Guy Raz interviews the world’s best-known entrepreneurs to learn how they built their iconic brands. In each episode, founders reveal deep, intimate moments of doubt and failure, and share insights on their eventual success. How I Built This is a master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership and how to navigate challenges of all kinds.New episodes release on Mondays and Thursdays.
PodSkip has analyzed 1 episode of How I Built This with Guy Raz, averaging 1.0 ads per episode (1% of runtime).
Advice Line with Tim Ferriss (August 2025)
Jun 04, 2026
Entrepreneur, author, and podcaster Tim Ferriss joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Tim shares the inspiration behind his latest venture, Coyote—a…
UGG: Brian Smith. How an epiphany, surfers, and $500 launched an iconic sheepskin footwear company.
Jun 01, 2026
In 1978, Brian Smith quit his accounting job in Australia and headed to California with a surfboard, some savings, and ambition. He figured California was where he’d find an idea or a product to…
Advice Line with Jeffrey Hollender of Seventh Generation
May 28, 2026
Today’s callers: Kristina in Ohio looks for avenues beyond organic social media to market her furniture designed for toddlers and parents alike. Then Phil in Michigan considers the best messaging to…
Justin’s Nut Butter: Justin Gold. He Was Waiting Tables, Then...He Reinvented Peanut Butter.
May 25, 2026
At 25, Justin Gold was making experimental peanut butter in his home kitchen with a food processor and a stack of recipe journals. His singular obsession: bring new life to a tired lunchtime…
Advice Line with Sarah LaFleur of M.M. LaFleur
May 21, 2026
Today’s callers: David from New Jersey struggles with self-doubt as he works to grow his muscle-scraping soap brand. Then, Marnie from Australia wants to convince customers that her colorful…
NVIDIA: Jensen Huang. From near collapse to becoming the world’s biggest company
May 18, 2026
NVIDIA is one of the most valuable companies in human history. Its chips run the AI systems transforming everything from entertainment to warfare. But for years, almost nobody believed in co-founder…
Advice Line: New Offerings, Bigger Markets
May 14, 2026
Today’s callers: Kristina in Florida wants to take her local pottery workshops nationwide. Then Jim from Colorado wonders if retail is right for his quick release camera straps. And Will in Ohio…
Room & Board: John Gabbert. A Broken Deal, a Family Rift, and the Birth of a Furniture Giant
May 11, 2026
John Gabbert built a massive furniture brand. But in order to do it, he had to defy his family.
John grew up working at his dad’s furniture store in the suburbs of Minneapolis. It sold classic…
Advice Line with Jonah Peretti of Buzzfeed
May 07, 2026
Today’s callers: Anthony from Miami considers the best method to grow his pop-up outdoor movie theater business. Then Andrew in San Francisco asks how to set his cat wrestling toy apart from…
Beautycounter: Gregg Renfrew. She Built Beautycounter to $1B… Then Got Fired From Her Own Company
May 04, 2026
Gregg Renfrew started a movement by making better-for-you cosmetics, then enlisted an army of women to build the business through direct sales. But after selling Beautycounter, she was pushed out of…
Advice Line with David Neeleman of JetBlue
Apr 30, 2026
Today’s callers: Barbara in Massachusetts wonders how her nutrition education theater company might live on past her own involvement. Then Jeff in Illinois looks to carry the momentum from his Ninja…
Shep and Ian Murray: Vineyard Vines. A Stale Product Transforms into a Lifestyle Brand.
Apr 27, 2026
In the late 1990s, Shep and Ian Murray looked at a shrinking category–men’s ties–and saw an opportunity: a necktie isn’t just functional. It’s expressive. It can signal identity, taste…
Advice Line with Eric Ryan of Method returns
Apr 23, 2026
Today’s callers: Christina from California wonders how to build trust with her fragrance brand formulated without allergens. Then, James, also from California, assesses how he can create more brand…
KIND bars: Daniel Lubetzky. From peace in the Middle East to a $5 billion snack bar
Apr 20, 2026
What if the thing you care about most ... might be what’s holding your business back?
