How I Built This with Guy Raz

Advice Line with Scott Tannen of Boll & Branch and Jamie Siminoff of Ring

CEO and co-founder of Boll & Branch, Scott Tannen joins Ring founder Jamie Siminoff and Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, Jamie and Guy talk about how creating repeat customers often comes from creating social good.   First, we hear from Melita in Toronto who's wondering whether to continue bootstrapping her organic clothing business. Then Eric in the Sunshine State asks which direction to take to grow his sunscreen apparel lines. And Chris in Alpine Meadows, California, is trying to figure out how to get his sleek binoculars into the hands of more people. Thank you to the founders of Q for Quinn, L Cubed Lifestyle, and Nocs Provisions.  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 the story of how Jamie founded Ring [https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-ring-jamie-siminoff/] from our episode back in 2020, as well as his appearance on the Advice Line [https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-advice-line-with-jamie-siminoff-of-ring] in 2024.. And how Scott and his wife Missy started Boll & Branch [https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-boll-amp-branch-scott-and-missy-tannen/], a story they told on the show in 2024. This episode was produced by J.C. Howard with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley. You can follow HIBT on Twitter [https://twitter.com/HowIBuiltThis] & Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis] and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com [http://guyraz.com/] and on Substack [https://guyraz.substack.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].

Khan Academy: Sal Khan. From Tutoring His Cousins to Teaching the World For Free (September 2020)

Khan Academy offers hundreds of free tutorials in fifty languages, and has 170 million monthly global users.  It all began in 2009 when Sal Khan walked away from a high-paying job to start a business that had no way of making money.  His idea to launch a non-profit teaching platform was sparked while helping his young cousins do math homework over the computer.  When he started posting his tutorials on Youtube, the world took notice.   You will learn:  * Not just cat videos: How Sal discovered the early power of YouTube.  * How a book by Isaac Asimov lay the foundation for Khan Academy * Why Sal said no to a for-profit business model * How Sal got discovered by Bill Gates–and other wealthy donors   * How Sal defines ambition: Free world class education for anyone, anywhere  Listen now to hear how Khan Academy has grown to become one of the most trusted teaching tools around the world.  This episode was produced by Jed Anderson, with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant.  Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis/] X → @HowIBuiltThis [https://x.com/howibuiltthis] Facebook → How I Built This [https://www.facebook.com/howibuiltthis] Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz [https://www.instagram.com/guy.raz/] Youtube → guy_raz [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNSfrxNEmCruNtjIzxCBHjg] X → @guyraz [https://x.com/guyraz] Substack → https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$guyraz.substack.com [http://guyraz.substack.com/] Website → https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$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]. 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].

Advice Line with Jane Wurwand of Dermalogica (2024)

Jane Wurwand, co-founder of the global skincare brand Dermalogica, joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early stage founders. Plus, Jane shares her philosophy on the importance of customer education for building a trusted brand.  First we meet Camille in Virginia, who’s wondering how to scale her vegan baby food company without compromising on quality. Then Molly in Maine, who’s trying to build a community of new parents for her baby-friendly workout classes. And Sarah in Connecticut, who’s considering whether to expand beyond her core performance underwear product.   Thank you to the founders of Chunky Vegan, Baby Booty and Paradis Sport for being part of the 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 Dermalogica’s founding story [https://art19.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episodes/2b212701-7ac6-4313-b948-080832f2cbf0] as told by Jane on the show in 2016.  This episode was produced by Katherine Sypher. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch. 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].

Meridith Baer Home: Meridith Baer. She Started Over at 50 and Put Home Staging on the Map.

Meridith Baer grew up on the grounds of San Quentin prison, acted in TV and movies, wrote scripts in Hollywood … and then, at 50, started over – and built one of the best known home-staging companies in real estate. Meridith’s life unfolds like a movie: As a teenager, she was forced to give up her baby for adoption. In her twenties, she was a writer for Penthouse. In her thirties and forties, she was a screenwriter in Hollywood, hobnobbing with Sally Field and dating Patrick Stewart. But in her late forties, Meridith hit a wall. Her writing career stalled, so she poured her energy into fixing up the house she was renting. When the owner sold that house almost immediately, she stumbled onto a strange new idea: why not stage homes for a living? From there, Meridith turned a few pieces of thrift-store furniture and potted plants into a full-blown business: trucks, warehouses, hundreds of employees, and high-end homes across Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and beyond. Along the way, she weathered the pressures of scaling a creative service into an operational machine—without ever raising outside capital. What you’ll learn: How to reshape a career at 50 (or any age) without a master plan How Meridith priced her work based on value created, not hours worked Why you don’t always need investors to grow a multi-million-dollar service business The psychology of home staging: designing spaces that make buyers fall in love in the first 10 seconds How Meridith thinks about legacy, stepping back, and seizing new opportunities Timestamps:  06:08 – Growing up as a warden’s daughter inside San Quentin 11:01 – Teen pregnancy, forced adoption, and reunion decades later 12:43 – From Pepsi commercials to Penthouse magazine 19:58 – Selling a major movie script, recoiling at the finished product 22:47 – How a breakup with Patrick Stewart totally reshaped Meridith’s life 27:41 – The accidental first staging job at age 50 35:17 – Early days of the business: vans, day laborers from Home Depot, and naming her price 47:18 – Unexpected struggles: tax trouble, a cancer diagnosis 51:07 – The business expands to New York and beyond 1:00:22 – Running a 320-person company at 78—and what comes next 1:05:56 – Small Business Spotlight This episode was produced by Alex Cheng, with music 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: Instagram → @howibuiltthis [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis/] X → @HowIBuiltThis [https://x.com/howibuiltthis] Facebook → How I Built This [https://www.facebook.com/howibuiltthis] Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz [https://www.instagram.com/guy.raz/] Youtube → guy_raz [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNSfrxNEmCruNtjIzxCBHjg] X → @guyraz [https://x.com/guyraz] Substack → guyraz.substack.com [http://guyraz.substack.com] Website → 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].

Advice Line with Bill Creelman of Spindrift

Bill Creelman, CEO and founder of Spindrift,  joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, Bill and Guy talk about the importance of solving one problem at a time.  First, we hear from Josh in West Hollywood, California - a pickle beer maker - who's wondering whether to drop his home-made brine to save money by using a manufactured flavor instead. Then Zac in Marshfield, Massachusetts, is trying to figure out how to get marketing help for his Hawaiian themed Flannel shirt company. And Jean Pierre in Portland is wondering about the best way to get his Kombucha business back on track.  Thank you to the founders of Donna’s Pickle Beer, Kona Brand and Soma Kombucha.  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 Spindrift’s Founding Story [https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-spindrift-bill-creelman/?queryID=a546cbe0fa8121a27c2a06048ac78899] as told by Bill on the show in 2020. This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Kwesi Lee. 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].