Advice Line with Perry Chen of Kickstarter

Long before founding Torchy’s Tacos, Mike Rypka was a troubled teenager trying to outrun his own self-destruction. Growing up around addiction and falling into heavy drug use himself, Mike’s future looked bleak—until he got clean and found refuge in kitchens. Cooking gave him structure, purpose, and eventually, a career. After years working in restaurants and corporate kitchens, Mike decided to take a risk on something smaller: a food truck on a street corner in Austin. In 2006, he launched Torchy’s with nothing but a dream, a fiery logo, and a menu full of bold flavors. That humble truck became the start of something much bigger. Today, Torchy’s is a national chain with more than 130 locations and annual sales topping $300 million. And through all of it, Mike has remained sober—more than three decades and counting. This episode was produced by Carla Esteves and edited by Kevin Leahy, with research by Katherine Sypher and music by Ramtin Arablouei. Our audio engineers were Patrick Murray and Gilly Moon. You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram, and email us at [email protected]. Sign up for Guy’s newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Former manager of Lady Gaga and Atom Factory founder Troy Carter joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, Troy’s advice for reaching new audiences when digital ads struggle to perform. First we meet Madelyn in Arizona, who’s trying to grow her postpartum frozen meal delivery service while preserving its focus on her local community. Then Tyler in Oregon, who wants to strengthen connections with influencers endorsing his water purification systems. And Gina in Minnesota, who’s looking to better market her matching dog and human clothing sets. Thank you to the founders of The Nest Prep, Guzzle H2O, and Good Thomas for being a part of our show. If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, 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 [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298. And be sure to listen to Atom Factory’s founding story as told by Troy on the show in 2017. This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch. You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com or on Substack. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As a Harvard squash player, Will Ahmed discovered his game improved when he focused on things like sleep, diet, and time spent recovering from training. He was convinced that granular health and heart data would become invaluable to other athletes if it could be bundled into a wearable wrist strap. In 2012, Will founded WHOOP, and after three years the company launched its first model, with Lebron James and Michael Phelps as advocates. But WHOOP struggled to gain traction with mere mortals, and spent years overhauling its business model and fending off big name competitors. Eventually it became one of the most popular wearables on the market, with a valuation well above $3 billion.  This episode was researched and produced by Katherine Sypher and edited by Neva Grant, with music by Ramtin Arablouei. Our engineer was Patrick Murray. You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram, and email us at [email protected]. Sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hinge founder and CEO Justin McLeod joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Justin describes Hinge’s new initiatives around intentional dating. First, Jessica in Toronto, Canada asks about opening new markets for her self-guided mystery road trip packages. Then Nick from Auckland, New Zealand wonders about strategies to drive word-of-mouth referrals for his designer security screen door company. And finally, Chandler from Minnesota discusses the challenge of getting his story across to customers as he sells hand-drawn posters that celebrate the history of golf and hockey. Thank you to the founders of Guess Where Trips, Framework Doors, and Archive 22 for being a part of our show. If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, 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 [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298. And be sure to listen to the Hinge founding story as told by Justin on the show in 2021. This episode was produced by Casey Herman with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Cena Loffredo. You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As a newly arrived immigrant from Turkey, Hamdi Ulukaya learned to be resourceful, determined, and even stubborn when he needed to be. All those traits would serve him well as he began to navigate the hairpin turns of building a yogurt business from the ground up. In 2005, Hamdi was running a small feta cheese business in upstate New York when he happened upon a piece of junk mail that would change his life: an ad for an abandoned yogurt factory...$700K, as is. He knew if he could get his hands on it, he could bring a new kind of dairy product to the U.S.—the thick, creamy yogurt he’d grown up eating in the mountains of Turkey. With the help of a local bank, Hamdi bought the factory, and sales grew so quickly that he could barely keep up. A few years later, some bad business decisions nearly pushed the company into bankruptcy, but today, Chobani is one of the most popular yogurt brands in the U.S; and Greek-style yogurt has become a staple of the dairy aisle. This episode was produced by Josh Lash with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Claire Murashima. You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at [email protected]. Sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.