How I Built This with Guy Raz Calm: Alex Tew and Michael Acton Smith
72 snips
May 26, 2025 
Michael Acton Smith, co-founder of Calm and creator of Moshi Monsters, and Alex Tew, known for the Million Dollar Homepage, share their journey transforming meditation into a thriving app. They discuss overcoming skepticism from investors and the road to securing calm.com. The duo reflects on the rise of community-driven ventures, emphasizing creative marketing and the importance of innovative content. Their lighthearted camaraderie shines through as they highlight the joy and passion behind building a platform that promotes mental well-being.
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Do Nothing for Two Minutes
- Alex Tew created a website called Do Nothing for Two Minutes where visitors must literally do nothing for two minutes. - Only about half of the visitors could successfully stay still, illustrating the challenge of stillness.
Early UK E-Commerce Challenges
- Michael Acton Smith and his business partner started one of the UK's first e-commerce gadgets shops in the late 1990s. - They faced early challenges like no online credit card payments and had customers fax credit card details to order.
Shot Glass Chess Set Success
- They invented a shot glass chess set combining chess with a drinking game sold mostly through magazines. - The idea went viral after editors enthusiastically featured it worldwide, showing storytelling's power.
