How I Built This with Guy Raz

Dollar Shave Club: Michael Dubin, From Zero to a Billion Dollar Exit in Five Years (December 2018)

It started with a massive pile of razors sitting in a Rancho Cucomonga warehouse, and Michael Dubin’s chance meeting of the man who wanted to get rid of them. In 2010, Michael was working in marketing in Los Angeles, producing online video content. As a hobby, Michael took improv comedy classes. At a holiday party, he met a man named Mark Levine. Mark was looking for ideas to sell razors he had imported, but didn’t know how to unload. Michael’s background in video and comedy helped him create a viral launch video for his spontaneous idea: an internet razor subscription brand called Dollar Shave Club. Five years after launching, Dollar Shave Club sold to consumer products behemoth Unilever for a reported $1 billion in cash. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience in Los Angeles. What you’ll learn: * How Michael’s early career at NBC in New York exposed him to a world of video production - and comedy * The fateful party where Michael had to decide whether to start a company to sell razors - or to sell cake slicers * How Michael’s gut feeling was that shaving was a sector that could use disruption - even though it meant facing down daunting incumbent players like Gillette * Michael’s viral launch video was so good, it brought investors on board * How to DIY fulfillment to keep an overnight success on track * How expanding their offerings into other men’s grooming products caught the attention of Unilever and led to an acquisition offer Listen now to hear the amazing backstory of one of the best-known early DTC brands. ------------ 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. 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: Tapping AI as a Resource for Your Business

This week, Guy is joined by TRX exercise straps founder Randy Hetrick, chicken restaurant giant Raising Cane’s Todd Graves, and Chesapeake Bay Candle Company founder Mei Xu in a special episode of the Advice Line. We talk about how to navigate today’s crowded social media landscape... And ways founders can start thinking about AI.   First, Shireen from Pennsylvania wants to know how to do better getting customers to attend her cooking demos… Then, Valerie from Idaho wonders whether separate social media accounts amount to the best path for her brand... And finally, Avani from New Jersey needs help scaling her business.  Thank you to the founders of Moji Masala , Large as Life puzzles, and Modi Toys for coming on 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.  This episode was produced by Rommel Wood 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 my free newsletter at guyraz.com or on Substack. To hear our returning guests’ previous episodes: * TRX: Randy Hetrick [https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-trx-randy-hetrick/] | Advice Line with Randy Hetrick of TRX [https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-advice-line-with-randy-hetrick-of-trx/?queryID=f86b5f10f40b78f4e831f05098c1799f] * Raising Cane's: Todd Graves [https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-raising-canes-todd-graves-2022/?queryID=0b9521bbf61574dd817097a47ae7e7c5] | Advice Line with Todd Graves of Raising Cane's [https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-advice-line-with-todd-graves-of-raising-canes/] * Chesapeake Bay Candle: Mei Xu [https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-chesapeake-bay-candle-mei-xu-2017/?queryID=06793bc27034861181e07fcb78ed8bd1] | Advice Line with Mei Xu of Chesapeake Bay Candle and Blueme [https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-advice-line-with-mei-xu-of-chesapeake-bay-candle-and-blueme/?queryID=ea5e560ca86cf713def8ac69e57a6265] 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].

SkinnyDipped: Breezy and Val Griffith. The Flourishing Snack Company That Almost Failed

