From a side hustle to empire building

INC. THIS MORNING From a side hustle to empire building Good morning, Jimmy O’Brien’s and Jake Storiale’s media company started in 2018 as two childhood friends discussing baseball in front of a microphone for fun. Today, Jomboy--which got its name from an autocorrection of “Jimmy”--is one of the most popular sports media brands in the world. It has 30 employees, up from four at the start of 2020, and manages nearly two dozen podcasts. The original one, Talkin’ Baseball, garnered more than 300,000 plays across platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube during the first two weeks of June. In February, Jomboy raised $1 million from a group of new and existing investors, including filmmaker Eli Roth, Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ, and former MLB players Trevor Plouffe and Josh Satin. Having cash on hand is fairly new for the pair. So far, they've used the capital to recruit accomplished media types for the company's slate of new shows, grow a sales team, and raise employee salaries to industry standards. In other words, the startup--which still has a distinctly garage-like feel to it--is growing up in real time. Read our story to learn how Jomboy built its viral momentum, and how it’s tackling the inevitable growing pains. HERE'S WHAT ELSE I'M READING TODAY: This year’s Amazon Prime Day: record sales, but a mixed bag for third-party sellers. --Inc. How Zoom’s core values gave its team direction at the height of the pandemic. --Inc. Uber and Lyft drivers are now racing to apps that make contract work a better gig. --The Wall Street Journal Jet.com founder Marc Lore: Brands like Warby Parker and Allbirds simply can’t be replicated by big-box retailers. --CNBC Attention, restaurant owners: Tip credit rules are likely changing. --Inc. ONE MORE THING: Carl Nassib just became the NFL’s first openly gay active player. His coming out reveals the power of a different kind of compound interest. --Inc. --Cameron Albert-Deitch Reporter, Inc. How are we doing? Send me ideas and feedback at calbertdeitch@inc.com, and sign up for daily text messages from me. Join the visionaries who choose Inc. as their trusted source for the most accurate reporting on business. Join Inc. Unlimited today. Click here to forward to a friend. This email was sent by: Mansueto Ventures 7 World Trade Center, 29th Floor New York, NY, 10007, Unsubscribe • Update Profile • View in Browser • Privacy Policy