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 slashed prices on its own diapers until Marc was forced to sell them his business.  

It was not a happy moment, but it was a galvanizing one: Marc went on to launch another ecommerce company, jet.com. Within a year, it was bought by Walmart in a deal valued at $3.3 billion.  

This is a story about a devastating corporate surrender, a multi-million dollar comeback, and a founder with a relentless ability to re-invent himself.  

Timestamps: 

10:04 – Marc’s “boost-your-grades” bet with his college coach   

14:21 – A job on Wall Street and a Master Plan: 8 figures by age 48

16:28 – How a lunchtime lark turned into a spot on the U.S. Bobsled Team

27:44 – How random Google searches led Marc to diapers

35:29 – Guerilla tactic: Buying all of P&G’s diapers to get their attention

40:07 – The simple packaging hack that boosted sales  

45:53 – Building a retail empire (and getting on Amazon’s radar)

47:52 – Amazon’s scorched earth strategy forces Marc to sell 

1:00:11 – Raising $750M to take on Jeff Bezos

1:03:02 – A brand new business and a $3.3 billion exit: Walmart’s record-breaking deal

This episode was produced by Casey Herman with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant. 

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 uncertainty and risk. 

Today, we meet Victor in Fort Worth, the co-founder of a Mexican-style sweets and treats venture who wonders if he should focus on expanding brick-and-mortar operations, retail presence, or both. Then Lydia in Seattle, a former disease researcher who is ready to grow her small batch botanical skincare line, but needs help overcoming her fear of failure to get to the next step. And Jack in San Francisco, the founder of a custom bike bag and accessories brand who’s trying to figure out how to maintain customer excitement throughout the entire purchasing process so as not to lose momentum. 

Thank you to the founders of Sol Dias, Clērstory, and Wompy Bikes for being part of our show. And stick around to hear a brief update on all three callers!

If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298.

And be sure to listen to Marcia Kilgore’s original How I Built This episode as told by Marcia on the show in 2018. 

This episode was produced by Carla Esteves with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Cena Loffredo.

You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 asking: what if store-bought eggs could be different? What if they tasted better, looked better, and came from hens raised in a much more humane way? 

The business he launched– with 20 hens and some used trailers– is now the number-one pasture-raised egg producer in the US, with a network of 600 farms, and a projected revenue of nearly $1B this year.  

When he started Vital Farms, Matt was in his 50s, living in an RV on the farm, and trying to convince people to pay premium prices for eggs. 

Before that, his passion for business drove him to pursue an astonishing range of ideas: carpet-cleaning, a barter-exchange franchise, a stint as a charter-boat captain and broker. One of his businesses left him nearly broke after 9-11, and there were many other hard lessons along the way. 

This is a story about metabolizing failure into success, and turning one of the most overlooked shelves in the grocery store… into a billion dollar opportunity.  

What you’ll learn: 

• The hard lessons Matt learned from 3 (+) decades of founding businesses
• How 9/11 changed his life
• What 4 years as a boat captain taught him about leading–and serving
• How “conscious capitalism” became the blueprint for Vital Farms
• Why pasture-raised eggs were a branding opportunity hiding in plain sight
• How Whole Foods became an early and critical partner
• Why great products grow faster when customers do your work for you

Timestamps: 

• 07:48 – “I didn’t have 300 dollars.” Matt starts a carpet-cleaning company with no real plan
• 11:31 – The barter business that taught Matt how to scale complex ideas
• 17:58 – Building a travel company, taking it public, and growing it to roughly $50 million in sales
• 22:57 – The morning of 9/11: Matt watches his business collapse in real time
• 25:59 – Starting over, Matt becomes a charter boat captain –plus chef, teacher, and toilet-fixer
• 31:16 – The blog essay that transformed how Matt thought about business
• 34:19 – The lightbulb conversation: pasture-raised eggs could become a real company
• 41:03 – Starting the farm in Austin: “I bought a thousand baby chicks.” 
• 43:58 – The first eggs taste great, but nobody wants to pay for them
• 49:53 – Finally: The first Whole Foods pallet 
• 50:52 – A label mistake gets Vital Farms pulled from shelves
• 1:03:09 – How the egg carton became one of Vital Farms’ most powerful branding tools
• 1:08:24 – Why humane eggs cost more—and why Matt believes they should
• 
  

This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson, with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Casey Herman.

