Resy and Eater: Ben Leventhal

When identical twins Mike and Alex Faherty launched their clothing brand, they made a daring move– launching wholesale, retail, and online, pretty much at the same time.  Investors said it was outdated, maybe even doomed. But that contrarian bet helped grow Faherty into a hugely popular brand, built on family, ingenuity, and obsession with detail. The two brothers spent 12 years preparing for launch—Mike at Ralph Lauren learning the craft of fashion, Alex in finance learning the mechanics of business. In the early days they traveled the country in a beach house on wheels, pulling over on the PCH to sell bathing suits and board shorts. Mike’s designs—surf culture meets big-city chic—took hold online, in department stores, and even swanky boutiques in Japan, giving Faherty the momentum it needed to eventually grew to $250 million in sales.  What You’ll Learn:Why the “all channels” strategy (wholesale + retail + online) can actually be a competitive advantage.The power of 12 years of preparation prior to launch.How to leverage factory relationships and suppliers as true partners.Why old-school, in-person sales can be a killer marketing tool How family, trust, and resilience became a core advantage of the Faherty brand. Timestamps: (05:41) Mike discovers Bergdorf’s, cashmere, and fashion inspiration as a teenager in NYC (08:19) Mike gets grief from his basketball teammates for studying fashion at Wash U (13:38) Mike lands a job at Ralph Lauren to learn fashion from the inside (21:28) The moment Alex’s mentor tells him that starting a clothing brand is “the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard” (31:41) The brothers launch Faherty online from a borrowed apartment in Puerto Rico (35:00) Roaming the country in a mobile beach house that doubles as their first store (41:34) Early wins with specialty shops (59:14) The brand nearly runs out of money and gets rescued by a man from Nantucket  (1:07:14) A Covid-era gamble that pays off in massive growth  (1:15:04) How the identical-twin bond became a superpower for the brand Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis Facebook → How I Built This Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz Youtube → guy_raz X → @guyraz Substack → guyraz.substack.com Website → guyraz.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dollar Shave Club founder Michael Dubin joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Michael shares his latest career pivot into the screenwriting world. First, Benita from New Jersey asks how to create a “guerilla-style” marketing campaign to introduce customers to her specialty Syrian Cheese. Then, Brandon from California wonders how he can encourage his mobile mini golf employees to become more emotionally invested in his business. And finally, Bria from Kansas wants to know the best way to scale her custom wildland firefighter uniforms.  Thank you to the founders of Kasbo’s Middle Eastern Kitchen, Parrs Mobile Mini Golf, and Incidental Wildland 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 Dollar Shave Club’s founding story as told by Michael on the show in 2018.  This episode was produced by Noor Gill with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Cena Loffredo. You can follow HIBT on Twitter & 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.

What if the best startup isn’t sexy at all? In 2013, Vijen Patel left private equity to pursue “the least-worst idea”: dry cleaning. No patents. No app wizardry. Just laundry lockers in high-rises, ruthless unit economics, and a $1.99-a-shirt price that was seared into America’s brain. From bootstrapping routes at 5 a.m. to breaking even in 6 weeks, Vijen and co-founder Drew McKenna scaled Pressbox to hundreds of locations, stared down well-funded competitors, and ultimately sold to Procter & Gamble, where Pressbox became Tide Cleaners (now ~1,200 locations). After the exit, Vijen launched The 81 Collection, a VC fund backing “boring” businesses that quietly power the economy. This episode is a masterclass in building profit first, creating user behavior (not changing it), and protecting customer retention like your life depends on it. What you’ll learn:How the “least-worst idea” found product-market fitHow sidestepping rent + labor can flip margins from 15% to ~40%The efficiency insight that beat “Uber-for-X” rivalsThe new-residence edge: creating customer habits with a welcome-kitWhy Pressbox had to set crazy-high retention goals (98%!)How to keep competitors close—and turn a Goliath into your buyerThe post-exit premise: “boring” businesses are engines of the middle class Timestamps:Choosing dry cleaning with a private equity lens: don’t do it for passion–focus on practicality — 00:09:30The SMS “app”: low tech, high convenience — 00:14:14Unit economics breakthrough: lockers (26 transactions per hr) versus scheduled pickup (4-6) — 00:18:55The $1.99 insight: a price everyone expected — 00:24:58How getting into Chicago’s top high-rise was a game-changer — 00:31:11Margins that work: if you’re a high-rise “amenity,” you don’t pay rent — 00:33:08Competing with Washio: convenience wins — 00:39:07Vertical integration: building the plant, staffing via Spanish newspapers — 00:41:48P&G looms: head-to-head, then the acquisition dance — 00:51:25Burnout, trade-offs, and life after exit: launching a VC fund that specializes in boring businesses — 01:03:28 This episode was produced by Alex Cheng with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Olivia Rockeman. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Maggie Luthar. Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis Facebook → How I Built This Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz Youtube → guy_raz X → @guyraz Substack → guyraz.substack.com Website → guyraz.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tony Xu, founder of DoorDash, joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, Tony updates Guy on his latest ventures: expanding into grocery and retail delivery - and taking on international markets. First, we hear from Ron in Portland, who’s wondering about the right time to expand his product line - from kitchen knives to cutting boards. Then Kathryn in Raleigh, North Carolina asks if it’s time to raise outside money to expand her line of date sweetened dark Chocolate bars.  Finally, Yori in Stanford, Connecticut - wants to know the best way to educate customers about the benefits of buying grass raised beef.  Thanks to the founders of Steelport Knife Company, Spring and Mulberry and Route 22 Meats 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 Doordash’s founding story, as told by Tony on the show in 2018. This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Cena Loffredo. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if the founder of one of the internet’s most enduring brands… never wanted to run a company? In 1995, Craig Newmark was a 42-year-old computer programmer in San Francisco who simply wanted to share local tech meetups with friends. He started an email list that became Craigslist—a website that reshaped how we find jobs, apartments, and community. In this conversation, Craig opens up about how not having a grand vision (or a taste for power) led to one of the most popular platforms in the world. With fewer than 50 employees, Craigslist still generates hundreds of millions in revenue—while looking like a website frozen in 1996. This is the story of an “accidental entrepreneur” who built a global brand by being in the right place at the right time—and why he now calls himself the Forrest Gump of the Internet. In this episode, you’ll learn:Why keeping things simple is often the smartest design choice.How knowing your weaknesses can be the ultimate superpower.Why community beats marketing every time.How to monetize minimally—and still build a wildly profitable company.Why luck and timing matter more than you might think. Timestamps:07:10 Craig’s childhood struggles with social situations—and how local Holocaust survivors shaped his worldview16:15 Discovering the early internet and becoming an “evangelist” at Charles Schwab20:07 The simple email list that broke at 240 addresses—and became “Craig’s List”29:16 Why Craig refused banner ads and said no to early monetization35:00 Handing the CEO role to Jim Buckmaster—and how that decision led to Craigslist’s success49:44 eBay buys a stake in Craigslist, then launches a competitor—sparking a messy legal battle53:46 Was Craigslist really responsible for killing newspaper classifieds? Craig reveals his opinion58:08 Why Craig gave hundreds of millions of dollars to support journalism, veterans, and… pigeons1:03:10 Craig on money, meaning, and why billionaires are often miserable Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis Facebook → How I Built This Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz X → @guyraz Substack → guyraz.substack.com Website → guyraz.com   This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Kevin Leahy with research by Sam Paulson.  Our engineers were Patrick Murray, Maggie Luthar and Robert Rodriguez. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.