simple. easy. awesome. ask how to get $300 back when you sign up for xfinity mobile, and purchase a new samsung phone. visit your local xfinity store today. good morning. coming up on your business, he helped jay z turn his empire into a multimillion dollar juggernaut. and pinterest founder tells us why you can never have too much data or employee communication. when it comes to making choices for your business we have your back. that's all coming up next on "your business." "your business."

i'm j.j. ramberg and welcome to your business, this show dead stated to helping your growing business. maybe you've never heard the name but without him it's likely you may have never heard of the name jay z. that's because bigs was the quiet partner in the three man team that founded rockefeller records. today bigs is running his own show, building a portfolio of companies focused on lifestyle. we wanted to know how he forged his own path from the projects in harlem to the board rooms of some of the country's biggest board rooms. we followed him to see how he

follows his opportunities and makes deals. >> he grew up here in the projects of harlem. a place as rich in spirit as it is fraught with dangers. >> you learn early on the difference between fireworks and gunshots. >> he says there are not a lot of stories like his where people without resources go on to make it big-time. his own brother bob perished on these streets years ago when they were both young men. >> i got a call around midnight that he was killed, shot nine times. >> i mean, i always just imagine myself out of this environment and doing thing bigger. >> he left harlem long ago. he's a self-made millionaire many times over but he's not forgotten the years his family ended up in a homeless shelter. >> it was a tough time for me and my family but it was at that age around 12 years old and i said i'll never be in poverty again. >> his opportunity came in his

late teens. that's when one of his childhood friends introduced him to sean carter, a want to be rapper from brooklyn. the three founded rockefeller records and sean carter became known as jay z. >> we sold probably close to 60 million records. >> that was more than 20 years ago. his hunger for a bigger life led him to seek out the symbols of wealth. >> we always looked outside of our immediate culture because we wanted to be bigger and grow and also experience what the world had to offer. >> he got jay z to rap about these luxury products by name. cars and even a line of clothing they themselves produced. all of this influenced fans and brought huge profits. when he finishes his workout his stylist meets him at the gym to

help him pick out his outfit for the day. they're hurrying across the bridge for a meeting with a high market blue jeans manufacturer. now he's using his access to hip hop royalty and his understanding of emerging urban trends to bring that lifestyle to main stream merchants seeking new markets. >> i go to the ground level and i want to figure out what's happening with the everyday people. what are they wearing, what are they talking about, what are they listening to and you can figure out what's happening in the marketplace. >> he's leveraged his marketing savvy into building a portfolio of seven different companies. >> i mean, people say millions of dollars for that access. >> his first meeting today is with a luxury clothing maker to talk about the line of jeans

called 4th of november. biggs wants these jeans to reveal a mixture of styles he calls max culture. >> this is designers, streets and also with the sports it's a cultural matchup. >> the launch date is a few months away and he's counting on the ceo to meet that deadline. >> normally it's 110 days for us to start and deliver a product and in this particular instance we're going to be doing it in about 90 days. >> and jack is counting on biggs to get big name endorsements and build influence and endorsement. >> we'll have celebrity influence as well and we'll make sure they get all the product. >> jack told us about a question he asked early on. an innocent question biggs remembers too. >> how did you all meet and they answered without hesitation,

they said we met in jail. >> i'm looking at jack and he has this expression on his face like did these guys just say jail? >> i took a deep breath, i said i hope you don't mind, i would really like to know the back story. >> i think he said something to the effect of just because you make bad decisions doesn't make you bad people. >> biggs has helped people get on the right track and i always feel that it's a responsibility of all of us to try to help people that maybe made a mistake in their life. >> it's time for lunch. they head uptown. at 147th street we pull up to mama's sushi. >> long time, no see. >> yeah. >> ruben is dominican. his food, japanese caribbean fusion and the location, harlem. this is ground zero for the kind of cultural matchup mass

