Episode: rom Mattresses to Jet Skis: Our Worst Business Ideas Ever

Hosts: Kyle Fernandez, Brian Preston, David Ounanian

Episode Summary:

In this hilarious episode, the guys reflect on some of their biggest business fails—from sinking jet skis to a short-lived mattress empire and a car flipping business that barely made it out of the lot. If you’ve ever failed forward or learned the hard way, this one’s for you.

David shares his current "project": a $7,000 salvage-title WaveRunner with a hidden hole in the bottom. Kyle and Brian dig into their past life as auto dealers, revealing the chaos, losses, and hard-won lessons of buying lemons at auctions. And just wait until you hear the story about the Chicago mattress home show.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why failure is often the best (and most expensive) teacher
• How auction flips can go very wrong—fast
• What not to do when starting a mattress business
• The importance of inspecting everything—cars, jet skis, and businesses
• How to recover after a failed venture (and laugh about it later)
• Why jumping into business without a plan almost guarantees chaos

“You just paid $7,000 to find out a WaveRunner doesn’t float.”

“We bought four cars at auction—and not a single one made it home.”

“It was a great business idea… until we got drunk and skipped the whole first day of the home show.”

“Every bad business led to something better—we just didn’t know it at the time.”

⚠️ Content Note:

Some language and themes in this episode may not be suitable for kids.

Subscribe & Review:

If you’ve ever failed in business (or just want to laugh at someone else’s), hit that subscribe button, leave a review, and share this episode with a fellow entrepreneur. Because sometimes the best stories come from the worst ideas.