—-----------------

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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 experiential pop-up concept for her reusable gift wrap and bags is worth the effort. Then, Amanda from Wisconsin seeks new ways to explain her deck of dog enrichment activities to potential customers. And finally, Mark from New York looks for a complement to help grow his artisanal pesto business.

Thank you to the founders of Shiki Wrap, Woofsie, and In Mark’s Kitchen for coming on the show. Also thanks to WeWork co-founder Miguel McKelvey, Paperless Post co-founder Alexa Hirschfeld, and Chomps co-founders Pete Maldonado and Rashid Ali.

If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode—where Guy and former show guests take questions from early-stage founders—leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298.

This episode was produced by Alex Cheng with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Robert Rodriguez.

You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com or on Substack.

To hear our returning guests’ previous episodes:

Miguel's original episode: https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-wework-miguel-mckelvey/

Miguel's HIBT Lab episode: https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-hibt-lab-wework-miguel-mckelvey/

Miguel's Advice Line episode: https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-advice-line-with-miguel-mckelvey-of-wework/

Alexa's original episode: https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-paperless-post-james-and-alexa-hirschfeld/

Alexa's Advice Line episode: https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-advice-line-with-alexa-hirschfeld-of-paperless-post/

Pete and Rashid's original episode: https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-chomps-pete-maldonado-and-rashid-ali/

Pete and Rashid's Advice Line episode: https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-advice-line-with-pete-maldonado-and-rashid-ali-of-chomps/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 out of extra-rough foam, and it worked so well he decided to sell it. 

But nobody wanted it.

He shelved the product for years. Then one day while cleaning up around the house, he accidentally discovered the foam’s “magic” properties and realized it would make the perfect kitchen sponge. Scrub Daddy was born.  

As a friend advised him, nobody goes to the supermarket to discover new innovations in sponges. So Aaron did a furious round of in-store demos and eventually wound up on QVC (where he nearly got kicked off) and finally Shark Tank, where he made $1M the night it aired.

In this episode, Aaron breaks down the unglamorous mechanics of building a consumer brand—negotiation, patents, and the obsession needed to keep going when no one believes in your vision.

You’ll learn:

• How Aaron’s many patents helped drive his car-detailing business 
• The hidden downside of “great” deals: exclusivity traps and corporate bureaucracy
• How Aaron forced 3M to rethink value during acquisition negotiations 
• How to sell a product no one is shopping for 
• How Scrub Daddy built a brand block (Scrub Mommy & more) to become a category leader
• How to defend against copycats—patents, trade dress and aggressive enforcement

Timestamps:

• 07:24 — “You get to buy your own sneakers”—the childhood lesson that shapes Aaron’s hustle
• 09:03 — The brutal factory internship that sends him back to washing cars
• 17:50 — The mirror snaps off a Mercedes… leading to a buffing pad breakthrough
• 19:58 — The parable of the DIY patent: “If you had a toothache, would you drill your own tooth?”
• 27:36 — Dirty factory hands inspire Aaron to invent a special hand scrubber… which no one wants
• 41:35 — Aaron hangs up on a corporate powerhouse: refusing to sell to 3M based on EBITDA
• 51:16 — The shelved scrubbers come out of storage and Aaron discovers their “magical” properties  
• 1:02:31 — Retail won’t bite—so he demos in ShopRite and sells 100 sponges a day
• 1:13:43 — Shark Tank → $1M in one night… and retailers suddenly call back

Follow How I Built This:

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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 students. Finally, Casey in Idaho seeks new revenue streams for her farmer and worker-owned seed cooperative. 

