Building Iconic Brands
The Cardone Zone
Grant Cardone
4.8 • 4.1K Ratings
🗓️ 21 January 2026
⏱️ 53 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Cardone Zone, Grant Cardone sits down with two powerhouse entrepreneurs from very different worlds: Jimmy John, founder of the iconic sandwich empire, and business legend Martha Stewart. Together, they break down what it takes to build brands that endure—speed, consistency, discipline, and relentless execution.
Jimmy John shares how focus, simplicity, and operational intensity helped him scale one of the most recognizable food brands in America. Martha Stewart brings decades of experience in media, lifestyle, and entrepreneurship, offering insights into brand longevity, reinvention, and staying relevant through changing markets.
From fast-growth entrepreneurship to legacy brand building, this episode delivers practical lessons on scaling, reputation, and sustaining success over time.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | First name Jimmy, last name John. |
| 0:04.3 | Jimmy John! |
| 0:05.4 | Okay, I am so excited to do. |
| 0:07.1 | We have had some unbelievable people here, and you, my friend, are unbelievable. |
| 0:11.7 | Oh, shit. |
| 0:12.6 | Thanks. |
| 0:13.7 | His story, I mean, just, Jimmy, like, you started with nothing. |
| 0:17.7 | I mean, truly, you are the rags to riches story. For sure. For sure, yeah. I mean, truly, you are the rags to riches story. |
| 0:22.1 | For sure. For sure, yeah. I mean, I was graduated second and last in my high school class. |
| 0:29.4 | And I'm dyslexic. And my dad wanted me to go to the Army. He was an Army guy. My two brothers went the Army. |
| 0:38.6 | And we were late bloomers. So we got, you know, we didn't start getting furry until about 18, 19 years old. |
| 0:44.8 | So, you know, my dad went in the Army at 5 foot 2 and he came out two years later, 6'2. |
| 0:50.8 | And he just thought the Army's a good thing for everybody. Anyway, my dad, my dad was a plastic molder. So I got to go to the Army to pick up four inches? Yeah, yeah. We have that shit. Because I'll do it. That's right. But anyway, I'm not a fighter. My dad's a fighter. My brothers are fighters, and I didn't want to go to the, to the Army. Sorry about that. I'll watch my language. I don't want to go to the army. Sorry about that. I don't want to go to the army. |
| 1:12.6 | So my, and I love to eat Chicago hot dogs. |
| 1:15.6 | I'm a Chicago kid and I want to have a little hot dog cart, |
| 1:17.6 | hot dogs and tamales and french fries and that's what I wanted to do. |
| 1:21.6 | When I figured out how much equipment to open a hot dog stand, I didn't have the money. |
| 1:24.6 | My dad gave me $25,000. |
| 1:26.6 | And the deal was simple. |
| 1:30.0 | $25,000. If it made it, he owned 48%, and I owned 52. If it failed, I didn't pay him back, |
| 1:36.1 | and I went to the Army. So that was the deal. So anyway, so I ended up... And where did he get his |
| 1:43.7 | money? |
... |
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