Isaac Larian, entrepreneur: Failure is the foundation for success

About this episode

Isaac Larian discusses his journey from a challenging childhood in Tehran to becoming a successful entrepreneur in America.

“One thing I have learned from my childhood til now is that when you fall, you get up, dust yourself off, and do it over and over again. I’ve had a lot of up and downs in my business life in America. I’ve had many failures and people only talk about successes, but failures in my mind are the foundation of success.” Rahul Tandon speaks to Iranian-American entrepreneur Isaac Larian. The 72-year-old billionaire is the founder and chief executive of US-based MGA Entertainment, one of the world’s largest toy companies. Over the years, he’s been involved in several high-profile toy launches, including the ‘Bratz’ range of dolls back in 2001. But his success today, regularly appearing on rich lists compiled by the likes of Forbes, is a far cry from his early years growing up Tehran, where his family often struggled to put food on the table in a home without electricity or running water. His father ran a small textile shop that a young Larian would work in, buying and selling stock. And at the age of just 17, Larian took this business experience with him when he bought a one-way ticket to America to seek his fortune. Thank you to the Business Daily team for their help in making this…

People in this episode

Host: Rahul Tandon

Guest: Isaac Larian

Topics covered

• entrepreneurship
• success
• failure
• toys
• business
• personal story

Keywords

• entrepreneur
• failure
• success
• MGA Entertainment
• Bratz
• business journey
• Iranian-American

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MGA Entertainment, Forbes

Places: Tehran, America

More episodes of The Interview

• Paul McCartney, musician: I often think about the past · June 11, 2026 · 25 min
• Mohammed Dewji, billionaire: I want to give back · June 9, 2026 · 23 min
• Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon: Reconciliation over revenge · June 7, 2026 · 38 min
• David Miliband, International Rescue Committee President: It’s a new world disorder · June 4, 2026 · 26 min
• Reid Hoffman, tech billionaire: AI job revolution · June 2, 2026 · 23 min
• Kate Kallot, AI founder: A global digital divide? · May 31, 2026 · 23 min