Get All Access for $5/mo

How Guy Fieri's Empire Almost Burned to the Ground The Food Network wild man opens up about writing his latest book and overcoming every small-business owner's worst nightmare.

By Dan Bova

Once upon a time, Guy Fieri was a food-obsessed entrepreneur who dreamed of running his own restaurant. Fast forward a few years and the man doesn't have one restaurant -- he has 45. Fieri's spots such as Guy's American Kitchen and Bar, Guy Fieri's Chophouse, El Burro Borracho and Guy's Burger Joint can be found across the country.

As you probably know, the culinary hurricane stars in Emmy Award-winning TV shows, has written a bunch of New York Times bestselling books and just recently added a wine label, Hunt & Ryde, to his empire. His appetite for success is matched only by his fans' appetite for his down-home grub.

Related: 'I Have No Portion Control!' Padma Lakshmi's Eating and Business Plan

While in New York promoting the release of his latest tome, Guy Fieri Family Food, we got him to stop by our office for a few minutes to talk about his new projects and his philosophy on running a massively successful empire. We were blown away by his energy, not to mention the trays of Bacon Mac 'n' Cheese Burgers he brought for the staff.

While Guy Fieri's success seems like a given at this point, he, like all entrepreneurs, faced immense struggles that took energy, self-belief and a whole lot of back-breaking work to overcome. For more, check out the video above.

Dan Bova

Entrepreneur Staff

VP of Special Projects

Dan Bova is the VP of Special Projects at Entrepreneur.com. He previously worked at Jimmy Kimmel Live, Maxim, and Spy magazine. His latest books for kids include This Day in History, Car and Driver's Trivia ZoneRoad & Track Crew's Big & Fast Cars, The Big Little Book of Awesome Stuff, and Wendell the Werewolf

Read his humor column This Should Be Fun if you want to feel better about yourself.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

More from Entrepreneur Exclusives

3 Simple Ways to Boost E-Commerce Sales

Why Your First 1,000 Customers Are Your Most Important

How to Grow Your Business By Finding New Customers

3 Stress-Busting Relaxation Exercises You Can Do Anywhere (60-Second Video)

Editor's Pick

Branding

ChatGPT is Becoming More Human-Like. Here's How The Tool is Getting Smarter at Replicating Your Voice, Brand and Personality.

AI can be instrumental in building your brand and boosting awareness, but the right approach is critical. A custom GPT delivers tailored collateral based on your ethos, personality and unique positioning factors.

Business News

Apple Reportedly Isn't Paying OpenAI to Use ChatGPT in iPhones

The next big iPhone update brings ChatGPT directly to Apple devices.

Business News

Is the AI Industry Consolidating? Hugging Face CEO Says More AI Entrepreneurs Are Looking to Be Acquired

Clément Delangue, the CEO of Hugging Face, a $4.5 billion startup, says he gets at least 10 acquisition requests a week and it's "increased quite a lot."

Business News

You Can Now Apply to Renew Your U.S. Passport Online — But There's a Catch

The U.S. State Department officially launched the beta program this week.

Business News

Sony Pictures Entertainment Purchases Struggling, Cult-Favorite Movie Theater Chain

Alamo Drafthouse originally emerged from bankruptcy in June 2021.

Growing a Business

He Immigrated to the U.S. and Got a Job at McDonald's — Then His Aversion to Being 'Too Comfortable' Led to a Fast-Growing Company That's Hard to Miss

Voyo Popovic launched his moving and storage company in 2018 — and he's been innovating in the industry ever since.