{"podcast":{"title":"What I learned in business (that didn't kill me!)","slug":"what-i-learned-in-business-that-didn-t-kill-me-7504944","podcast_index_feed_id":7504944,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68c8d9069445f7a95104183c","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/what-i-learned-in-business-that-didnt-kill-me","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/cover/1757989586689-5ec7fadd-958d-4f32-b41a-87024b76e51a.jpeg","author":"James Stewart","episode_count":31,"summary":"Have you ever wondered why some businesses go broke and others are successful? Have you ever wondered why some leaders rise to the top in difficult situations? For 40 years I was a corporate undertaker. I buried businesses that failed and helped save those where there was still a pulse. I was parachuted into some of corporate Australia’s biggest financial crisis, insolvencies and turnaround environments. I have been in Board rooms, Court rooms and on shop floors when all seems lost (and sometimes it was). Over decades at the coal face of business (often in the most difficult circumstances), I have seen & heard stories that delighted and inspired me, as well as those which serve as a guide of the path not to take. I also spent years in leadership roles at Ferrier Hodgson and KPMG Australia where I sat on the Board and was the National Consumer and Retail leader. The purpose of What I learned about Business (that didn’t kill me!) is to share the stories behind some of the world's most interesting business situations, how they unfolded, how my guests dealt with them, and how those experiences changed them and the way they do business. I hope that my podcast entertains and engages lis…","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-i-learned-in-business-that-didn-t-kill-me-7504944"},"episode":{"title":"Tom Krulis: Godfreys. Petstock. Cheap as Chips.","slug":"tom-krulis-godfreys-petstock-cheap-as-chips","published_at":"2026-05-18T19:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-i-learned-in-business-that-didn-t-kill-me-7504944/tom-krulis-godfreys-petstock-cheap-as-chips","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-i-learned-in-business-that-didn-t-kill-me-7504944","url":"https://shows.acast.com/what-i-learned-in-business-that-didnt-kill-me/episodes/tommy-krulis","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68c8d9069445f7a95104183c/e/69fd12efc117aa79bf58e561/media.mp3","summary":"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…","meta_description":"How a Holocaust survival story shaped a family legacy and inspired a serial retail investor to keep striving for success. In this deeply personal discussi…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3027,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"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","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-i-learned-in-business-that-didn-t-kill-me-7504944/tom-krulis-godfreys-petstock-cheap-as-chips.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}