marketers hope to better understand. >> i've been wondering how that works. >> the presentation is big right now because now everybody taking pictures. >> oh, my god. can i take this with me? >> when i sit down with ruben i get to understand what's happening in the multicultural market. >> a lunch with ruben is also market research for his next meeting, a beverage merchant, domain select. downtown so back we go. the owner and founder is an italian. he once bid his branding agency to help his company launch new brands of rum. he wants biggs to deliver the massive consumers in harlem. they start by sampling different blends. >> you have to appeal to the younger generation and for us it's to find the flavor profile that they are liking. >> i'm happy with the brand messages, the quality of spirits that they have. >> and thanks to the people like

biggs, you have the opportunity to enrich people. >> biggs has another clothing business called reasonable doubt. his head of merchandising has been watching t-shirt trends. >> what's the reason you've been getting the whole 90s, hip hop. that era right now. >> it's everything. there's nothing hotter than 90s hip hop. it's blowing out in every retail from blooming dales down. >> the reasonable doubt street wear label takes its name from jay z's first album. they're all for it and today he's just received access to use some never released photos. >> there's photos i've never seen before. >> i've probably known since i was about 14 years old so we go way back. >> we come from the same place. we've been doing this for a long time together. >> we formed like this

brotherhood and the thing that we had in common was the same thing with a lot of people in the neighborhoods that grew up with us, that we all came from poor circumstances and we had visions that kind of get out of our neighborhoods and to do something bigger. >> last stop will be a big working dinner at the lobster bar in soho. >> how was your trip? >> it was good. >> the founder of the international media company reach tv. he just flew in from l.a. and he's hungry. >> i want the baked clams. >> exclusive video content for hundreds of hotels and airports worldwide and biggs is looking to team up with him. >> maybe we should do something like a little sitdown with them. >> we're thinking about how to combine what we're both doing together to build something bigger. >> you find out new opportunities every time i meet with him. >> we didn't finalize anything today but we made some headway

on how we can work together. >> ask biggs how he got to the top and he'll tell you, there's just no recipe to follow. >> i mean, there's no map. there's no master plan on how our duty stands. they joke and say that's my power, connect these dots. >> with more than 200 million users every month pinterest has expanded past its original concept of being a way people could collect ideas and inspiration. the today the company has become a digital portal for businesses to connect with customers and a place where people can discover brands. we met with the ceo to get husband tips in this segment, learning from the pros. >> a lot of people assume that

everything that you try will be instantly successful but there's a lot to be said for just sticking with things and kind of working through all of the details and all the hard parts that take a while to get this offensively the ground. so even with pinterest, we started at -- it wasn't very popular at the beginning. people had no idea what it was for and it took it a couple of years before it went from just me and my friends and my family to yet people who hadn't used it were using it. had we stopped we wouldn't have gotten to where we are today. one mistake i would make is i'd be asking people to leave really good jobs and i would tell them all these different things that could go on. we can't pay your very much, and i think when you're recruiting people, they know the risks, you can see the risks coming in but they want to know what's the most audacious vision of success

and so i really learned that it's easier to attract people to do something that's really, really hard than something that's guaranteed to be successful because the right kind of people want to sign up that's really hard that they can be part of. the more people there are, the more important it comes to communicate where we're going and how their work connects all the way to that mission and the vision of where we're going. so when you're small it happens naturally. everyone knows what everyone is doing, but when you get to 100 people and then 500 people you have to spend more and more effort and you feel really, really redundant. all day i'm saying the same things but for that group of people that might be the only time they hear it said for a week or for a month. t said for a week or for a month. i try to make it a point that i'm not falling out of touch

with what our users needs and what can be better. we invite folks in to have lunch at the office and then i'll take trips with me and my cofounder, sometimes it will be to places in the u.s. and sometimes out of the country. it's not like a pr event. the whole point is to sit down with folks at their house and ask them, you know, if they use the product how could it fit more smoothly into our everyday loif. and then we try to bring those learnings back to country and i feel like doing that firsthand is valuable to me but for me there's not a substitute for meeting a person in their house and watching them use the product and getting a feel for what's working and not working and using that to gut check. i think you need to balance data with your own understanding of things. it doesn't just spit out an answer. i have so many friends that started companies and i think

