How the Lego Family Rebuilt the Brick Empire After Near Bankruptcy

In 2003, Lego was losing about $1 million a day. The family behind the iconic brick had over-diversified into theme parks, clothing, and video games that weren't profitable. This episode tells the story of how the Kristiansen family—still majority owners—brought in a non-family CEO, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen stepped down, and his son Thomas stepped up. We walk through the concrete moves: selling Legoland parks, refocusing on the core brick, and investing in the Lego Movie. By 2015, revenue hit $5.2 billion. The episode uses specific numbers and dates to show how a family business saved itself by thinking like a startup again. We also explore the tension between legacy and reinvention, and why the family chose to remain private even after the turnaround. #Lego #KristiansenFamily #FamilyBusiness #BusinessTurnaround #ToyIndustry #PrivateCompany #SuccessionPlanning #Legacy #BrickEmpire #LegoMovie #KjeldKirkKristiansen #ThomasKirkKristiansen #JorgenVigKnudstorp #BusinessPodcast #FexingoBusiness #Entrepreneurship #CorporateStrategy #DanishBusiness Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo