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 horse care product on her hands: is a major pet distributor a dream partnership or a brand-killer? And Eli in Minnesota is curious if he should tweak his signature anti-inflammatory coffee blend for bulk brewing or protect the original taste?

Plus, Chieh reflects on his exit from Boxed and how his latest venture, Pelgo, helps people through similarly significant career transitions.

Thank you to the founders of Surfing Cow, Tail Cinch, and Makor Coffee 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 the founding story of Boxed as told by Chieh on the show in 2021. 

This episode was produced by Rommel Wood 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 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.

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 clear customer.

Just a belief that robotic technology would one day make the world a better place. 

In the early days, the company built babbling toy dolls for Hasbro, and roving bomb-detectors for the military.

But for more than a decade… nothing truly took off. 

Until one idea—a robot vacuum—finally did. 

With the Roomba, iRobot created a category from scratch, and a product that felt almost like a member of the family. Tens of millions of units sold, and the Roomba became part of popular culture. 

But to avoid stagnation, iRobot had to sell to a bigger company. When a lucrative deal with Amazon fell through, the company hit a wall–and never recovered.   

This is a story about building a business in survival mode, creating a household icon, and eventually getting bested by forces beyond your control. 

What You’ll Learn 

• How to launch a company when you’re not sure who your customers are
• Why iRobot engineers underestimated marketing (and paid for it later)
• How piles of Cheerios helped sell the Roomba
• How iRobot shored up customer loyalty when the Roomba faltered 
• Why even a hero product is not enough to sustain a company
• How competition–and regulation–can unravel a business

Timestamps 

7:25 - “What have you built?”: The robotics lab job application.

12:25 - iRobot’s early business model: contracts, not consumers.

25:05 - Breaking into the toy market: The doll with a mind of its own.

36:10 - A key cleaning insight: people will pay hundreds—but only if it vacuums.

39:10 - The office Cheerios demo that won a retailer.

44:20 - A soaring launch, then stagnation: 250,000 vacuums stuck in inventory.

46:10 - The ad (for Pepsi!) that turbocharged Roomba.  

55:55 - The need to diversify: robotic scrubbers, mops, pool cleaners? 

58:00 - The $1.7 billion offer from Amazon–and how it unraveled.

1:03:40 - Life after Roomba. 

This episode was produced by Katherine Sypher with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Noor Gill. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Kwesi Lee. 

Follow How I Built This:

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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 her heated mats. And John from Pennsylvania hopes to reach younger customers with his Italian wines despite declining alcohol consumption.  

Plus, Steve talks about the evolving role of robots in food service—and how he hopes to find his next rocketship in a fresh take on the sandwich shop.

Thank you to the founders of Streaky Bay Distillers, Mat Zero, and Cantina Di Rosina 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 Chipotle’s founding story as told by Steve on the show in 2017.  

This episode was produced by Chris Maccini 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 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.

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 pizza business that catered to a very specific demographic: Latinos.

That first idea became Wingstop, a deep-fried wing concept that grew to 3,000 stores.

The second became Pizza Patron, a franchise that rewarded customers for ordering in Spanish, and let them pay in pesos.

This is the story of how Antonio got there.

He was a kid from Columbus, Ohio, working at a steakhouse straight out of high school…who eventually saw two big opportunities where no one else did.

Wingstop was the breakout idea, but just as it was exploding, Antonio made a surprising decision. He sold the company.

A $22 million deal.

Only…the money did not materialize.

What follows is one of the most surprising—and cautionary—tales we’ve told on this show: a single word buried in a contract that cost millions…and the moment Antonio realized he might never see the money he’d been promised.

This episode is about instinct, risk, conviction—and why sometimes…your biggest success can lead to your biggest mistake.

What you’ll learn:

• Why simplicity can beat variety in building scalable restaurants
• The power—and peril—of franchising as a growth engine
• How identifying an underserved customer segment can unlock explosive growth
• Why your hero product isn’t always what you think it is (hint: it’s not the chicken)
• How one word in a contract can cost millions

Timestamps:

• 00:09:11 – Fired from bartending for being “too intense”
• 00:14:26 – Starting a pizza shop in Dallas with $11,000
• 00:18:41 – Discovering an underserved customer base, and the power of word-of-mouth
• 00:23:07 – Why franchising can be the ultimate scaling strategy
• 00:24:09 – How Antonio realized wings could be a massive business
• 00:36:37 – A bend in the road: Why the first Wingstop struggled
• 00:50:29 – A bizarre vision at a football game: What if this stadium were full of chickens?
• 01:07:09 – The $22M purchase… the missing $12M, and suing to get his money
• 01:20:09 – Living in the moment post Pizza Patron and Wingstop

This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Olivia Rockman. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Jimmy Keeley.

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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 get more people talking about her pelvic floor therapy device. And Eric from Australia evaluates new markets for his maple-based sports nutrition products. 

Plus, Dan and Angie’s take on why even the busiest entrepreneur should find time to turn off their phone at the dinner table... 

Thank you to the founders of Nana Joes Granola, Elidah, and mapleROO 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 BOOMCHICKAPOP’S founding story as told by Angie and Dan on the show in 2019.  

This episode was produced by Noor Gill with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was 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.

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.