How I Built This with Guy Raz

David Heath and Randy Goldberg saw an opportunity to disrupt a long dormant—and arguably boring sector...socks. They met at a startup in their 20s, each already had their own side hustles before they hatched a plan to launch a business together. Randy and David didn’t initially intend to get into the sock business, but in 2011, David read that socks are the most requested clothing item at homeless shelters. That led them to start a company they called Bombas based on a promise: for each pair of socks a customer bought, another would be donated to the homeless. Within about ten years, their one-for-one start-up turned into a quarter of a billion dollar business that has expanded into sweatshirts, underwear, and t-shirts. This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce.  You can follow HIBT on X [https://x.com/HowIBuiltThis] & Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis], and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com. And sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com [http://guyraz.com/]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

LÄRABAR founder Lara Merriken joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Lara discusses her latest venture: a coaching service for entrepreneurs. First we meet Alison in Denver, who’s hoping to maintain her body care brand’s edge and authenticity as it expands to new retailers. Then Mariano in Miami, who’s wondering how to market his caffeinated gum to corporate buyers. And Lauretta on Long Island, a one-woman-show who’s looking to fundraise for her ginger tea brand. Thank you to the founders of Joy Breeders, Maax Brands, and Lauretta’s British Ginger T 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 LÄRABAR’s founding story [https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-larabar-lara-merriken/] as told by Lara on the show in 2018. This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch. You can follow HIBT on X [https://x.com/HowIBuiltThis] & Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis/] and sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com [http://guyraz.com/]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

By his early 20s, Todd Graves knew exactly what he wanted to do—open a restaurant near Louisiana State University that would make four things better than anyone else: chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, and coleslaw. After he and his partner Craig Silvey got rejected from every bank in Baton Rouge, Todd set out to fund his dream by working two treacherous jobs; first at an oil refinery and then on an Alaskan fishing boat. With roughly $150,000, he remodeled an old bike shop and opened his first restaurant in 1996. As word spread, Todd began building more restaurants, fueling the expansion on a rickety system of loans, and dreaming of making Cane’s as ubiquitous as McDonald's. Over the years, he has retained ownership of the business and watched it grow to over 600 stores, with 3 billion dollars in sales projected this year. This episode was produced by Liz Metzger, with music by Ramtin Arablouei.  Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Claire Murashima.  You can follow HIBT on You can follow HIBT on X [https://twitter.com/HowIBuiltThis] & Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis], and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com [hibt@id.wondery.com]. Sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com [http://guyraz.com/]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

CAVA co-founder and CEO Brett Schulman joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage founders experiencing growing pains as they scale their companies.  Today we meet Devin, who’s navigating imposter syndrome as his spiked root beer gets picked up by stores across Texas. Then Sophia, a Los Angeles mom exploring new sales channels for the accessories she designed to support children’s allergy needs. And Sean, who’s weighing whether outside investment is the best way to grow his Michigan-based coffee roastery into a national brand.  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 [hibt@id.wondery.com] or call 1-800-433-1298. And be sure to listen to CAVA’s founding story [https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-cava-ted-xenohristos-and-brett-schulman/] as told by Brett and his co-founder Ted Xenohristos on the show in 2023.  This episode was produced by Carla Esteves with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was James Willetts.  You can follow HIBT on X [https://x.com/HowIBuiltThis] & Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis], and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com [hibt@id.wondery.com]. And sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com [http://guyraz.com/]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

The company behind the blockbuster acne fighter, Mighty Patch, was launched in 2017 with a single product sold exclusively on Amazon. It was inspired by similar patches Ju Rhyu had seen while living in Korea. Ju struggled with breakouts herself, and when she tried a patch and saw how well they worked, she was inspired to tailor a patch for the U.S. market. So, while the product wasn’t new, Ju recognized a niche to be filled. Over the next five years, Ju and her co-founders—brothers Dwight and Andy Lee—grew Mighty Patch from a niche product to a cosmetics industry sensation. Seemingly overnight, teens and young adults across America and all over social media could be seen proudly wearing patches on their faces. The Mighty Patch became so successful that in 2022 Hero Cosmetics sold for $630 million. And today, Hero is the number one selling acne treatment brand in the United States. This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music by Ramtin Arablouei and Sam Paulson. Edited by Andrea Bruce, with research from Olivia Rockeman.  Our engineers were Gilly Moon and Robert Rodriguez.  You can follow HIBT on X [https://twitter.com/HowIBuiltThis] & Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis], and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com [hibt@id.wondery.com]. Sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com [http://guyraz.com/] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].