How I Built This with Guy Raz

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 hibt@id.wondery.com 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 Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz Youtube → guy_raz X → @guyraz Substack → guyraz.substack.com Website → guyraz.com 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: 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 hibt@id.wondery.com 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.