Launching a viable business is a high-stakes gamble, where fear, doubt and uncertainty can hinder your chance for success. In an all-new Discovery Channel series, ‘I QUIT,’ entrepreneurs from six businesses risk it all when they give up their steady 9-to-5 jobs to follow their passions in a life-changing journey that begins with the words “I QUIT.” The original series, a new format from Shopify Studios and Wheelhouse Entertainment’s Spoke Studios,premieres Tuesday, August 18 at 10:00PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel.
Over the course of one year, I QUIT follows six sets of hopeful entrepreneurs as they leave their steady incomes and retirement plans behind, going all in on their dreams of launching their own businesses. Along the way, they will be mentored by three successful business leaders who have each built empires of their own – Harley Finkelstein, COO of Shopify, the global commerce platform powering more than 1 million businesses around the world; Debbie Sterling, CEO of the award-winning children’s multimedia company, GoldieBlox; and Tricia Clarke-Stone, entrepreneur, author, innovative marketer and co-founder/CEO of the award-winning creative and tech agency, WP Narrative_.
From newlyweds Matteo and Julie trying to launch a “versatile attire” company to parents Mike and Gloria building a BBQ sauce business and best friends Ashanti, Jasmine and Tyshemia looking to disrupt the wine industry, I QUIT follows a cast of everyday people who take the leap of a lifetime.
Best friends and dads from Utah, Marcus and Chris, have 10 kids between them and put everything on the line to launch an outdoor cooler company, relying heavily on their families and each other as they face crippling market issues from the get-go. New Jersey couple Alex and Sibrena grapple with financial security after buying a semi-pro soccer team. A daughter of a Brazilian immigrant, Jen takes the chance her father never had – leaving her executive position on Wall Street to start a full-time business with her husband Jesse, making a beloved Brazilian truffle, ‘brigadeiros.’
With the business owners also self-documenting, viewers will experience the high intensity, pressing deadlines and extreme decision-making that rule in these daunting endeavors where there are no safety nets. And all the while, what the entrepreneurs don’t know is that at the end of the year, the most promising business will receive $100,000 to fuel their growth. Can the new business owners turn up the heat, or will they go broke?
Ahead of the season premiere, viewers can tune into UNDERCOVER BILLIONAIRE: RETURN TO ERIE special at 9PM ET/PT, where Glenn Stearns returns to Erie, Pennsylvania with unfinished business. Stripped of everything, Glenn had to build a $1 million dollar business from scratch in just 90 days. Now, exactly one year after his business Underdog BBQ opened, Glenn’s headed back to Erie to check in on the restaurant and visit with those who helped him build it. Through candid never-before-seen footage and new business values, Glenn reveals fresh insight about his 90 days and what it takes to start from nothing, culminating with an unexpected announcement about his future plans in the city.
I QUIT premieres Tuesday, August 18, at 10:00 PM ET/PT and the subsequent weeks will be premiering at 9:00 PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel. In addition to watching the show on Discovery, viewers can stream I QUIT by downloading the Discovery GO app. Viewers can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #IQuit and follow Discovery on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest updates.
I QUIT is an original format created by Shopify Studios and Wheelhouse Entertainment’s Spoke Studios. It is produced for Discovery in the U.S. by Shopify Studios, Spoke Studios and ITV America. For Shopify Studios, Tobi Lütke and Pam Silverstein are executive producers. Brent Montgomery, Ed Simpson and Will Nothacker are the executive producers for Spoke Studios, and Karen Kunkel Young and Steve Kantor executive produce for ITV America. For Discovery, Gretchen Morning is the executive producer and Jessica Mollo and Kerresha Musgrove are associate producers.
