
Poshmark: Manish Chandra
26 February 2024 - 1 hour 6 minsWhen the iPhone 4 was released in 2010, Manish Chandra was dazzled by its picture quality, and saw an opportunity for a new type of mobile marketplace. A year later, he and three co-founders launched Poshmark, a shopping app for second-hand clothes and accessories, meant to capture the feel of going thrifting with your friends. The online community grew quickly and vocally—when Poshmark raised shipping fees, users lobbied furiously to lower them, and won. The company faced many more growing pains before being acquired by the Naver Corporation for $1.2 billion in 2023. It now has over 100 million registered users around the world.
This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music composed...

Substack: Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie
Substack was founded to create an escape vehicle for writers: Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie imagined a world where writers didn’t have to rely on legacy publications or corporate advertisers, but could instead create a more direct and meaningful relationship with their audience. Despite early skepticism, Chris and Hamish were confident that many people would pay a few dollars a month to subscribe to their favorite newsletters, on subjects ranging from politics to sports to tech. Today, Substack has over 35 million active users, and while many of its offerings are free, a number of its content-creators make upwards of $500,000 a year. This episode was produced by J.C. Howard, with music by Ramtin Arablouei. Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Iman Maani. 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.
1 hour 18 mins
12 May Finished

Advice Line with Richard Branson of Virgin
Virgin Group founder Richard Branson joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Richard’s recent adventures in bungee jumping, ziplining, space exploration and more—all in the name of promoting some of his brand’s latest offerings. First we meet Lola from New York City, who’s looking to maintain a personal touch as she scales her travel accessory brand. Then Ross from Phoenix, who’s wondering how to make a splash with his above-ground pool rental business. And Andrew from Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, who wants to start selling his small-batch granola in locations beyond his juice bar. Thank you to the founders of Silver & Riley, Now Pools, and The Juice Spot/Lone Wolf Granola 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 Virgin's founding story as told by Richard Branson on How I Built This in 2017. This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch. You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
42 mins
8 May Finished

Whisker/Litter-Robot: Brad Baxter
Brad Baxter sidelined a promising career in the car industry to build a better cat litter box – an undertaking that embarrassed his kids and eventually prompted his wife to ask "what’s the endgame here?” That endgame turned out to be Litter-Robot, an automated self-cleaning litter-remover that helped propel Brad’s company, Whisker, to roughly $300 million in sales this year. This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research by Carla Esteves. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Kwesi Lee. 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.
1 hour 4 mins
5 May Finished

Advice Line with Luis von Ahn of Duolingo
Duolingo co-founder Luis von Ahn joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Luis shares insights on how data can help entrepreneurs understand what their customers really want. First, Steph in Chicago wonders how to manage expansion opportunities for her art-filled vending machines. Then Blair from Atlanta discusses his challenge of selecting which products to focus on with his tech accessories brand. And finally, Stephanie in Indiana considers the best way to fund more employees for her growing business designing living plant walls. Thank you to the founders Good Things Vending, Bair, and Naturspire 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 Duolingo’s founding story as told by Luis on the show in 2020. This episode was produced by Katherine Sypher with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Casey Herman. 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.
47 mins
1 May Finished

Hexclad: Danny Winer
Cookware is a $73 billion global industry - awash in all kinds of pots and pans. Like, if you’ve ever cooked scrambled eggs, you've probably used a non-stick frying pan. They’re inexpensive and everywhere. But they’ve been dogged by complaints: many can’t handle high heat, like broiling or searing, and they scratch easily. So, when Danny Winer came across a new non-stick technology at a trade show overseas, he jumped on it, co-founding Hexclad with a buddy. Danny was convinced it could be adapted to the U.S. market - and be a hit. He was right! In just under ten years, Hexclad grew into a $500 million company. This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson, with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce, with research help from Katherine Sypher. Our engineers were Jimmy Keeley and Gilly Moon. You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at [email protected]. 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.
1 hour 15 mins
28 April Finished

Advice Line with Jonathan Neman of Sweetgreen
Sweetgreen’s co-founder Jonathan Neman joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Sweetgreen’s plans to automate salad assembly in the coming years. First, we meet Dini from Maryland, who's learning how to maintain her brand’s character and product quality as her pie company scales. Next we hear from Matt in Massachusetts, who’s leaning into success growing premium mushrooms for local chefs without getting too big, too fast. Then Joey in Chicago, owner of a restaurant specializing in fried chicken wings and fresh-cut fries, who’s deciding whether to introduce new products or double down on what’s already working. Thank you to the founders of Dini’s Divine Pies, Underground Mushroom Co. and Dak Dak Korean Wings for being part of the 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 to hear the founding story of Sweetgreen, check out Jonathan’s first appearance on the show in 2020. This episode was produced by Iman Maani. It was edited by Casey Herman. Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch. 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.
48 mins
24 April Finished