How I Built This with Guy Raz

In 2010, software engineer Natalie Gordon was pregnant– and fed up with the overwhelming baby aisles in big box stores.  So she quit her computer job to code the registry she wished existed. No pink-and-blue giraffes. No allegiance to a single store. Just a universal list that let friends give the real help that new parents need—from strollers to diaper services to dog-walking.

Natalie coded the first lines of Babylist...

Wayfair co-founder Niraj Shah joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs about how to bet on themselves – and define themselves to consumers. Plus, Niraj explains why Wayfair is expanding into large-format brick-and-mortar stores.

First up, Valerie in Washington, D.C., is looking for a better way to educate consumers about her dehydrated chicken stock. Then, Bree in Utah wants to k...

A century ago, Jeff Braverman’s grandfather opened a peanut shop in Newark, New Jersey. By the early 2000s, the family business was doing $1M in sales and struggling to stay afloat. Jeff had a high-paying job in finance, but walked away from it to reinvent the business. His strategy? The internet. Something his dad and uncle knew nothing about.

What happened next is wild: an AdWords experiment that blew the doors off the bu...

Lyft co-founder John Zimmer joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, John talks about his recent decision to step away from the company he founded in 2012.

First, Alan from England asks about the best strategy for expanding his patented shower innovation to the U.S. Then, Teri from California looks for advice on raising money because her weighted “rucking” vest for women ke...

What happens when a charismatic home renovator marries a budding design whiz? You get the billion-dollar powerhouse that is Chip and Joanna Gaines.

The Gaines’ TV show Fixer Upper became a cultural obsession, turning shiplap and farmhouse sinks into a lifestyle movement that swept America.

When they walked away from that show at peak popularity, everyone thought they were crazy. Instead, they turned their business Magnolia i...

Stacy’s Pita Chips co-founder Stacy Madison joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, Stacy talks about her hard-won experience of knowing when to stick with an idea… and when to walk away.

First up, Sam wants to figure out how to leverage his popular pizza instagram account into the go-to place for men to learn how to bake. Then, Alex wants to know how to make his Peruvian...

When identical twins Mike and Alex Faherty launched their clothing brand, they made a daring move– launching wholesale, retail, and online, pretty much at the same time.  Investors said it was outdated, maybe even doomed.

But that contrarian bet helped grow Faherty into a hugely popular brand, built on family, ingenuity, and obsession with detail.

The two brothers spent 12 years preparing for launch—Mike at Ralph Lauren...

Dollar Shave Club founder Michael Dubin joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Michael shares his latest career pivot into the screenwriting world.

First, Benita from New Jersey asks how to create a “guerilla-style” marketing campaign to introduce customers to her specialty Syrian Cheese. Then, Brandon from California wonders how he can encourage his mobile mini golf emp...

What if the best startup isn’t sexy at all? In 2013, Vijen Patel left private equity to pursue “the least-worst idea”: dry cleaning. No patents. No app wizardry. Just laundry lockers in high-rises, ruthless unit economics, and a $1.99-a-shirt price that was seared into America’s brain.

From bootstrapping routes at 5 a.m. to breaking even in 6 weeks, Vijen and co-founder Drew McKenna scaled Pressbox to hundreds of locations,...

Tony Xu, founder of DoorDash, joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, Tony updates Guy on his latest ventures: expanding into grocery and retail delivery - and taking on international markets.

First, we hear from Ron in Portland, who’s wondering about the right time to expand his product line - from kitchen knives to cutting boards.

Then Kathryn in Raleigh, North Carolina ...

What if the founder of one of the internet’s most enduring brands… never wanted to run a company?

In 1995, Craig Newmark was a 42-year-old computer programmer in San Francisco who simply wanted to share local tech meetups with friends. He started an email list that became Craigslist—a website that reshaped how we find jobs, apartments, and community.

In this conversation, Craig opens up about how not having a grand vision (o...

Randy Hetrick, former Navy SEAL and founder of the suspension training company TRX, joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, Randy updates Guy on his latest venture, a mobile gym called Outfit that brings the workout to you.

First, we hear from Paige in Toronto, who’s wondering how to best capitalize on a major new retail account for her caffeine-conscious energy drink com...

A decade ago, Allison Ellsworth was drinking apple cider vinegar for health reasons and doctoring it with fruit so she could stand the taste. Her husband Stephen helped her turn it into a business by adding carbonation on a hacked soda line in their Dallas townhouse. They called it “Mother Beverage,” and sold out every week at the farmers market…but then heard the words no founder forgets: “Your branding is…sh*t.”&nbs...

Bobbi Brown, founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and Jones Road Beauty, joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, Bobbi shares what drove her to found her new company — Jones Road — at the age of 62.

First we meet Mark in Chicago, an orthopedic surgeon who’s looking to promote his cabbage-based muscle and joint rub beyond the walls of his practice. Then Abby in Dallas...

Many of us don’t know our neighbors anymore — and Nirav Tolia wanted to change that. He walked away from millions in stock options at Yahoo and eventually co-founded Nextdoor, the hyperlocal social network where neighbors share local news and recommendations. Along the way, he learned that for a digital service, Nextdoor demanded a ton of manual work: drawing neighborhood boundaries with Sharpies, sending individual “invit...

Priority Bicycles founder and CEO Dave Weiner joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Dave shares his strategy for keeping sales steady and positioning Priority Bicycles for continued growth in uncertain or declining markets. 

First, we meet Dave from Rhode Island who’s trying to figure out how to bring his oft-misunderstood coffee milk product to the national market....

In the summer of 2000, Razor scooters were everywhere—on sidewalks, in schools, even in Silicon Valley offices. At the center of it all was Carlton Calvin, an ex-lawyer turned toy mogul who had already ridden—and crashed—multiple crazes, from Pogs to yo-yos.

Carlton knew how to spot what kids wanted before the world caught on. But when Razor went from selling a million scooters a month to zero almost overnight, his business...

This week, Guy is joined by Lady Gaga’s former manager Troy Carter, Joe Gebbia of Airbnb, and Sadie Lincoln of barre3 in a special mashup episode of the Advice Line about playing to your business’s strengths.

First, Honor from Australia wants to partner with a celebrity in a way that actually boosts her pill organizer brand. Then, Arvy from Johannesburg digs into what makes his sporting and outdoor optics company special. A...

What does it take to turn a Brooklyn beer salesman into the king of iced tea?

In the early 1990s, the iced tea market was dominated by Lipton, Nestea, and Snapple. But Don Vultaggio saw an opening. A single moment—watching Snapple cases fly off a truck in winter—sparked an idea that would change his life: why not sell tea in a tallboy can? 

AriZona exploded—outselling Snapple and becoming a multi-billion-dollar brand.&n...