How I Built This with Guy Raz
Episodes
1-800-GOT-JUNK?: Brian Scudamore
17 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Brian Scudamore didn't dream of a life hauling away other people's trash. But when he needed to pay for college, he bought a $700 pickup truck, painte...
Instacart: Apoorva Mehta
10 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
App developer Apoorva Mehta almost gave up on being an entrepreneur until he figured out what he really wanted to do: find a hassle-free way to buy gr...
AOL: Steve Case
03 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
When Steve Case started out in the tech business in the mid-80s, the idea of the internet — as we think of it today — didn't exist. But with AOL, ...
Power Rangers: Haim Saban
27 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
As a refugee growing up in Tel Aviv, Haim Saban remembers not having enough money to eat. As an adult, he hustled his way into the entertainment busin...
Kendra Scott: Kendra Scott
20 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Ever since she was a little girl playing dress-up in her aunt's closet, Kendra Scott loved fashion. Her first business was a hat shop, which she start...
5-Hour Energy: Manoj Bhargava
13 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
After living as a monk in India and running a plastics company in Florida, Manoj Bhargava decided to launch something new: a one-shot energy drink in ...
Chesapeake Bay Candle: Mei Xu
06 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Twenty-five years ago, when Mei Xu emigrated from China to the U.S., she loved going to Bloomingdale's to gaze at their housewares. She eventually sta...
Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell
27 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Before he turned 40, Nolan Bushnell founded two brands that permanently shaped the way Americans amuse themselves: the iconic video game system Atari,...
Crate & Barrel: Gordon Segal
20 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In 1962, Gordon Segal — with his wife Carole — opened a scrappy Chicago shop called Crate & Barrel. That store turned into a housewares empire tha...
Live Episode! Beyond Meat: Ethan Brown
16 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
As founder and CEO of Beyond Meat, Ethan Brown believes he can turn peas and lentils into protein that tastes — and feels – exactly like beef and ...
Lyft: John Zimmer
13 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Ridesharing wasn't a thing 12 years ago when John Zimmer was in college. But a class on green cities got him thinking about the glut of underused cars...
Kate Spade: Kate & Andy Spade
06 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A 1991 conversation at a Mexican restaurant led Kate & Andy Spade to ask, "What's missing in designer handbags?" Kate's answer was a simple modern-sha...
Virgin: Richard Branson
30 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Branson took a record shop and built it into a label, a bank, an airline, space tourism, and 200 other businesses — all under the name Virgi...
Zappos: Tony Hsieh
23 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Computer scientist Tony Hsieh made millions off the dot-com boom. But he didn't make his mark until he built Zappos — a customer service company tha...
Honest Tea: Seth Goldman
16 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In 1997, after going for a long run, Seth Goldman was frustrated with the sugar-filled drinks at the corner market. So he brewed up a beverage in his ...
Drybar: Alli Webb
09 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A decade ago, full-time mom Alli Webb noticed a gap in the beauty market: there was nowhere that just focused on blow-drying hair. Now with 70 locatio...
Zumba: Beto Perez & Alberto Perlman
02 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Zumba began as a mistake: aerobics teacher Beto Perez brought the wrong music to class, then improvised a dance routine to go with it. For his student...
Warby Parker: Dave Gilboa & Neil Blumenthal
26 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In 2008, it was nearly impossible to buy a fashionable, affordable pair of glasses online. That simple frustration inspired the idea behind Warby Park...
Melissa & Doug: Melissa And Doug Bernstein
19 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Melissa and Doug Bernstein's first success was a wooden 'fuzzy puzzle' of farm animals. Today, Melissa & Doug makes over 2,000 kinds of toys and serve...
Patagonia: Yvon Chouinard
12 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In 1973, Yvon Chouinard started Patagonia to make climbing gear he couldn't find elsewhere. Over decades of growth, he has implemented a unique philos...
Serial Entrepreneur: Mark Cuban
05 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Cuban made millions off of tech startups, then billions off of stocks — and later went on to buy and revive the Dallas Mavericks. He has come t...
Angie's List: Angie Hicks
28 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In 1996, Angie Hicks spent hours reading contractor reviews to members over the phone. Today, the online review and referral service, Angie's List, is...
Southwest Airlines: Herb Kelleher
21 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In 1968, competitors sued to keep Herb Kelleher's new airline grounded. After a 3-year court fight, the first plane took off from Dallas. Today Southw...
Celebrity Chef: José Andrés
14 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
As a kid, José Andrés tended fires for his father's backyard paella cookouts. Later, he trained with the best Spanish chefs, and began building a re...
Music Mogul: L.A. Reid
07 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
L.A. Reid began his music career as a drummer. Then he co-founded LaFace Records, discovering dozens of future pop superstars. Reid is now one of the ...
Samuel Adams: Jim Koch
31 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In 1984, Jim Koch felt suffocated by his cushy but boring corporate job. So he left, dusted off an old family beer recipe, started Sam Adams, and help...
Dermalogica: Jane Wurwand
24 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jane Wurwand moved to Los Angeles with a suitcase and a beauty school diploma. She started what would become Dermalogica, an international beauty empi...
Airbnb: Joe Gebbia
17 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
A chance encounter with a stranger gave Joe Gebbia an idea to help pay his rent. That idea turned into Airbnb — a company that now has more rooms th...
VICE: Suroosh Alvi
10 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Suroosh Alvi was a recovering addict when he started a scrappy underground magazine in Montreal. It grew into VICE Media — a multi-billion dollar co...
Clif Bar: Gary Erickson
03 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Gary Erickson asked his mom, "Can you make a cookie without butter, sugar or oil?" The result was Clif Bar, an energy bar named after his dad — now ...
Radio One: Cathy Hughes
26 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
As a kid, Cathy Hughes practiced her DJ routine while her siblings banged on the bathroom door. As an adult, she founded Radio One, the country's larg...
Instagram: Kevin Systrom & Mike Krieger
19 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger launched their photo-sharing app with a server that crashed every other hour. Despite a chaotic start, Instagram became...
Spanx: Sara Blakely
12 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
At 27, Sara Blakely was selling fax machines and desperate to reinvent her life. So she came up with Spanx — hosiery that eliminates panty lines —...
Introducing: How I Built This with Guy Raz
02 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Guy Raz interviews the world’s best-known entrepreneurs to learn how they built their iconic brands. In each episode, founders reveal deep, intimate...