that the support network they build around themselves, whether it's a partner or friends or family turns out to be very important because a lot of businesses fail, not because the business is a bad idea but because people give up because they get lonely or depressed and so i tell people you should go out and get that dinner. don't just isolate yourself in work and cut yourself off, a lot of times the people outside of your work will give you the energy to keep doing your work full time. >> and people spend a lot of time on apps and a lot of those apps are about what other people think, what are other people doing and that's great. i use all those gaps but there aren't that many places where you can go and think about yourself. >> what's my taste, what do i want to try out and it's not going to be judged by anyone and i want to feel like pinterest is a great place where they can get

inspiration to live whatever life they want to lead. they wad >> i'm here with this week's elevator picture with julianne who is here the tell us about your crowuation. how long did you start the company? >> 2005. >> have you gone out to raise money? >> we've raised a little bit of money but it's gotten to the point where we have to branch out. >> was that first amount to friends and family? >> no, i funded it with my other career. >> got it. >> but now it kind of got away from he me so it's becoming bigger and i need to grow the company i'm going to have to have some investments. >> your chance to talk and we have two judges today. the first one is scott, he's the chief product officer at adobe.

a great guy. the second person, she is the founder and ceo of the renovation match maker company sweeten. she also started her company from nothing and is one of the fastest growing entrepreneur. >> my company is draed sock. i'm seeking a 10% investment. it's designed specifically but not exclusively for those with twists, colors, braids. they're manufactured with the highest quality materials. this foundational piece conceived primarily for sleep is now the chosen hair protection for restaurant kitchens, landscapers, construction workers and even sports and entertainment personality. offered in four different sizes the dread sock allows for complete protection through

every stage of hair growth. the product line includes original designs for head bands, ties, visors and all other kinds of unique accessories. no formal distribution we have built a widespread around the world. >> how many more until we see her? fantastic job. i will take your direct talks and i will give you pens so i need two numbers. the first one is one through 10, what do you think of the product and what do you think about the product? product first. >> ek o. all right. scott, write that down because you're going first. um. >> great. >> turn id around. >> all right. >> i think the product is awesome. i love how in the beginning you disqualified the assumption i had that it was something only

for certain people. and i think elaborating on the brand that you're trying to build a bit more could help your pitch further which they indicated here. i think these days when brands are built on platforms like instagram, it's knowing is lifestyle, the people, the activities and building that aura. but it's exciting. >> very successfully investing. >> i had a very similar rating. i thought it was obviously i think the product is really great and i agree with you scott. i thought it was fantastic that you gave us some idea because it's not just for draed because the name of it. i do think that adding -- i've looked on your instagram so i know that you have celebrities who have used it so maybe some

of that in the pitch might help to give a little bit more flafr. i love the construction workers. i love the guys in the office. but you know, if you have nfl stars or if you have rap stars using your products already, you should tell us that. all right. thank you so much. >> congratulations. hopefully this is the year that it really takes off. congratulations on everything. >> we have a fantastic opportunity for any of you out there who have a great product that you know people would love if they just knew about it. we have teamed up with leading e commerce shopper to give you a chance to pitch your product displayed at a whole month. also, you will get one on one mentor ship with their team hotel p you grow your business, so the considered, send us a video of your one minute elevator pitch. e-mail it to your business at

msnbc.com by september 13th. please include why you think you're the perfect foot. >> and we yieused to convert a quick into a should be your priority. should be your priority. don't forget that the past can speak to the future. ♪ ♪ i'm going to be your substitute teacher. don't assume the substitute teacher has nothing to offer... same goes for a neighborhood. don't forget that friendships last longer than any broadway run. mr. president. (laughing) don't settle for your first draft. or your 10th draft. ♪ ♪ you get to create the room where it happens. ♪ ♪ just don't think you have to do it alone. ♪ ♪ the powerful backing of american express. don't live life without it.

