How I Built This with Guy Raz

Rashid Ali, Chomps co-founder and operational strategist, and Pete Maldonado, Chomps co-founder who built the grass-fed meat stick brand, return to answer founders. They tackle scaling campus food businesses, breaking into big retailers with frozen products, and turning a niche lifestyle brand into a full-time business. They also reflect on a major product scare and customer-first decision making.

John Osher, serial entrepreneur and inventor behind SpinBrush and other fast-selling consumer products. He recounts his scrappy rise from selling earrings to building battery-powered toys and a $5 electric toothbrush. Short, punchy stories cover design breakthroughs, the risky decision to scrap 400,000 units, clever packaging and retail moves, and the stealth licensing play that turned into a $475M win.

Julia Hartz, Co-founder and CEO of Eventbrite, shares lessons from building a global event platform. Jen Swetsoff, Co-founder of Anyway Magazine, calls in about growing a print title for tweens. They explore using events and community to boost brands, balancing YouTube with e-commerce, reaching families through partnerships, and turning workshops into repeat customers.

Reed Hastings, co-founder and longtime CEO of Netflix who turned a DVD-by-mail startup into a streaming and original-content powerhouse. He recounts near-death survival vs Blockbuster. He explains the controversial “not a family” high-performance culture and the keeper test. He revisits the Qwikster fiasco, the leap into streaming and House of Cards, and bets on global expansion and AI’s role in storytelling.

Jon Stein, founder and former CEO of Betterment who now advises founders, joins to give quick-fire business counsel. He talks about choosing and sequencing growth channels, when to hire or take on space and debt, and creative ways to treat platforms and partners as marketing. He also explains why starting in uncertain markets can be an advantage.

Nicolas Mermoud, a mountain athlete and product designer who raced ultramarathons, and Jean-Luc Diard, a seasoned product leader from Salomon, built a radical cushioned, rocker-shaped running shoe. They discuss the risky “clown shoe” prototypes, proving performance through demos and races, manufacturing and cash-flow headaches, and the strategic partnership that unlocked U.S. growth.

Mark Cuban, serial entrepreneur and investor who built tech companies, owns the Dallas Mavericks, and launched Cost Plus Drugs. He weighs in on breaking into big-box retail, marketing when users and buyers differ, rebooting handcrafted products with premium pricing, tackling seasonality and supply-chain choices, and reshoring drug manufacturing using robotics and transparency.

Kurt Listug, the business mind who scaled Taylor into a global maker. Bob Taylor, the craft designer behind iconic guitars. They recount building a small San Diego shop into a worldwide brand. They talk production breakthroughs, surviving market crashes, artist relationships like Prince and Taylor Swift, shifting to employee ownership, and scaling while keeping craftsmanship alive.

Monica Nassif, the founder of Mrs. Meyers Clean Day, shares her insights on creating an authentic brand voice and the origin of her successful cleaning product line. Allison Ombres, facing challenges with marketing her comfort-focused wig brand Encelia Hair, seeks advice on storytelling and social media strategies. Meanwhile, Nick Harmon from Randomals discusses scaling his hybrid toy and book brand, exploring optimal retail strategies and inventory management. The conversation is packed with practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Joan Barnes, the visionary founder of Gymboree, reveals how her journey began from a lonely new mom hosting playgroups to launching a beloved franchise. She shares the challenges of rapid growth and the harsh realities of franchising, including a near-collapse when a potential Hasbro deal vanished. Joan highlights her personal struggles with health amidst success and the transformative pivot to combine retail with play spaces. Through candid reflections, she discusses ambition, balance, and the vital lessons learned from her rollercoaster ride in building a cultural icon.