For decades, snack companies believed Americans wanted everything sweeter. More sugar. More chocolate. More indulgence. But what if that assumption was wrong? In this episode, a mother-daughter team set out to make a sleeker version of a chocolate almond— and nearly lose everything in the process. Val Griffith was a longtime TV producer in Seattle. Her daughter Breezy was bouncing between failing business ideas in Miami and New York. When a family tragedy brought Breezy back home, the two began talking about food, snacking, and why chocolate-covered almonds were always so… overdone. Their insight was deceptively simple: what if you used less sugar, not fake sugar — and a thin coating of chocolate instead of a fat one?  Turning that idea into SkinnyDipped meant years of failed experiments, dipping almonds by hand, manufacturing out of a converted chicken coop, and demoing almonds one by one.  When they finally got a breakthrough order from Target, they faced a near-disaster: 40,000 pounds of rancid almonds.  What followed was a frantic race to save the deal — and later, a far more dangerous question: is this business ever going to make it? WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:  * How failing at micro-businesses quietly builds founder skill * Why manufacturing is often the biggest obstacle in food startups * The nail-biting risk of saying yes to Target too early * How growth can mask deeply broken economics * What it takes to fix a business when funding disappears TIMESTAMPS:  * 00:07:25 - How Breezy’s early forays into the food business failed — and why they mattered. * 00:11:00 - How a family loss brought Breezy and her mom together — and changed the direction of their lives  * 00:21:07 - Reinventing a stale bulk-bin snack: The road-trip conversations that sparked a new recipe:  * 00:31:20 - The Home Depot paint sprayer experiment: A brilliant idea that failed spectacularly. * 00:38:56 - SkinnyDipped’s first “facility:” one oven, no heat, no hot water *               * 00:49:28 - How a chance meeting in a bar changed the company’s trajectory * 00:55:41 - Target takes the plunge and SkinnyDipped nearly drowns: how a chain-wide launch almost breaks the business * 01:7:47 - Growth without profit: How the founders recover after hitting rock bottom * 01:21:44 - The mother-daughter equation: wisdom + jet fuel * 01:26:13 - Small Business Spotlight  —----------------------- 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 Kerry Thompson with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Chris Maccini. Our engineers were Robert Rodriguez and 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].

Advice Line with Todd Graves of Raising Cane's

Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage founders who are each considering a big, next step to grow their businesses. First, Evan in Texas wants to know if he should franchise drive-thrus for his coffee business. Then, David in St. Louis is trying to get around dents in his financial history to secure financing for his pasta company. And finally, Shane in Los Angeles is weighing the pros and cons of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant for his focaccia sandwich retail and catering concept. Thank you to the founders of Whiskey Morning Coffee, Midwest Pasta Company, and Vesti 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 the founding story of Raising Cane’s [https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-raising-canes-todd-graves/] as told by Todd on the show in 2022. This episode was produced by Alex Cheng with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley. You can follow HIBT on X [https://twitter.com/HowIBuiltThis] & Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis] and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com [http://guyraz.com] or 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].

Exploding Kittens: Elan Lee. How cat-themed Russian Roulette changed game night forever

Exploding Kittens began as a jerry-rigged version of Russian Roulette — a deck of cards hastily modified with a Sharpie. But what happened next is one of the most improbable success stories in the creator economy: a $10,000 Kickstarter goal that ballooned into nearly $9 million, a community that rewrote the rules of crowdfunding, and a company that has now sold over 60 million card and board games. Co-founder Elan Lee shares the story behind Exploding Kittens — from dismantling his brother’s toys as a kid, to helping design Halo, to walking away from Microsoft…twice. He reveals how burnout, curiosity, and an obsession with interactive storytelling set the stage for one of the most successful game launches of all time. This is a story about the genius behind good marketing, and how creative storytelling can build a cult-like audience — without spending millions. If you’ve ever wondered how a strange idea becomes a global phenomenon — this is that story. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:  * How burnout can be a creative turning point * How a Sharpie and a deck of cards can unlock breakthrough ideas * The storytelling strategy that powered one of Kickstarter’s biggest launches * How to treat your fans like collaborators, not just customers * Why marketing should feel like play * Unit economics to die for: make it for $2, sell it for $20 * How to power through the threat of a one-hit-wonder TIMESTAMPS: * 00:08:30 — The physics teacher who changed Elan’s life * 00:10:35 — How Elan touched up the floating door scene in Titanic * 00:13:03 — “You’re the worst program manager I’ve ever seen” — and the pivot to game design * 00:15:33 — Meeting Spielberg, riffing on the movie AI, and inventing a new kind of storytelling * 00:21:42 — Promoting Halo 2 with payphones  * 00:31:35 — The Hawaii getaway that sparked Exploding Kittens * 00:42:12 — The Kickstarter launch: most backers on record * 00:48:42 — Suddenly a real company — 700,000 decks and a manufacturing crisis * 00:53:45 — Marketing genius: a kitty-cat vending machine that dispensed burritos and more * 01:00:58 — New games that bombed — the one-hit-wonder dread * 01:07:04 — Throw Throw Burrito, and the road to stability * 01:19:05 — Elan’s 4-year-old daughter helps design new games * 01:30:31 — Small Business Spotlight 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 Sam Paulson with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Noor Gill. Our engineers were Maggie Luthar and 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].