Plus, Hernan’s take on the future of podcasting and the sweet relief of vindication... 

Thank you to the founders of Heali Medical, Studyous Monday, and Snake River Seed Cooperative for joining us on the show.

If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode—where Guy and former show guests take questions from early-stage founders—leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298. 

And be sure to listen to Wondery’s founding story as told by Hernan on the show in 2023.  

This episode was produced by Katherine Sypher with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Kwesi Lee.

You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 daughters to raise. She needed income—fast. 

So she did the only thing that felt real: she baked.

What started as 4-ingredient oat bars— hastily placed in a  Boulder coffee shop—became Bobo’s, a national brand built in the Silicon Valley of natural foods.  

In this episode, Beryl walks us through the scrappy early days: buying ingredients at full retail, a risky $25K packaging machine, the Whole Foods breakthrough, the burnout, and the pressure shift that comes with outside capital—and Costco.

It’s a story powered by community support, relentless demos, and a founder who kept saying “yes” before she knew how.

What you’ll learn: 

• Why “survival” can be a powerful founder advantage
• How to sell your product before you feel ready (and why that’s often the point)
• The unglamorous truth of early CPG: shelf life, shared kitchens, endless demos
• In a trend-driven category, the value of sticking to a recipe “your grandmother could have made.” 
• The two faces of Costco: growth rocket and operational trap

Timestamps:

• 08:35—Divorced at 40… “I was trying to survive.” 
• 12:02—The baking project with her daughter… and the unexpected product-market signal
• 17:21—The first sale: snack bars in cellophane; making up a price
• 28:38—Sharing a kitchen with Justin’s Nut Butters: scrappy collaboration + conflict
• 31:49—The first-time founder playbook: sell first, learn the rest later
• 33:54—Whole Foods says yes… before she knows what “freezer safe packaging” even means
• 39:10—Getting into national distribution: “What just happened?” 
• 46:34—Burnout, hiring a CEO, raising outside money—and what changes when investors arrive
• 54:31—The Costco conundrum: huge upside, real downside 

—------------------

This episode was produced by Noor Gill, with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Alex Cheng.

—--------------------- 

Follow How I Built This:

Instagram → @howibuiltthis

X → @HowIBuiltThis

Facebook → How I Built This

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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 digital advertising for her grief care packages. And Lee in Massachusetts hopes to decrease customer acquisition costs for his history merch brand ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.

Plus, Miguel reflects on his WeWork experience and the similarities he sees in today’s AI-dominated tech industry. Miguel’s latest venture, Unbound, seeks to disrupt healthcare in the United Kingdom.

Thank you to the founders of Copa Threads, Good Grief, and The History List Store for being a part of our show.

If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298.

And be sure to listen to WeWork’s founding story as told by Miguel in 2017, as well as his second appearance on the show in 2022.

This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Kwesi Lee.

You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com or on Substack.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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” part. 

When Kettle Chips was still an upstart regional brand, Cameron made a move that seems almost reckless: he launched his thick-cut, kettle-cooked chips to the United Kingdom — one of the most competitive “crisps” markets on earth — before conquering the U.S.

And that wasn’t his first risky move. 

Before Kettle, Cameron was a turban-wearing Sikh entrepreneur in 1970s Salem, Oregon, building a natural foods business…until he was abruptly fired. He started again from scratch with a $10,000 bank loan.  Inspired by the extra thick, crunchy potato chips that he sampled on a trip to Hawaii, he taught himself how to fry sliced potatoes through trial-and-error.  

Then, just as Kettle started taking off overseas, another trip to Hawaii sparked a second act: Kona Brewing — a craft beer brand that initially lost $20K a month — for years — before Cameron was able to make it work.

Meanwhile, buoyed by its UK success, Kettle chips eventually spread across the US, becoming the top-selling natural chip in the country. 

