connections and resources to help with this. but if you have employees, you have a bowl of basement employees. how can node get you through a.i.? >> one is ensuring the priorities of your business, of what the key opportunities are that are going to take your business to the next level are clearly communicated across the organization. what this will allow your employees to start doing is thinking about who do i know in my network to help my business

achieve these goals? so the first step is clear communication around what the objectives are. the second piece is to then provide everyone forums for dis tools that can actually help your employees be much more efficient at understanding who do they know that could be relevant. what's interesting, a lot of companies use this for recruiting. they'll say we have $1,000 bonus or something if somebody brings in or finder's fee if you find someone to work for us. i don't know if they think about it as much for business opportunities when it is not directly relate td to that person's function in the company. >> it's important to break down those i'silos that exist naturally. one thing we do at node, we're small snuff at this stage, 30 people, to have lunch with each other, at least once a quarter. and they can go out and expense the lunch and not only getting

to know each other across different functions but actually spend time helping each other achieve each of their functional objectives or priorities. >> you know, i'm invested in a few companies and one of them sends an investor letter ever so often and at the end it says these are the very specific things i need. i need an introduction to someone at the wall street journal for -- i need this. maybe -- what do you think about a ceo, management team sending something like that out to the entire team? >> you know, i do that as well. i communicate what my priority are, it's a great idea to say okay, send an e-mail to the whole company. i'm looking for an introduction to this potential prospect. do you know anybody. >>? anything you can do to get employees to think about how they can use their networks to help your company? >> they actually encourage their employees to bring someone from their network to the company and have a free lunch.

at google we did this a lot too. i would bring friends and family and potential people interested in working at google, bring them, host them for lunch and that was a great way for them to not only get a look and feel of what the company is like but actually be able to have a conversation centered around how can i -- how can we tap into each other. how can i help you and you help me? the more people you get in your door the better? >> part of my story for how i started node, i did an analysis of all of the ifrnt duntroducti uncovered i had a knack for match making, connections led to millions in investment acquisitions and et cetera. all i was doing was just understanding what are the priorities for this person's business? what are their biggest needs right now? in my head, who do i know who might not only be interested in that opportunity but also they would get along and they could actually be a great partnership.

>> i think when you get to your employees, sometimes people use that on the management level but forget that they can use it in the lower levels as well. because who knows who's in these people's networks. congratulations on your company and its growth and thank you so much for stopping by. >> thank you so much. >> when we come back, the pros and cons of offering a one time discount earn how you can turn your employees into ambassadors for your brand. don't juggle your home life and work life without it. ♪ ♪ don't skip that office meeting for a board meeting without it. don't keep it real... keep it going... or simply keep it in the family without it. and don't turn that business trip, into an overdue family trip without it. ♪ ♪

the more you live between life and business, the more you need someone at your back. the powerful backing of american express. don't live life without it. eleanor writes, does it make sense to do a really big one time customer discount for my store to get people in the door? >> in short, i would not recommend that. what's going to happen is that your people will actually -- or kuflts will get used to the price point and to be very difficult to get out of that price point and sell them more profitable products. if you're trying to get people in, try to figure out what is the real purpose? if you have a special product, do sampling, it's better than lowering the price on the product. if you want them to come in for other reasons and create something experiential, price is the last thing you want to touch

because it establish your certain price point which will be adult difficult to come up o >> we now have the top two tips to help you grow your business. let's introduce our panel, eileen hunting ton, hundreditin learning center. and chelsea krost, a millennial expert the chief engagement officer at beyond 360. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> you have 300 franchises around the country? >> yes, amazing congratulations. >> thank you. >> let's start with you, what's your tip? >> my tip is stay true to your core belief. in business we've been in business for over 40 years and when you stay true to your core belief and our core belief is to give every student the best education possible. when you do that, the results follow. >> have there been times when it's been tempting to do something that is away from that belief and you have to get yourself back? >> i think so many things change in education but everything is

the same. okay? if you look at reading, reading is reading. and you have to stay true to that and make sure that when you're working through it, kids are really getting what they need. it's easier getting what they need. >> just having a north star, i believe whatever it is just having a north star and then everything comes back up. >> totally. >> chelsea, millennial expert and you've seen great results with company u.s. work with. what's your tip? >> my tip is for small businesses and big businesses to think about their employees in a different light, to start thinking about their employees as brand ambassador and influ ensers that could advocate and market and enhance rli in multiple different ways on behalf of the company they are working for. >> how do you get to make them ambassadors without worrying they might put something out there that is counter to your core values? >> absolutely. people might say, is this really necessary? what's the benefit to this? disengaged employees, those are

our pathetic in the workplace muling over at the desk and bringing the company culture down. costing organizations up to $550 billion annually because of their attention and turnover and training. an employee add vo voluntary vo catcy program, you're empowering employees to get creative, what kind of campaign or content do you think we should be sharing on our social media marketing channels? do you want to write the blog post or create the video or happy sharing it on your social channels? do you know that employees that share marketing messages on your social channels get up to 24 times the engagement and interest through their personal channels versus the brand channels. >> well, of course because you're talking to friends. >> peer approval. >> and not only then are you going to potentially get customers, but employees, right? because then everyone wants to

work at your company. thanks so much, chelsea. good to see both of you. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> this week's your biz selfie comes from just tina vila in ft. lauderdale, florida, specializes in children spaces and doctor's offices and yachts. that shows some range. why don't you pick up your smart phone and take a selfie of you and your business and send it to us @yourbusiness. here is the criteria, you have to include your name and name of your business and its location. we looked forward to seeing them. thank you so much for joining us. if you have any questions or comments about today's show, just e-mail us your business at msnbc.com. check out our website, msnbc.com/yourbusiness. we posted all of the segments from today plus a whole lot more for you and of course we're on

digital and social media as well. we always put new content up there and we love talking to you on digital too. podcast, been there built that, can download free from apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. i'm jj ramberg, remember we make your business our business. ♪ ♪ (baby crying) ♪ ♪ don't juggle your home life and work life without it. ♪ ♪ and don't forget who you're really working for without it. ♪ ♪ funding to help grow your business...

♪ ♪ another way we have your back. ♪ ♪ the powerful backing of american express. don't do business without it. welcome to "politics nation", one full year into mueller's investigation into possible collusion between the trump campaign and russia with mid-term elections looming, trump apoll gifts contend that with nothing pointing directly to the president, even now the investigation should be dropped to them. i point to 17 members of the president's inner circle that have been indicted,