Episode notes
Today’s callers: Tony in Michigan is considering bringing on partners to run different parts of his brew pub and theater business. Then Monica in London is exploring the best way to reach style-conscious parents with her line of children’s clothes. And Sandy in Colorado is seeking the ideal pricing strategy to bring his adaptive test prep platform to schools nationwide.Thank you to the founders of Hearsay Brewing and Theater, Tres London and Brain Buffs for being a part of our show.If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode—where Guy and former show guests take questions…
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How I Built This with Guy Raz
Guy Raz | Wondery · Business · English
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.
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E864 · 24 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 25 min
YETI: Roy and Ryan Seiders. How Two Brothers Turned a $400 Cooler Into a $2 Billion Brand
Roy and Ryan were avid outdoorsmen who wanted a cooler that wouldn’t break. So they built one themselves.The result was YETI: a high-end cooler that early retailers thought nobody would buy. But serious outdoorsmen did—and eventually YETI escaped its niche, becoming a status symbol at tailgates, beaches, and soccer fields.In this episode, Roy and Ryan explain how they bootstrapped YETI, survived the sudden loss of their only manufacturing partner, and later stumbled onto the $30 product that supercharged the business. WHAT YOU'LL LEARNWhy solving a problem you personally experience can be…
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E863 · 20 Aug 2026 · 43 min
Advice Line with Carlton Calvin of Razor
Today’s callers: Shawn from Saskatchewan weighs whether brand-building or licensing is best for his card-based party game. Then Shirin in Texas wants to differentiate her graphic stationery in a crowded Etsy marketplace. And Mark from New Jersey works through refocusing his line of craft spirits. Plus, Carlton’s recent efforts to pass on his trendspottting talent to the next generation.Thank you to the founders of Youlogy, Honey Bespoke Stationery & Paper Goods, and Little Water Distillery for being a part of our show.If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode—where Guy and…
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E862 · 17 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 20 min
Bobbie: Laura Modi. How a Baby Formula Startup Took Market Share From Two Industry Giants
Laura Modi set out to build a better infant formula. What followed was years of setbacks: a crippling dispute with the FDA, a frustrating search for a manufacturer, and the constant fear that the company would run out of money before it reached customers.But today, Bobbie generates over $100 million a year and has captured nearly 4% of the U.S. infant formula market by challenging one of the most protected industries in America.In this conversation, Laura explains how she made it through—and why many of the moments that looked like disasters ultimately built a better company, and made her a…
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E861 · 13 Aug 2026 · 48 min
Advice Line with Bobbi Brown of Jones Road Beauty (September 2025)
Today's callers: Bob in Chicago looks to promote his cabbage-based muscle and joint rub beyond the walls of his orthopedic practice. Then Abby in Dallas wonders whether her popular social media livestreams are a sustainable way to market her trendy phone cases. And Henry in Charlotte wants to turn his mouth rinse for coffee drinkers into a mainstream oral care brand.Plus, Bobbi shares what drove her to found her new company—Jones Road—at the age of 62.Thank you to the founders of Cabbage Labs, AbbyRose, and Tannin Oral Care for being a part of our show.If you’d like to be featured on a…
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E860 · 10 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 6 min
MadeGood: Salma and Nima Fotovat Lost Their First Business. They Grew Their Next One Into a Snack Giant.
What do you do when the family business you've spent decades building... gets bought out from under you? That’s what happened to Nima and Salma Fotovat.Devastated, the family rebuilt a new company from the ground up. This time they set out with a new idea: build an allergen-free, organic snack brand not just for kids, but their parents. Their new brand: MadeGood.Today, the Canadian brand’s parent company does hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. But getting there meant rebuilding from scratch, fixing 200,000 mislabeled snack bars by hand, and turning a family of co-packers into branding…
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E858 · 3 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 16 min
Serena & Lily: Serena Dugan and Lily Kanter. They Built a $20M Brand—Then One Investor Almost Destroyed It
Many founders think the hardest thing about business is finding customers.It's not.It's surviving success.When Lily Kanter and Serena Dugan launched a luxury baby linen business, they had no manufacturing experience, no inventory, and barely any capital. But after their first catalog landed just as a major competitor left the market, orders flooded in almost overnight.The problem? They hadn’t made the products yet. Today, Serena and Lily has grown into one of the best known luxury home goods brands in the country. But getting there was a grind. This is one of the most revealing conversations…
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E857 · 30 Jul 2026 · 46 min
Advice Line with Chris Riccobono of UNTUCKit
Today’s callers: Adrian from California wants to grow his apparel company to complete with big-name athletic brands. Then, Preet from the Rockies looks for strategies to reach seniors and their children with his daily check-in app. And Derek from Virginia considers social media and professional partnerships to advertise his hockey equipment brand. Plus, Chris talks about launching a new athletic apparel brand while continuing to grow UNTUCKit.Thank you to the founders of Eras Shorts, Snug Safety, and Hockey Ninja for being a part of our show.If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice…
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E856 · 27 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 12 min
Sweetwater: Chuck Surack. How a Customer Service Strategy Built a Billion Dollar Online Pro Audio and Music Company.
Chuck Surack never planned to build one of America's largest online retailers. He just wanted to be a musician. So right after high school, he took his sax and drove off in his old VW van to play gigs around the country. It didn’t work out. But with the audio and mixing skills Chuck learned gigging, he decided to convert his van into a mobile recording studio - and started making money fast by making recordings of local bands, businesses, and schools.The game-changer came as a one-two-three punch: first, he created a new product - digitized sound libraries - to sell nationally; second, he…
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E855 · 23 Jul 2026 · 42 min
Advice Line with Curt Richardson of OtterBox
Today’s callers: Andy from Sarasota weighs whether the path to scalability for his live game show business is through personality or product. Then, Marissa from Tampa wants to recapture sales for her fairy tale-inspired teas after taking a hiatus to focus on her family. And Vince from New Jersey wonders how to allocate marketing dollars for his sustainable baby gear company..Plus, Curt reflects on the importance of focus in sustaining OtterBox as a leading tech accessories brand over 30 years.Thank you to the founders of Mr GameShow, Gilded Coach Teas, and Evrloop for being a part of our…
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E854 · 20 Jul 2026 · 51 min
Toast: Aman Narang. How a Long Wait for the Dinner Check Launched a $2 Billion Business.
After waiting too long to pay his restaurant bill, Aman Narang thought there had to be a better way. His first idea—a mobile payment app—flopped.But that failure revealed a much bigger opportunity.Restaurants were struggling with outdated software that many owners hated. Payment systems were expensive, unreliable, and trapped on servers hidden in back offices. Replacing them cost time and money.But that’s exactly what Aman and his co-founders set out to do: create an entirely new POS system for restaurants—from scratch.They worked from an unfinished basement, answered customer calls on their…
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