What you’ll learn

• The hidden details (like cooking-oil quality control) that can make or break a chip
• How curiosity about British “crisp” culture fueled a risky UK rollout
• The decision that turned Kona Brewing from a money pit into a scalable brand

Timestamps

• 07:21 — “You had to get up at 3 a.m.”: building a life in a Sikh community in Salem
• 10:11 — Fired with four kids and no severance: the moment Cameron is forced to rebuild
• 12:04 — The $10K loan (helped along by the offer of ski passes)
• 14:06 — The 1980 peanut crop gamble that suddenly capitalized Cameron’s business
• 23:14 — “Pot Chips” was the original name…until friends told him how bad it was
• 24:48 — Hand-feeding potatoes into vats of oil: inventing a process with zero playbook
• 29:10 — The Safeway disaster: rancid oil, a rejected order, and demand evaporating overnight
• 31:52 — The car crash that jolted Cameron out of despair
• 46:35 — UK word-of-mouth “switches on”--with an extra boost from Lady Di
• 56:03 — Kona Brewing bleeds money…until one decision turns things around

***

Hey—want to be a guest on HIBT?

If you’re building a business, why not get advice from some of the greatest entrepreneurs on Earth?

Every Thursday on the HIBT Advice Line, a previous HIBT guest helps new entrepreneurs work through the challenges they’re facing right now. Advice that’s smart, actionable, and absolutely free.

Just call 1-800-433-1298, leave a message, and you may soon get guidance from someone who started where you did, and went on to build something massive.

So—give us a call. We can’t wait to hear what you’re working on.

***

This episode was produced by Casey Herman with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Rommel Wood. Our engineers were Robert Rodriguez and Kwesi Lee.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 build an in-house production team or outsource manufacturing for her decorative garland company. And Sayuri from California is looking to drive sales of her Japanese tatami mats through a unique approach to yoga practice.

Plus, Alexa shares how Paperless Post is responding to advancements in AI and the prevalence of post-pandemic loneliness.

Thank you to the founders of Five Dot Post, The Creative Garland Company, and Sumo Yoga  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 from early-stage founders—leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298. 

And be sure to listen to Paperless Post as told by Alexa and her brother James on the show in 2024.  

This episode was produced by Rommel Wood with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineers were Debbie Daughtry and Cena Loffredo. 

You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 just competing with other startups …

It was competing with regulations, middlemen, entrenched networks, and monopolies designed to keep outsiders out.

In this episode, Jim shares the mindset and tactics that helped Square go from a tiny card reader that processed credit card payments … to a company—now known as Block— that generates over $10 billion in gross profit.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why the market is often “locked” on purpose
• How a simple hack can solve a seemingly complex problem
• How candor can sway investors more than confidence
• How Square survived by building something Amazon couldn’t copy

Timestamps:

• 00:12:26 – Engineering and art: Balancing an IBM job with glassblowing
• 00:15:46 – The family trauma that rewired Jim
• 00:36:26 – Losing a $2,000 sale — the moment Square was born
• 00:43:06 – Breaking into the credit card club: “We were violating 17 rules”
• 00:48:31 – The headphone jack hack that sidestepped Apple’s control
• 00:58:03 – The “140 reasons we might fail” pitch that won over investors
• 01:06:26 – The taxi ride that convinced Jim he had product-market fit
• 01:09:28 – Amazon attacks, and why copying doesn’t always work
• 01:13:18 – The founder’s job after success: choosing hard problems

***

Hey—want to be a guest on HIBT?

If you’re building a business, why not get advice from some of the greatest entrepreneurs on Earth?

Every Thursday on the HIBT Advice Line, a previous HIBT guest helps new entrepreneurs work through the challenges they’re facing right now. Advice that’s smart, actionable, and absolutely free.

Just call 1-800-433-1298, leave a message, and you may soon get guidance from someone who started where you did, and went on to build something massive.

So—give us a call. We can’t wait to hear what you’re working on.

***

This episode was produced by Alex Cheng with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Katherine Sypher. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Robert Rodriguez.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.