Daniel Lubetzky didn’t leave his law job to build a straightforward business. He left it to build a company he…
Advice Line with Chieh Huang of Boxed
Apr 16, 2026
Today’s callers: Alec from California wonders if it’s time to bring production for his beef tallow skincare brand out of his kitchen to a co-manufacturer. Then, Jessica from California has a hit…
iRobot: Colin Angle. How The Roomba Became a Household Icon
Apr 13, 2026
Colin Angle didn’t start out trying to clean people’s floors.
He started out trying to shape the future–with robots.
In the early days of iRobot, there was no business model. No steady funding. No…
Advice Line with Steve Ells of Chipotle
Apr 09, 2026
Today’s callers: Rebecca from Australia wants to make her small-batch spirits stand out in a crowded market. Then, Sri from England wonders how to balance commercial and humanitarian interests for…
Wingstop: Antonio Swad. A Brilliant Idea — And a Nail-Biting Exit
Apr 06, 2026
A lot of founders spend their lives chasing one big idea.
Antonio Swad had two.
The first? Migrating chicken wings from the Happy Hour buffet to the center of the plate.
The second? Building a…
Advice Line with Angie & Dan Bastian of Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP
Apr 02, 2026
Today’s callers: Michelle from California assesses the trade offs of accepting outside investment to scale her organic granola brand. Then, Gloria from Connecticut wonders how to overcome stigma and…
diapers.com: Marc Lore. The ecommerce visionary who lost to Amazon but still made billions (2021)
Mar 30, 2026
Back in the early days of ecommerce, Marc Lore took a classic retail loss leader–diapers– and turned it into a DTC giant– Diapers.com. It did so well that it attracted the attention of Amazon, which…
Advice Line with Marcia Kilgore of Beauty Pie (June 2025)
Mar 26, 2026
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…
Vital Farms: Matt O’Hayer. How a serial entrepreneur re-branded the egg
Mar 23, 2026
For decades, a dozen eggs was just… a dozen eggs.
No story. No real branding. No reason to care who produced them.
Then Matt O’Hayer came along and asked a question almost nobody in America was…
Advice Line: What’s Your Value?
Mar 19, 2026
In today’s special episode, Guy and four former show guests talk with callers about how they can prove the value of their products—and themselves.
First, Meagan from Vermont questions whether an…
Scrub Daddy: Aaron Krause. How a Failed Experiment Became a Billion-Dollar Sponge
Mar 16, 2026
Aaron Krause did not set out to reinvent the kitchen sponge. He was a car detailer, building buffing pads and the machines that made them. To clean his greasy hands, he made a makeshift hand scrubber…
Advice Line with Hernan Lopez of Wondery
Mar 12, 2026
Today’s callers: Heather from Ontario talks through a DTC strategy for her retail pain relief tape and patches. Then Nawal in Michigan considers a rebrand for her uniforms designed for Muslim…
Bobo’s: Beryl Stafford. A Single Mom Turns a Baking Project into a $100M Business
Mar 09, 2026
Bobo’s: Beryl Stafford. A Single Mom Turns a Baking Project into a $100M Business
At 40, Beryl Stafford’s life cracked open. Her marriage ended, she hadn’t worked in years, and she had two…
Advice Line with Miguel McKelvey of WeWork
Mar 05, 2026
Today’s callers: Jane in Minnesota wants to scale her artful pants brand while staying true to her locally-made mission. Then Melissa in New Mexico wonders how to respond to diminishing returns on…
Kettle Chips: Cameron Healy. The Wild Bet That Made a Brand
Mar 02, 2026
Kettle Chips: Cameron Healy. The Wild Bet That Made a Brand
Most founders expand the “right” way: local → regional → national → international.
Cameron Healy totally skipped the “national”…
Advice Line with Alexa Hirschfeld of Paperless Post
Feb 26, 2026
Today’s callers: Jess from Washington seeks counsel on structuring a collaboration between her sympathy cards company and a pet products brand. Then, Caroline from Colorado wonders if she should…
Square: Jim McKelvey. He Lost a $2,000 Sale, Then Built a $10 Billion Company
Feb 23, 2026
Most entrepreneurs think the hardest part of building a company is the product.
For Jim McKelvey — co-founder of Square — the hardest part was the system around the product.
Because Square wasn’t…
