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Business · Guy Raz | Wondery

How I Built This with Guy Raz

by Guy Raz | Wondery

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.

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Advice Line with Michelle Wahler of Beyond Yoga

#31 trending · Business

Today's callers: Carrie from Paris wants to turn interest into bookings for her boutique study-abroad programs for adults. Then, Grace from Nashville considers how to re-

Sep 17
41 min

Thrive Causemetics: Karissa Bodnar. How a Beauty Business Made Millions for a Mission

Karissa Bodnar had a dream job at L'Oréal when a close friend died from cancer at age 24. It shook her up and made her reassess what she really wanted to do with her life

Sep 14
48 min

Advice Line with Kip Tindell of The Container Store

Today’s callers: Juliette in France wonders how to raise awareness of her “magical” cooling device—without a costly ad campaign. Then David in North Carolina looks to gro

Sep 10
38 min

Bogg Bag: Kim Vaccarella. The $100 Million Business She Almost Abandoned

Kim’s inspiration to launch a business came from an unlikely source: Her son’s Crocs. She thought the durable, washable material would make a great beach bag. So she desi

Sep 7
1 h 23 min

Advice Line with Ben Goodwin of Olipop

Today’s callers: Darin from North Carolina seeks guidance on consumer education as his ghee-based snack brand grows into major retailers. Then Sarah from Massachusetts ex

Sep 3
48 min

Late July Snacks: Nicole Bernard Dawes. Crackers and Cookies were Failing… Tortilla Chips Saved Them

Nicole Bernard Dawes spent much of her childhood hanging out in her dad’s potato chip factory on Cape Cod.  She liked his kettle-cooked chips a lot more than the flavorl

Aug 31
1 h 20 min

Advice Line with Daymond John of FUBU

Today’s callers: Cristopher from Chicago wants to expand his family’s salsa brand from farmers markets into retail. Next, Darcy in Australia considers adapting his protei

Aug 27
42 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 t

Aug 24
1 h 25 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

Aug 20
42 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

Aug 17
1 h 19 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 h

Aug 13
48 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, th

Aug 10
1 h 05 min

Advice Line: "Strategy Sessions"

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

Aug 6
45 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 l

Aug 3
1 h 15 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

Jul 30
46 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

Jul 27
1 h 12 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 wan

Jul 23
41 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 reveal

Jul 20
51 min

Advice Line with Kenneth Cole

Today’s callers: Matt from New York City unpacks the stigma working against his line of foot wellness products. Then Emefa in Toronto seeks a direct relationship with cus

Jul 16
45 min

Sun Bum: Tom Rinks. The Secrets of a Master Brand Builder (2023)

Tom Rinks got his start in the commission-only "shark tank" of midwestern furniture sales. That’s where he learned what makes customers buy. Decades later, those instinct

Jul 13
1 h 15 min

Chart trend

Position in the Business chart (US), last 90 days.

#5
all-time peak
3
days in the top 10 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where How I Built This with Guy Raz ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 18, 2026).

#58 ▲ 2 Business US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

Love this show and I am no entrepreneur. I listen to it for the stories, the great life insights they offer and Guy’s empathetic attitude.

milesToGo21 · Oct 2024

I've been listening for a couple of years and so enjoy and admire the back stories of each of the company beginnings. The last one I listened to was the one about the Ziegler's ... from Banana Republic to Tea .. I loved how they just remained open and together they would figure it out each step of the way. Especially their desire, and dedication to their values and vision. They did not get caught up in the money (although of importance) ... and together they remain. Awesome! And, I love the advise shows - so cool what people are dreaming up, full of hope and creativity!

HLGinspired · Aug 2024

Long time listener and Guy Raz fan. Although generally super respectful and kind, I find it difficult to compare how the show frames the success of women founders vs men. The success of Tara Bosch of Smart Sweets is framed as a “lucky” idea by the Host rather than “brilliant.” Tara is complimented in the show many times but I hate to see her success diminished even a smidgeon. On the other hand, I remember the founders of Magic Spoon being presented differently but maybe I should give it another listen to check my theory :) Tara mentions how the Sara Blakely episode inspired her, and would love to hear more success stories from brilliant young women ✨

megk89 · Aug 2024

I love the guests and their stories, but to me, it seems like the interviewer interrupts the flow and inserts his assumptions about what happened, sometimes correct and sometimes not. I just want to hear the guest tell their story! The interviewer’s questions are good and often reveal more behind-the-scenes and business-relevant info, but it seems like they aren't being asked at a relevant time in the interview.

MadtownJP · Jun 2024

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About How I Built This with Guy Raz on Reason.fm

Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of How I Built This with Guy Raz, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

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