How I Built This with Guy Raz

Nick Green, co-founder and CEO of Thrive Market, joins three founders tackling growth challenges. Mercedes seeks to scale performancewear for musicians, Danny weighs funding for sustainable mushroom coffee, and Rhea builds awareness for an app preserving the voices of people with speech loss. Green also explores AI-powered grocery shopping, personalized nutrition, subscriptions, and mission-driven growth.

Jamie Siminoff, inventor and founder of Ring, joins a look back at a decade of bold entrepreneurial stories. Hear how fear can fuel action, why failure improves products, and how founders spot problems worth solving. From Spanx’s scrappy first sales to Liquid Death’s rebellious branding, it’s a lively tour through risk, reinvention, resilience, and the human cost of growth.

Scott Tannen, co-founder of organic bedding brand Boll & Branch, and Jamie Siminoff, inventor and Ring founder, tackle three entrepreneurs’ biggest growth questions. They explore bootstrapping without losing control, marketing sun-protective clothing beyond athleisure, and turning binoculars into lifestyle accessories. They also discuss building loyal customers through social good and keeping business challenges simple.

Alan Newman, co-founder of Seventh Generation and Magic Hat Brewing, and Jeffrey Hollender, sustainability advocate and former Seventh Generation CEO, revisit the company’s unlikely beginnings. They discuss building a fearless workplace, turning recycled products into a national brand, and the painful collapse of their friendship. The story continues through Jeffrey’s ouster, boardroom tensions, and lessons from a partnership that flourished, then failed.

Danny Meyer, the restaurateur behind Union Square Hospitality Group and Shake Shack, offers advice on building memorable brands. He explores how clear behaviors shape company culture, why genuine employee energy creates hospitality, and how to keep a “day one” mindset. Three food founders also tackle packaging, direct-to-consumer shipping, selective wholesale, restaurant partnerships, and scaling with care.

Brian Rudolph, co-founder of Banza, turned a wheat-free kitchen experiment into a leading chickpea pasta brand with his brother, Scott. He recounts transforming beans into pasta, landing early retail breaks, and surviving a disastrous first production run that turned to mush. He also discusses Banza’s bold orange packaging, explosive growth, and a food-safety scare that sent sales tumbling.

Michelle Wahler, co-founder of Beyond Yoga and an investor and entrepreneurship mentor, advises three founders. They explore converting study-abroad interest into bookings, rebuilding trust with interior designers, and selling the emotional ritual behind self-care soap online. Wahler also shares why sustainable growth may matter more than outside capital, exit plans, or distracting opportunities.

Karissa Bodnar, former L’Oréal product developer and founder of Thrive Causemetics, turned personal loss into a mission-driven beauty brand. She shares how childhood experiments sparked her passion, why major retailers repeatedly said no, and how a viral makeup lesson transformed sales. Along the way: bootstrapping, product innovation for cancer survivors, scarcity, direct-to-consumer growth, and scaling after a mascara sellout.

Kip Tindell, co-founder and longtime CEO of The Container Store, joins three entrepreneurs tackling growth challenges. Juliette seeks affordable buzz for a cooling device, David explores wholesale for engraved gifts, and Kaitlin works to turn viral attention into a lasting sleep brand. Tindell also reflects on retail disruption, succession, retirement, and The Container Store’s bankruptcy and acquisition.

Kim Vaccarella, founder and CEO of washable bag brand Bogg Bag, turned a Crocs-inspired idea into a $100 million business. She shares the disastrous first shipment that nearly ended it, how Superstorm Sandy changed the company’s trajectory, and the nine-year struggle of building Bogg while raising two children and keeping a day job. She also explains rejecting a $100 million offer and pursuing a billion-dollar legacy.