50 episodes

A painstakingly researched comedy podcast about businesses’ scams, scandals, and shenanigans. Written and hosted by Christian Borkey

Busted Business Bureau Christian Borkey

    • Business
    • 4.8 • 78 Ratings

A painstakingly researched comedy podcast about businesses’ scams, scandals, and shenanigans. Written and hosted by Christian Borkey

    Piggly Wiggly

    Piggly Wiggly

    Franklin Pierce impersonator Dylan Cohen drops by to gab about the grocery store that totally changed the game: Piggly Wiggly! I'm thrilled to have this season's rascal-centered episode, and I'm VERY excited to add a new weirdo from the early 1900s to the BBB collection. Grab your bibles, label your vegetables, and let's play some synchronous jazz while we talk about the weird twists and turns of Piggly Wiggly's dramatic changes-of-hands! 
    Dylan Cohen is performing in The Lincoln Lodge's Future of Comedy Festival on Friday September 29th at 7:30pm for "Powerpoint Night Live!" tickets at thelincolnlodge.com/futureofcomedyfestival
    SOURCES: 
    1. Clarence Saunders and the Founding of Piggly Wiggly: The Rise and Fall of a Memphis Maverick, Mike Freeman, 2011
    2. When Piggly Wiggly Tried to Stick It to Wall Street, Shiva Nagaraj, Slate 2021
     
    3. https://www.newspapers.com/image/768156903/?terms=clarence%20saunders&match=1
    4. https://newspapers.com/image/774867648/?terms=clarence%20saunders%20piggly%20wiggly&match=1
    5. https://www.newspapers.com/image/244984597/?terms=clarence%20saunders%20piggly%20wiggly&match=1
    6. https://www.newspapers.com/image/768157998/?terms=clarence%20saunders%20civil%20war&match=1
    7. https://www.newspapers.com/image/774867648/?terms=clarence%20saunders%20piggly%20wiggly&match=1
    8. Coach Houses, Vance Lauderdale, Memphis Magazine 2008

    • 1 hr
    The Imperial and Economic Consequences of Bird Shit

    The Imperial and Economic Consequences of Bird Shit

    Who wants to get drunk and talk about 1800s agriculture? MEEEEE apparently! Join myself and my sweet special friend J. T. Kost for an episode detailing the guano boom and bust of the 1800s: drunken reenactments of the Last Supper, yadda-yadda-ing our way through unprecendented imperial expansion, and plenty of descriptions of bird shit abound this episode! Not to get too TMI but I had to figure out a recording situation last-minute to produce this podcast, which means that the audio quality might be...shall we say different than previous episodes. I'm working on a solution and I hope you still like it anyways! This episode was a labor of love to my roots in academia, which is part of why the title is so annoying 3
    Tickets to Kost's show Giggle Hour
    SOURCES: 
    1) How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States, Daniel Immewahr, 2016
    2) Guano and the Opening of the Pacific World: A Global Ecological History, Gregory T Cushman, 2013
    These are pretty dense books, and let's be real, any other source I consulted was genuinely just taking their info from these books -- it's pretty obvious. But man these books are so effing dense I don't feel bad only having two sources lol. 

    • 1 hr 10 min
    Hewlett-Packard (HP)

    Hewlett-Packard (HP)

    Brazen antifeminist woman in STEM, Sarah, joins me to discuss the factory of girlfailures: Hewlett-Packard! Revolutionizing the world of personal-computers-you-kinda-know, this company has been run by a cavalcade of silly little clowns since at least 1999. This episode is packed top to bottom with shenanigans; spiders falling from the ceiling, being a Girl-FailedGubernatorialCandidate, somehow also private military contracting, and lots and lots of rich people problem-solving in unique, never-before seen foolish ways. 
    I'll be posting episodes every two weeks, which I think will make the podcast much more sustainable to make! I can't read all this shit in one day, no matter how hard I try. Thanks so much for sticking around. I hope y'all have been liking it so far! :) If you do, it'd help me out to leave a rating on Apple Podcasts. The algorithm loves seeing engagement. Write who you think the hottest HP failed CEO is!
    SOURCES: 

    How Hewlett-Packard lost its way, James Bandler with Doris Burke, Fortune Magazine, May 2012
    3 wartime moments to remember in HP’s history, Garage Staff for HP, Nov 2022
    David Packard, Richard Nixon Administration – Historical Office of the Secretary of Defense
    The HP Way: How Bill Hewlett and I Founded Our Company, David Packard 1995
    Leadership Challenges at Hewlett Packard: Through the Looking Glass, David F. Larcker and Brian Tayan, Stanford Closer Look Series, Oct 2011
    HP: Grueling day for Hurd & Dunn, Grace Wong, CNN Money, Sep 2006
    Fiorina out, HP stock soars; CEO who engineered Compaq merger leaving after fight with board; will walk away with $21 million, Paul La Monica, CNN Money, Feb 2005
    Wisecrackers: A theory-grounded investigation of phishing and pretext social engineering threats to information security, Michael Workman, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 59(4), 662–674. 2008
    Oracle really does owe HPE $3b after Supreme Court snub

    • 58 min
    The Legacy of Pat Tillman

    The Legacy of Pat Tillman

    Amy Do and Blender Bluid join me to unpack the lengthy, complicated story of Pat Tillman. For a typically facts-dense podcast about corporate wrongdoings, this episode is decidedly more opinionated -- this isn't a single business for which we can dig up public reports, lawsuits, etc. Rather, this episode dives into the general misuse of someone's memory so that a variety of folks can milk ad revenue on Youtube and sell tee shirts. Plain and simple, I think that sucks! 
    I've never been in more physical pain recording an episode nor have I taken so many L's in the leadup to it. Thanks for your patience on letting me take a week off before dropping this one! Once I get everything fixed up we should be back to a normal schedule. 
    Follow @blenderbluid and @helloamydo 
    SOURCES: 

    Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman, Mary Tillman, 2008
    Pat Tillman Awarded the Silver Star, Billy House, USA Today, 2004
    REMEMBER HIS NAME, Gary Smith, Sports Illustrated 2006
    PRO FOOTBALL; Tillman Leaves N.F.L. to Join Army, Mike Freeman, New York Times, 2002
    New Details on Tillman's Death, Martha Mendoza, Associated Press, Feb 2007
    After Pat’s Birthday, Kevin Tillman, Truthdig 2006
    TACKLING PAID PATRIOTISM: A Joint Oversight Report, John McCain and Jeff Flake 2015
    "THINGS HAVE CHANGED BUT THINGS AREN'T BETTER", Gary Joyce, Sportsnet
    The NFL, The Military, and the Hijacking of Pat Tillman’s Story, Ryan Devereaux, The Intercept 2017
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ghraib_torture_and_prisoner_abuse
    Richard Tillman on Bill Maher, clip from funeral 1:00-ish in

    • 1 hr 1 min
    Waste Management, INC

    Waste Management, INC

    Dry mouthed Emma Day did me a huge favor coming onto this podcast last-minute for a WHIRLWIND episode about trash. If you love cathaters and sewage being dumped into your Hawai'ian vacation resort water, suing a district attorney out of spite for 7 years, or committing literal textbook financial fraud, you'll freaking LOVE this one! Don't you wish a company tasked with a service that impacts public health and safety would do it...well? Nah, let's just pop some money into our retirement account and tell the next generation HAGS! Anyways, when Emma gets in the studio I just vibe. I love hanging out with her :)
    Thanks to everyone for listening, you can follow Emma @alldayemmaday and catch her occasionally on 101.9 The Mix. She produces @thelesbianlodge monthly and is a cool fella. 
    SOURCES: 

    Citizen Wayne: The Unauthorized Biography of H. Wayne Huizenga, Steve Almond, Miami New Times, December 1994
    Waste Management, Inc. Final Report - District Attorney Edwin Miller Jr. 1992
    Fraud at Waste Management, Ann and Rob Diamond, Ethics for Professional Accountants 2019
    SEC complaint against Waste Management INC, 2002
    Violation Tracker - Waste Management
    Waste Management Of Hawaii Inc. And Managers Indicted For Violations Of Clean Water Act, Conspiracy, Making False Statements, US Attorney's Office District of Hawaii, April 2014
    Federal court orders Chicago-area company to pay whistleblower $95K in back wages after US Department of Labor investigation, OSHA news release 2021

    https://www3.epa.gov/region9/water/npdes/stormwater-feature.html#:~:text=Stormwater%20systems%20were%20originally%20intended,and%20straight%20to%20our%20waters.


    https://leachate.co.uk/main/leachate-treatment/how-do-you-treat-leachate/

    • 1 hr 5 min
    Toys "R" Us

    Toys "R" Us

    My friend who loves a shot and a beer, Karsten Runquist, joins me for this exploratory episode about the ins and outs of the United States' beloved decrepit children's toy retail store, Toys R Us! Let's get jiggy with some brankruptcy docey-do's, George HW Bush's infamous trip to Japan, giraffe sized coffins, and the lush world of private equity! This episode took much longer to research than is likely evident from the podcast because what on God's green earth is a motherfvcking "Leveraged Buyout?" Is mayonnaise a debt instrument? Anyways, huge thanks to Investopedia dot com for your articles that require 3 other articles to understand, like a Matryoshka doll of finance jargon. 
    Karsten and I hosted a Succession recap podcast called Succ Off: A Succession Podcast which is on, like, all streaming services I assume. You can also follow him on Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter at either @KarstenRunquist or @RunquistKarsten. Yay!
    SOURCES:

    Charles P. Lazarus, Toys R Us Founder, Dies at 94. Michael Corkery. New York Times. March 2018. 
    COMPANY NEWS; Toys 'R' Us Opens Doors in Japan. James Sterngold. New York Times. Dec 1991
    Plunder. Brandon Ballou. May 2023
    These are the Plunderers. Gretchen Morgensen and Joshua Rosner. April 2023. 
    The Real Toy Story: Inside the Ruthless Battle for America's Youngest Consumers. Eric Clark. January 2007
    Lessons Learned From the Downfall of Toys 'R' Us, Tara Lachapelle, Bloomberg, March 2018

    NOTE: The Plunder-ey books I’ve linked to the website where I get them with tenuous legality. I currently have a free trial on this website and it has been 1000% worth it. Considering getting a subscription and canceling my Scribd subscription, which is becoming less and less useful. 

    • 1 hr 1 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
78 Ratings

78 Ratings

ohmygodnicknametaken ,

fave business/comedy podcast

the amount of research that goes into this podcast is impressive, and that’s not even including Christian’s jokes throughout each episode. i learned a lot about companies i see on a daily basis and just how busted businesses around us are!! love this podcast give it a try!!

customer326 ,

Well Researched! Very fun!

Great podcast!
Makes sad and frustrating topics fun!

fhkglhkj;jkl'jjjlkj ,

Christian is a Hilarious Delight

If you are a fan of You’re Wrong About or Maintenance Phase, you absolutely must give this show a listen. Christian is frankly much funnier than the hosts of those shows (and they’re pretty funny!) and every bit as insightful and intelligent, and her guests always bring excellent energy and thoughts as well.

As someone that had the privilege of seeing Christian blossom from afar in our conservative Catholic school (I was pretty far ahead years wise), she has always been obviously intelligent and naturally hilarious and charming, even as a middle schooler, so its of no surprise that this podcast is an absolute joy to listen to.

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