How I Built This: Top 5 Episodes
This week I finally finished every episode thus far from the popular podcast: How I Built This with host Guy Raz.
How I Built This is an incredible source of inspiration for current entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs and even non-entrepreneurs (like myself). Each episode features a story about someone who builds a brand or company from the ground up — from a childhood dream, a lightning bulb idea, a chance encounter. It doesn’t matter if you have the entrepreneurial spirit or not, you will be drawn into the journeys of these remarkable people.
From kickass lady bosses and aggressive go-getters to precocious college dropouts and socially conscious hippies, each guest has a unique backstory. Yet, no matter where they came from, a common thread between all these individuals is their hustle, perseverance, and undeniable passion about creating something from nothing.
Finally, the host Guy Raz is simply fantastic. A longtime NPR correspondent and journalist, Guy Raz helps each founder weave their story by fielding questions that add color and dimension to their experiences. He’s not afraid of approaching the tough subjects and always offers empathy, humor, and genuine curiosity. A lot of times you will find Guy sharing the same reactions or asking the same questions you are wondering out loud. In fact, it is his approachability and acute awareness about the human identity that ultimately ties this whole podcast together.
Special shout-out to my best friend Jennifer Kim for recommending How I Built This! I often have low attention span when it comes to audio books and podcasts, but I found myself excited to listen to a new episode every day. Whether you like food, fashion, technology, fitness, or entertainment — you’ll resonate with these founders, recognize their iconic brands and maybe even realize how they have changed your own life.
So, without further ado, below are my personal Top 5 episodes:
1. Spanx: Sara Blakely
When I was coming up with this list, I was curious which episodes the rest of the Internet enjoyed. Turns out Sara Blakely was a classic favorite, which makes sense because she’s actually the very first guest on the podcast. Kudos to Guy for finding someone who could set the right tone for the whole series!
Quick Summary: At 27, Sara Blakely was selling fax machines door-to-door. Desperate for a change, she pursued her brilliant idea of Spanx — hosiery that eliminates panty lines — and ended up building a multi-billion dollar empire.
Big Takeaways: Sara became the youngest female self-made billionaire in America through hard work, grit, and confidence. She had no background in engineering, business, or fashion; yet she was absolutely certain her invention could change the lives of women everywhere. In 2000, Oprah named Spanx one of her “favorite things.”
Memorable quote: “In the middle of my meeting with [a representative from Neiman Marcus], I could tell I was losing her…so I said, “You know what, will you come with me to the bathroom?”
2. Ben & Jerry’s: Ben Cohen And Jerry Greenfield
I just had to include a food business in my Top 5. Trust me, there were many contenders for this spot, but Ben & Jerry’s stole my heart (and tastebuds) for its origin story, which is rooted in a special friendship and strong core values. Today, Ben & Jerry’s is one of the world’s top-selling ice cream brands, but it has also built its reputation by caring about people over profitability.
Quick Summary: Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield were childhood friends who wanted to create a business together. They eventually decided to turn a gas station into a quirky ice cream shop that featured unusual flavors like Honey Coffee, Chunky Monkey, and Mint with Oreo Cookies. By the 1980s, their regional brand was so popular it earned a cover story on Time Magazine.
Big Takeaways: While its unique and eclectic ice cream flavors earned the love of millions, Ben & Jerry also gained major respect for integrating humanitarianism in their business. To this day, the brand is still known for its commitment to social responsibility, environmental awareness, and employee empowerment.
Memorable quote: “We recognized that Pillsbury was controlling the marketplace, so we took our place to…the people! We decided to go after the Pillsbury Doughboy.”
3. Bumble: Whitney Wolfe
Who doesn’t love a modern-day woman who wants to change the narrative of toxic masculinity? The feminist in me can’t help but cheer and root Whitney on for surviving her Tinder nightmare and proceeding to create Bumble, a new kind of dating app where women get to make the first move.
Quick Summary: At only 22 years old, Whitney Wolfe was the co-founder and VP of Marketing of Tinder, the #1 dating app in the world. She left the company in 2014 after suing Tinder for sexual harassment. What followed were some dark days; however, her rough walk-out propelled her to launch Bumble, a revolutionary app that is now disrupting the dating industry.
Big Takeaways: Whitney was incredibly young and incredibly brave when her personal life at Tinder got thrown under the public eye. Despite harsh scrutiny and online abuse, she persevered and managed to come out even stronger. Through her own experience, she was able to recognize the lack of online accountability on apps and the potential for Bumble to combat this problem.
Memorable quote: “You can’t kill ambition. You can kill confidence, but you can’t kill drive. Through all this pain and struggle, I still had this itch to create.”
4. Airbnb: Joe Gebbia
I love this story because it all starts out with a chance encounter Joe Gebbia had with a stranger, which gave him the idea for Airbnb. That idea grew into a company that now has more rooms than the biggest hotel chain in the world.
Quick Summary: Shortly after moving to San Francisco in October 2007, Joe Gebbia could not afford the rent for his loft apartment. To make ends meet, Joe and his roommate set up an air mattress in their living room and turned it into a bed and breakfast. Their solution transformed into Airbnb, one of the most profitable apps in the sharing economy, at an estimated $38B valuation.
Big Takeaways: It took Joe Gebbia and his roommate Brian Chesky many launch attempts to convince people to believe and invest in their idea. After multiple rejections from VCs, they finally received funding from Y Combinator and changed their focus from shared spaces to all types of accommodation.
Memorable quote: “We were introduced to 20 investors in Silicon Valley. Ten replied to our email. Five met us for coffee. Zero invested in us.”
5. Zumba: Beto Perez & Alberto Perlman
Oh, Zumba. Zumba is hands-down one of my favorite workouts, and I cannot believe that it was invented almost by accident! This heart-warming story of Beto Perez — a Colombian dancer and choreographer — will melt your heart.
Quick Summary: Aerobics teacher Beto Perez brought the wrong music to class, so he had to improvise a new dance routine to go with it. What resulted from his mistake was the creation of Zumba, an exercise program that is now adored by millions for being not only a killer workout, but a whole lot of fun.
Big Takeaways: Beto teamed up with two other Colombian immigrants (and two other “Albertos” — Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion) to create Zumba. Their hybrid dance/aerobics style became a global phenomenon after the co-founders shifted their business model from selling Zumba workout videos to certifying instructors through Zumba Instructor Network (ZIN).
Memorable quote: “We spent the whole $14,000, we had zero leftover in the bank. We created this beautiful email, pressed ‘send,’ and prayed please, please. Suddenly, 450 instructors joined. That’s when we decided this would be our life.”
Honestly, you can’t really go wrong with any episodes in this podcast. Each story is compelling in its own right and speaks volumes about the human identity. Like Guy Raz describes, humanness is the very DNA of How I Built This. It is precisely the human appeal that has helped secure its consistent spot on the list of most popular podcasts year over year.
If you want more episode recommendations, these next five are also amazing:
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Whole Foods: John Mackey
Soul Cycle: Julie Rice & Elizabeth Cutler
Stitch Fix: Katrina Lake
Five Guys: Jerry Murrell
We-Work: Miguel McKelvey
