How I Built This with Guy Raz

Rick Steves spent the summer after high school backpacking through Europe on two dollars a day—sleeping on the floor, sneaking into museums, and subsisting on a diet of bread and jam. When he came home, he found people were hungry for tips on how to visit Europe on the cheap, so he began teaching classes, and was soon hawking a self-published guidebook out of his car. Eventually, he started leading minibus tours and hosting a travel show on Public TV, steadily growing his business even though he was giving away most of his content. His no-frills approach to travel has persisted as a powerful brand, with 70 guidebooks, an ever-popular travel show, and—in 2024—an annual revenue of $120 million.This episode was produced by Rachel Faulkner-White, with music by Ramtin Arablouei.Edited by Neva Grant.You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at [email protected]. Sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Boston Beer Company founder Jim Koch joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three founders about finding product-market fit.Today, we meet Kim, whose tropical-inspired apparel company in Florida is venturing into the rum market. Then Llance from Washington, who is taking his tea-bag-soup-broth business national. And Ami, who wants potential customers to know that her Ontario-based electrical contracting company has some of the best service out there.If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298.And be sure to listen to Boston Beer Company’s founding story as told by Jim on the show in 2016.This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Gilly Moon.You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com or on Substack.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After falling in love with the gelato shops of Buenos Aires, Josh Hochschuler came home to Dallas with a bold idea: bring authentic Argentine gelato to the U.S. He raised $600,000 from friends and family and opened a gelato shop called Talenti. The product was a hit - but the retail model wasn’t. Faced with mounting losses, Josh shut down the store and moved into a warehouse to pivot to wholesale. With time, tenacity, and a now-iconic clear jar, Talenti became a national sensation, and in 2014, was acquired by Unilever. Today, it’s the best-selling gelato brand in America.This episode was produced by Casey Herman and edited by Kevin Leahy, with research by Kerry Thompson and music by Ramtin Arablouei. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Robert Rodriguez.You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at [email protected]. Sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Method co-founder and serial entrepreneur Eric Ryan joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Eric shares his strategies for entering new market categories, and gives an update on his latest venture, Tandy, a functional candy company.First, Aubrey in Tennessee asks how to find a mentor to help her and her husband with their expanding line of bakeries and restaurants. Then Maggie from Chicago weighs whether it’s time to take on an outside investor for her unique travel luggage. And finally, Matt in Arizona wonders how to best scale his three-in-one adventure gloves in retail. Thank you to the founders Transparent Hospitality, Props Luggage and Flipmits for being a part of our show.If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298.And be sure to listen to Method’s founding story as told by Eric and his co-founder Adam Lowry on the show in 2018.This episode was produced by Katherine Sypher with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch.You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On a trip to Las Vegas, Chris Riccobono found himself wearing the same J.Crew shirt over and over; it was the only dress shirt he had that looked good untucked. All of his other button-downs were too long and looked sloppy. His buddies all said they had the same problem, so Chris decided to seize the opportunity and launch UNTUCKit with a friend. Keeping his day job as a  GE salesman, he embarked on a crash course in how not to make a shirt. Thousands of defective button-downs later, UNTUCKit hit its stride, and the big fashion brands began to copy the untucked look. In 2020, UNTUCKit came within inches of a lucrative acquisition, then nearly went bankrupt, but today has grown into a thriving brand.  This episode was produced by J.C. Howard, with music by Ramtin Arablouei.Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Kerry Thompson.You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at [email protected]. Sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Serial entrepreneur Marcia Kilgore — founder of brands like Beauty Pie and Soap & Glory — joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage founders managing uncertainty and risk. Today, we meet Victor in Fort Worth, the co-founder of a Mexican-style sweets and treats venture who wonders if he should focus on expanding brick-and-mortar operations, retail presence, or both. Then Lydia in Seattle, a former disease researcher who is ready to grow her small batch botanical skincare line, but needs help overcoming her fear of failure to get to the next step. And Jack in San Francisco, the founder of a custom bike bag and accessories brand who’s trying to figure out how to maintain customer excitement throughout the entire purchasing process so as not to lose momentum. Thank you to the founders of Sol Dias, Clērstory, and Wompy Bikes for being part of our show. If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298.And be sure to listen to Marcia Kilgore’s original How I Built This episode as told by Marcia on the show in 2018. This episode was produced by Carla Esteves with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Cena Loffredo.You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The dashboard in your car – the interface on your Zoom screen … many of the products we interact with every day were created with the collaborative software Figma. Figma is a kind of Google Docs for design, created by Dylan Field and Evan Wallace after they won a Thiel fellowship in 2012. Dylan was just 20 when he became CEO. The only other job he’d had before that….? was college intern. He eventually figured out how to manage his team, and grew the company enough to attract a 20 billion dollar acquisition bid from Adobe. The deal fell through, but Figma continued to grow, and recently filed for an IPO.This episode was researched and produced by Kerry Thompson with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Jimmy Keeley.You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram, and email us at [email protected]. Sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com or on Substack.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kickstarter co-founder Perry Chen joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage founders about what they really want from investment deals and acquisitions.Today we meet Jesse in Dallas, who's debating whether or not he should sell part or all of his cold plunge tub business. Then Catharine in Oregon, who's trying to figure out how to move on from the daily grind of her hot sauce brand. And Joe in Chicago, who has an ambitious vision for his chicken sandwich chain.Thank you to the founders of Modtub, HYCH, and Fry the Coop for being a part of our show. If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298.And be sure to listen to Kickstarter’s founding story as told by Perry on the show in 2017.This episode was produced by Alex Cheng with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch.You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com or on Substack.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bill and Leigh Keith had an extraordinary childhood, travelling the country in a school bus with their parents and ten siblings. Along the way, their dad fed them a homemade concoction of peanut butter, honey and supplements rolled into bite-sized snacks. When the family fell on hard times, the older siblings decided to sell their home and bet everything on turning their family recipe into a refrigerated energy bar. The family hand-rolled millions of bars and gave out samples at festivals and grocery stores in Northern California. They eventually got Perfect Bars into Whole Foods, Costco, and major retailers throughout the country, and in 2019, the company was acquired by Mondelēz International. This episode was researched and produced by Chris Maccini with music by Ramtin Arablouei. Edited by Neva Grant. Our engineers were Kwesi Lee and Ko Takasugi-Czernowin. You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram, and email us at [email protected]. Sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sir Kensington’s co-founder and former CEO Mark Ramadan joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they work through business challenges with three early-stage founders.Today we meet Pat, a physician assistant working to bring his solution for clogged sinks to major retailers. Then Lucas, a chef whose local quick service taco joint is fending off national competition. And Beth, a working mom whose baby products brand is caught in the "messy middle" between launch and mass scale.If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, leave us a one minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298.And to hear the story of how Sir Kensington’s was founded, check out Mark's first appearance on the show in 2023.This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Cena Loffredo.You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com or on Substack.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.