Fired & Broke with Twins Coming—How a $0 Deal Sparked a $1 B Empire

Episode 43: Dennis Knodt
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-knodt) sits down with Chris
Treble – entrepreneur, mentor, and now 85 – who’s played a key
role in Dennis’ life for nearly two decades. The two met when
Dennis was just 16, during a summer in Silicon Valley, and Chris
has been a mentor and friend ever since. In this episode, Chris
shares the ups and downs of his journey: growing up in post-war
England, failing out of college, getting into Stanford against
the odds, building a real estate empire – and nearly losing it
all during the 2008 crash. It’s a conversation about second
chances, finding your path, and what it means to show up for
others – in business and life.





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00:00 Intro


02:56 Failing in the US and returning to Selfridges


07:25 Childhood memories: food, war, and class consciousness


15:48 How Chris got into Stanford – with help, luck, and a loan


28:04 First steps into entrepreneurship: leaving the employee
life


36:42 The first big real estate projects


50:03 Losing it all in 2008 – and coming back


59:20 The $50 million deal nobody wanted