we have an e-mail from ron. he says i have a website selling my putter grip. i have had numerous visits to my sight but no turn around. >> you can talk to existing customers that have converted. offer them a $30 gift card, set up a 15 minute interview. what do they like about the site? what do they not like about it. then ask them questions about themselves and find out who are they and what is their target profile. take that information, set up like a google analytics account. test out different marketing channels, test out amazon and

see what converts the best. if you are not gets conversions, see what gets you the best conversions, so which two specific platforms you should focus on. google is generally better than facebook, but it will help you see where the issues are in your website and markets. now we have the top two tips you need to know to help grow your business. scott, you have a new book out, "the messy middle." you know very well all about it. >> for better for worse. >> we didn't really give you the right intro. you have been advisors in companies like some of the big ones. pinterest, uber, scope, give us something you learned along the way. >> one thing i think you learn a

lot about is the importance of the first mile of the customer's experience. what they see when they pass the store, when they come in the first time, what they see when they onboard themselves. and the last mile of the team's experience building the product or service is the first mile of the customer's experience of the product, and it's like what we think of right at the end before we launch, how do we greet people. what do they see first, in fact it is the most important thing. the thing that is at the top of what all of your customers see. it makes them determine why they are there. >> you don't get a second chance to make a first impression, right? >> first, make sure you prioritize and really think about not just showing, but doing more things for your customer, making it easy, setting them up to succeed, showing them how quickly it is to get return on whatever they're struggling with and make

sure they get some return on their investment. the other thing is that once you get it right for a group of customers, the first people that come in your door, don't assume it is good, done, and you can move on. different cohorts of new customers are different. people on the conservative are more like pragmatists. they need to be treated differently. >> i think that is a good point. the people that join you the first time are different kinds of people that may come on a year or two or months later. >> they're more forgiving, they're willing to put up with more friction, those with you later expect it to be seamless. >> jean, you had a milestone. $1 million in project venn vagss right now, right? one of the first

african-american twowomen to ra a significant amount of venture money. tell us something you learned along the way. >> what i have found often times when i -- i also talk to a lot of entrepreneurs and they're talking about their ideas. i think people think that sca s scaling a problem is a tech neck kal probl -- technical problem. i'll make a million in this factory, or we'll have 20 stores. i want people to just tell me if their idea scales. it is not a technical challenge any more. they are using third party software. so if you have a e commerce sight to sell something, there is software out there, you can just start and see if people are really resonating with your

idea. the idea is what needs to scale, don't worry about the technical capacity of the scaling. >> right, and it is definitely right now, today, 2008. this is not when i started. >> right, it's that there are so many resources that are relatively cheap, easy to access, and it could solve a problem for someone. >> and for many people. >> yes, great to see you both, thank you for stopping by. we use it to make sure question schedule meetings quickly and efficiently. >> one of my favorite as is called favor. when we launched our app, one of the things we needed to do was get reviews in the apple store, and favor allows you to get

reviews from other founders that have apps, and you're reviewing each other to build the reviews. that was a real benefit to us. people that kind of security that other people were validating our product. >> one is zoom info. it provides rich data on the companies and the hierarchy. who works in the structure, what divisions are they at, what are their names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. we work with a lot of providers product manufacturing. so how do we identify the executives to the actual roo regional representatives. so we have gone out and used that for our new generation purposes. one website that i love to use is type form. it creates forms for you. you can ask for first name, last name, any sort of question, and

it is intelligent software where it sends it all to a google dock, it is beautiful and very human friendly. this week your biz selfie is katy lee jarrell who has southern paws pet sitting and dog walking. why don't you pick up your smart phone, take a selfie of you and your business, or tweet us at. thank you so much for joining us, we love hearing from you, so if you have any questions or congressmens about today's show, end us an e-mail and also if you have a chance, go over to our

website at msnbc.com/yourbusiness. we're all on social media platforms. we also have a pod cast called " "been there. done that." thank you for joining us, and remember we make your business our business. same goes for a neighborhood. don't forget that friendships last longer than any broadway run. mr. president. (laughing) don't settle for your first draft.

or your 10th draft. ♪ ♪ you get to create the room where it happens. ♪ ♪ just don't think you have to do it alone. ♪ ♪ the powerful backing of american express. don't live life without it. good saturday morning, here is what we're watching here today at msnbc. washington is about to say goodbye to senator john mccain. as all americans remember his life and what he did for the country. >> he was a true definition of what it means to be an american hero and an american citizen. what to expect as two former presidents prepare to give