Zachary Crockett
Editor, Senior Writer, The Hustle
zzcrockett

How one of the world’s fastest-growing startups burned through $300m

On an overcast day in November 2014, Jason Goldberg sat at his desk in NYC, poring over the term sheet to sell his company,...
Zachary Crockett • 20 hours ago

The Hustle’s best Sunday stories of 2020

At The Hustle, we generally like to stay out of our stories and let the characters do the talking.  But this week, I’m going...
Zachary Crockett • January 2, 2021

The economics of Christmas trees

On a frosty day in November, Beth Ann Bossio walks through the brilliant green rows of Douglas firs at Quarter Pine Farm in Smithfield,...
Zachary Crockett • December 5, 2020
The economics of Christmas Trees

The economics of Christmas trees

On a frosty day in November, Beth Ann Bossio walks through the brilliant green rows of Douglas firs at Quarter Pine Farm in Smithfield,...
Zachary Crockett • December 5, 2020

The man who invented the Zamboni

As the great sage Charlie Brown once said: “There are 3 things in life that people like to stare at: a flowing stream, a...
Zachary Crockett • November 28, 2020

‘Black Edison’: The 20th century’s prolific, oft-forgotten inventor

He called himself the “Black Thomas Edison,” but we should all know his true name: Garrett Augustus Morgan. Throughout the first half of the...
Zachary Crockett • November 14, 2020

The hidden economy of schoolyard trades

In ‘90s-era schoolyards, there was a hidden economy at play. Before we had the hard cash to buy our own stuff, most of us...
Zachary Crockett • November 7, 2020

How a tiny peanut butter company grew to $500k per month in sales

In August 2020, Craig Mount and Erika Peterson found themselves in an enviable position. Nerdy Nuts — the D2C peanut butter company they’d founded...
Zachary Crockett • October 17, 2020

The economics of vending machines

Three months ago, Jalea Pippens — a phlebotomist at St. John Hospital in Detroit — had her hours cut. In the midst of the...
Zachary Crockett • October 3, 2020

The business of selling illegal cocktails on the streets of NYC

Beneath the high-rises and skyscrapers of America’s wealthiest city, some 20k street vendors vie to make a living. The merchants who make up this...
Zachary Crockett • September 25, 2020

The economics of the Tour de France

Right about now, more than 150 of the world’s most elite cyclists are charging up Col de la Hourcère in the French Pyrenees. Over...
Zachary Crockett • September 6, 2020

Disney

How do Disney’s live-action remakes stack up against the animated originals?

Mulan is streaming on Disney+ (and in theatres in China). How will this live-action remake perform compared to its predecessors? ...
Zachary Crockett • September 4, 2020

celebrity

The highest-earning Cameo stars

We broke down which Cameo stars earn the most, and who gives the most bang for your buck. ...
Zachary Crockett • August 26, 2020

Silicon Valley’s eccentric real estate king

Drive through the labyrinthine roads of Hillsborough, California and you’ll see why it’s America’s 3rd wealthiest town. Multimillion-dollar estates dot the lush hills —...
Zachary Crockett • August 22, 2020

The man who has created 100+ pointless inventions

At first glance, Matty Benedetto’s workshop in Burlington, Vermont is the typical inventor’s lair. Buckets of screws, springs, nuts, and bolts line the shipping-container-sized...
Zachary Crockett • August 16, 2020

Business and entrepreneurship

The king of unnecessary inventions

In a small workshop in Burlington, Vermont, 30-year-old Matty Benedetto creates hundreds of unnecessary inventions. ...
Zachary Crockett • August 14, 2020

Business and entrepreneurship

What it looks like to ascend from sales to CEO at a Fortune 500 company

The new CEO of Clorox has an amazing resume. ...
Zachary Crockett • August 6, 2020

The collectors who spend thousands on rare Hot Wheels

By day, Bruce Pascal is a successful commercial real estate executive who brokers multimillion-dollar deals in the nation’s capital. By night, he buys $5k...
Zachary Crockett • August 1, 2020

What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought with cash?

A few years ago, Roy Chong, a solar salesman living in San Diego, spotted the Rolex of his dreams on a watch forum. The...
Zachary Crockett • July 26, 2020

Money and Markets

What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought in cash?

Fill out our survey, and we’ll share the most entertaining responses this Sunday. ...
Zachary Crockett • July 22, 2020

Meet the company that sells your lost airplane luggage

Imagine this: An airline loses your checked bag. After an extensive search, customer support comes up empty-handed. They compensate you and life goes on....
Zachary Crockett • July 11, 2020

How my dad got scammed for $3,000 worth of gift cards

At 2:30 pm on a recent Monday, my dad received a jarring phone call. A man claiming to be a federal agent (David White,...
Zachary Crockett • July 5, 2020

The house servant who pioneered the franchising business model

Martha Matilda Harper defied social roadblocks and gender norms to build a successful chain of hair salons. More than a century later, she’s still...
Zachary Crockett • June 28, 2020

3 stories of black-owned businesses damaged in the riots

In cities across the country, rioters have taken advantage of peaceful protests, damaging, looting, and destroying local businesses — many of them owned by...
Zachary Crockett • June 6, 2020

How a Florida couple “flipped” their way to a 6-figure income

Rob and Melissa Stephenson make a full-time living by scouring flea markets for discarded items — baby strollers, forklifts, prosthetic legs — and flipping...
Zachary Crockett • May 30, 2020

Silicon Valley’s favorite magician reimagines his act in the age of Zoom

Daniel Chan has stumped billionaires, CEOs, and engineers with his technology-driven tricks. Now, in the age of Zoom, he’s trying to pivot. ...
Zachary Crockett • May 10, 2020

The man feeding a remote Alaska town with a Costco card and a ship

When Gustavus, Alaska, was cut off from its grocery supply chain, one resident decided to take action. ...
Zachary Crockett • May 3, 2020

Everyone is baking — and entrepreneurs are rising up to meet the demand

A look at the numbers behind the latest quarantine craze, and the small businesses that are filling a gap in the market. ...
Zachary Crockett • April 18, 2020

small businesses

How small business owners survived the Great Recession

As COVID-19 rattles small businesses around the country, inspiration can be drawn from the stories of those who survived the last financial crisis. ...
Zachary Crockett • April 11, 2020

Meet the COVID-19 college graduates

On March 11, I opened my inbox to find an email from my soon-to-be-alma-mater, Pomona College: In light of COVID-19, I had a week...
Zachary Crockett • April 7, 2020

TRENDING ORIGINALS

  1. The economics of Christmas trees
  2. How a real-life monopoly made Monopoly the world’s biggest board game
  3. ‘All Gas No Brakes’: The inside story of the internet’s favorite interview series
  4. The man who invented the Zamboni
  5. The economics of the human hair trade

New business ideas and the best way to capitalize.

“Entertaining, informative, keeps you coming back for more...”

The podcast for awesome builders, schemers, and dreamers.

Daily briefings, straight to your inbox

Business and tech news in 5 minutes or less

Join over 1 million people who read The Hustle