# Tom Krulis: Godfreys. Petstock. Cheap as Chips.

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-i-learned-in-business-that-didn-t-kill-me-7504944/tom-krulis-godfreys-petstock-cheap-as-chips
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-i-learned-in-business-that-didn-t-kill-me-7504944/tom-krulis-godfreys-petstock-cheap-as-chips.md
Podcast: [What I learned in business (that didn't kill me!)](https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-i-learned-in-business-that-didn-t-kill-me-7504944)
Published: 2026-05-18T19:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/what-i-learned-in-business-that-didnt-kill-me/episodes/tommy-krulis
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68c8d9069445f7a95104183c/e/69fd12efc117aa79bf58e561/media.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-i-learned-in-business-that-didn-t-kill-me-7504944/episodes/tom-krulis-godfreys-petstock-cheap-as-chips
Duration seconds: 3027

## Resource

How a Holocaust survival story shaped a family legacy and inspired a serial retail investor to keep striving for success. In this deeply personal discussion, James H Stewart sits down with retailer, investor, former lawyer and long-time friend, Tom Krulis for a conversation that goes far beyond business. Tom opens up about his family’s extraordinary journey, including the posthumous publication of his father Steven’s book, The Boy with the Suitcase , the enduring legacy of growing up as the son of a Holocaust survivor, and how those experiences shaped his values, leadership style, and appetite for risk. James and Tom reflect on their shared experiences travelling through Rwanda , exploring one of the most remarkable national turnarounds of modern times following the Rwandan Genocide , and then rise of antisemitism in Australia what business leaders can learn from resilience, reconciliation, and rebuilding. From there, the conversation shifts to Tom’s remarkable business career—from leaving law at Freehills , to helping drive the success of Godfreys Group through multiple ownership cycles, becoming an early investor in Petstock before its billion-dollar transaction with Woolworths Group , and navigating the recent collapse of value retailer, Cheap as Chips . This is a conversation about: Legacy, family and values The lived experience of modern antisemitism in Australia Building, scaling and exiting retail businesses Private equity, public markets and investor discipline Why some businesses survive… and others don’t A raw, honest and deeply human conversation with a man who has seen both extraordinary success… and the reality of loss. ⚠️ Disclaimer This podcast is intended for general information, education and discussion purposes only. The views, opinions, experiences a…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-i-learned-in-business-that-didn-t-kill-me-7504944/episodes/tom-krulis-godfreys-petstock-cheap-as-chips/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-i-learned-in-business-that-didn-t-kill-me-7504944/tom-krulis-godfreys-petstock-cheap-as-chips.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.