Advice Line with Carlton Calvin of Razor

Advice Line with Carlton Calvin of Razor

Today’s callers: Shawn from Saskatchewan weighs whether brand-building or licensing is best for his card-based party game. Then Shirin in Texas wants to differentiate her graphic stationery in a crowded Etsy marketplace. And Mark from New Jersey works through refocusing his line of craft spirits.  Plus, Carlton’s recent efforts to pass on his trendspottting talent to the next generation. Thank you to the founders of Youlogy, Honey Bespoke Stationery & Paper Goods, and Little Water Distillery 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 hibt@id.wondery.com or call 1-800-433-1298. And be sure to listen to the Razor founding story [https://art19.com/shows/831bd173-0992-41b7-b1eb-112db904d947/episodes/f45fbe76-9c6a-44ad-af31-8d13f1d5d820/embed] as told by Carlton Calvin in 2025. This episode was produced by Casey Herman with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Annlie Huang. 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/] 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].

Bobbie: Laura Modi. How a Baby Formula Startup Took Market Share From Two Industry Giants

Laura Modi set out to build a better infant formula. What followed was years of setbacks: a crippling dispute with the FDA, a frustrating search for a manufacturer, and the constant fear that the company would run out of money before it reached customers. But today, Bobbie generates over $100 million a year and has captured nearly 4% of the U.S. infant formula market by challenging one of the most protected industries in America. In this conversation, Laura explains how she made it through—and why many of the moments that looked like disasters ultimately built a better company, and made her a better entrepreneur. You'll learn: * Why Laura left a great job to launch one of the most heavily regulated products in America * How she spent nearly $200,000 of her own savings before raising outside capital * How 64 investor pitches helped her tell a better story * How a public apology changed the trajectory of the company * Why Bobbie turned away thousands of customers during its fastest period of growth * Why Laura moved to Washington, D.C., and how she thinks about federal oversight Timestamps: 13:17 – The emotional experience that revealed a massive business opportunity 23:09 – Laura learns about the two companies that had a lock on U.S. formula 25:52 – Quitting Airbnb, starting Bobbie while pregnant, risking her savings 38:52 – Pitching 64 investors—and the brutal feedback that fueled her to keep going 50:04 – The FDA shuts the company down after two weeks 1:01:14 – Building a community while waiting nearly two years for approval 1:09:11 – Launch day, and selling out faster than expected 1:13:59 – Why Laura shut off new customer orders during the infant formula shortage 1:17:12 – Buying her own manufacturing plant to control Bobbie's future 1:20:19 – Navigating Washington, regulation, and building a mission-driven brand This episode was researched and produced by Alex Cheng with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant. Our audio engineer was Robert Rodriguez.  Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis [https://www.instagram.com/howibuiltthis/] X → @HowIBuiltThis [https://x.com/howibuiltthis] Facebook → How I Built This [https://www.facebook.com/howibuiltthis] Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz [https://www.instagram.com/guy.raz/] Youtube → guy_raz [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNSfrxNEmCruNtjIzxCBHjg] X → @guyraz [https://x.com/guyraz] Substack → https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/guyraz.substack.com__;!!Iwwt!RZoD751oWzUzoqqdJiqaoL6HdJfRHDUO1TKvYJ424d3Udn7-Pw9Nj6nEsauh9zcgEvLjUEc$guyraz.substack.com [http://guyraz.substack.com] Website → 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 Bobbi Brown of Jones Road Beauty (September 2025)

Today's callers: Bob in Chicago looks to promote his cabbage-based muscle and joint rub beyond the walls of his orthopedic practice. Then Abby in Dallas wonders whether her popular social media livestreams are a sustainable way to market her trendy phone cases. And Henry in Charlotte wants to turn his mouth rinse for coffee drinkers into a mainstream oral care brand. Plus, Bobbi shares what drove her to found her new company—Jones Road—at the age of 62. Thank you to the founders of Cabbage Labs, AbbyRose, and Tannin Oral Care 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 hibt@id.wondery.com [hibt@id.wondery.com] or call 1-800-433-1298. And be sure to listen to Bobbi Brown Cosmetics’ founding story [https://art19.com/shows/831bd173-0992-41b7-b1eb-112db904d947/episodes/182c2b7f-874e-48ca-906a-0295d1da9dff/embed] as told by Bobbi on the show in 2018. This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Cena Loffredo. 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/] 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].

MadeGood: Salma and Nima Fotovat Lost Their First Business. They Grew Their Next One Into a Snack Giant.

What do you do when the family business you've spent decades building... gets bought out from under you?  That’s what happened to Nima and Salma Fotovat. Devastated, the family rebuilt a new company from the ground up. This time they set out with a new idea: build an allergen-free, organic snack brand not just for kids, but their parents.   Their new brand: MadeGood. Today, the Canadian brand’s parent company does hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. But getting there meant rebuilding from scratch, fixing 200,000 mislabeled snack bars by hand, and turning a family of co-packers into branding experts. What you'll learn: * How owning manufacturing can be a competitive edge * How they grew a national brand with almost no marketing.  * Why it can be a winning strategy to say "yes" before you know how  * Introducing new products: the tension between research and emotion   * The mindset that can help you rebuild after a devastating setback Timestamps: 6:05 - Growing up in Iran during wartime, and emigrating to Canada  11:55 - Their dad’s new business: “Why are North Americans not eating nougat?”   19:25 - Building the family’s first snack bar brand—and losing it overnight 34:20 - The next business: going all in on healthier school snacks 42:30 - Fixing a 200,000-bar production error with alcohol wipes  48:30 - Landing MadeGood’s first retail store 51:10 - The 100-mile radius marketing strategy  56:50 - The lure of new products: from human treats to dog treats  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: "Strategy Sessions"

Today’s callers: Tony in Michigan is considering bringing on partners to run different parts of his brew pub and theater business. Then Monica in London is exploring the best way to reach style-conscious parents with her line of children’s clothes. And Sandy in Colorado is seeking the ideal pricing strategy to bring his adaptive test prep platform to schools nationwide. Thank you to the founders of Hearsay Brewing and Theater, Tres London and Brain Buffs 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 hibt@id.wondery.com [hibt@id.wondery.com] or call 1-800-433-1298.  And be sure to listen to our Advice Line episodes with Jeffrey Hollender of Seventh Generation [https://art19.com/shows/831bd173-0992-41b7-b1eb-112db904d947/episodes/f8ce2410-1176-47d9-be44-03f9fa945714/embed], Sarah LaFleur of M.M LaFleur [https://art19.com/shows/831bd173-0992-41b7-b1eb-112db904d947/episodes/ace5a853-d0cf-4c65-95ad-1ecfc8808c03/embed] and Shazi Visram of Happy Family Organics [https://art19.com/shows/831bd173-0992-41b7-b1eb-112db904d947/episodes/c354a554-e764-44c6-89f9-e2192e3e5a86/embed]. This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley. 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/] 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].