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How I Built This with Guy Raz
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How I Built This with Guy Raz

By: Guy Raz | Wondery
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About this listen

Guy Raz interviews the world’s best-known entrepreneurs to learn how they built their iconic brands. In each episode, founders reveal deep, intimate moments of doubt and failure, and share insights on their eventual success. How I Built This is a master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership and how to navigate challenges of all kinds.

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©2026 Guy Raz | Wondery (P)2026 Guy Raz | Wondery Economics
Episodes
  • Scrub Daddy: Aaron Krause. How a Failed Experiment Became a Billion-Dollar Sponge

    Scrub Daddy: Aaron Krause. How a Failed Experiment Became a Billion-Dollar Sponge
    Mar 9 2026
    Aaron Krause did not set out to reinvent the kitchen sponge. He was a car detailer, building buffing pads and the machines that made them. To clean his greasy hands, he made a makeshift hand scrubber out of extra-rough foam, and it worked so well he decided to sell it. But nobody wanted it. He shelved the product for years. Then one day while cleaning up around the house, he accidentally discovered the foam’s “magic” properties and realized it would make the perfect kitchen sponge. Scrub Daddy was born. As a friend advised him, nobody goes to the supermarket to discover new innovations in sponges. So Aaron did a furious round of in-store demos and eventually wound up on QVC (where he nearly got kicked off) and finally Shark Tank, where he made $1M the night it aired. In this episode, Aaron breaks down the unglamorous mechanics of building a consumer brand—negotiation, patents, and the obsession needed to keep going when no one believes in your vision. You’ll learn:How Aaron’s many patents helped drive his car-detailing business The hidden downside of “great” deals: exclusivity traps and corporate bureaucracyHow Aaron forced 3M to rethink value during acquisition negotiations How to sell a product no one is shopping for How Scrub Daddy built a brand block (Scrub Mommy & more) to become a category leaderHow to defend against copycats—patents, trade dress and aggressive enforcement Timestamps:04:59 — “You get to buy your own sneakers”—the childhood lesson that shapes Aaron’s hustle06:38 — The brutal factory internship that sends him back to washing cars15:25 — The mirror snaps off a Mercedes… leading to a buffing pad breakthrough17:33 — The parable of the DIY patent: “If you had a toothache, would you drill your own tooth?”25:11 — Dirty factory hands inspire Aaron to invent a special hand scrubber… which no one wants36:55 — Aaron hangs up on a corporate powerhouse: refusing to sell to 3M based on EBITDA46:36 — The shelved scrubbers come out of storage and Aaron discovers their “magical” properties 57:51 — Retail won’t bite—so he demos in ShopRite and sells 100 sponges a day1:07:33 — Shark Tank → $1M in one night… and retailers suddenly call back 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
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    1 hr and 29 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • Advice Line with Hernan Lopez of Wondery

    Advice Line with Hernan Lopez of Wondery
    Mar 5 2026
    Today’s callers: Heather from Ontario talks through a DTC strategy for her retail pain relief tape and patches. Then Nawal in Michigan considers a rebrand for her uniforms designed for Muslim students. Finally, Casey in Idaho seeks new revenue streams for her farmer and worker-owned seed cooperative. Plus, Hernan’s take on the future of podcasting and the sweet relief of vindication... Thank you to the founders of Heali Medical, Studyous Monday, and Snake River Seed Cooperative for joining us on the show. If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode—where Guy and former show guests take questions from early-stage founders—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 hibt@id.wondery.com or call 1-800-433-1298. And be sure to listen to Wondery’s founding story as told by Hernan on the show in 2023. This episode was produced by Katherine Sypher with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Kwesi Lee. You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.
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    44 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • Bobo’s: Beryl Stafford. A Single Mom Turns a Baking Project into a $100M Business

    Bobo’s: Beryl Stafford. A Single Mom Turns a Baking Project into a $100M Business
    Mar 2 2026
    Bobo’s: Beryl Stafford. A Single Mom Turns a Baking Project into a $100M Business At 40, Beryl Stafford’s life cracked open. Her marriage ended, she hadn’t worked in years, and she had two daughters to raise. She needed income—fast. So she did the only thing that felt real: she baked. What started as 4-ingredient oat bars— hastily placed in a Boulder coffee shop—became Bobo’s, a national brand built in the Silicon Valley of natural foods. In this episode, Beryl walks us through the scrappy early days: buying ingredients at full retail, a risky $25K packaging machine, the Whole Foods breakthrough, the burnout, and the pressure shift that comes with outside capital—and Costco. It’s a story powered by community support, relentless demos, and a founder who kept saying “yes” before she knew how. What you’ll learn: Why “survival” can be a powerful founder advantageHow to sell your product before you feel ready (and why that’s often the point)The unglamorous truth of early CPG: shelf life, shared kitchens, endless demosIn a trend-driven category, the value of sticking to a recipe “your grandmother could have made.” The two faces of Costco: growth rocket and operational trap Timestamps:06:10 —Divorced at 40… “I was trying to survive.” 09:37—The baking project with her daughter… and the unexpected product-market signal14:56—The first sale: snack bars in cellophane; making up a price23:58—Sharing a kitchen with Justin’s Nut Butters: scrappy collaboration + conflict27:09—The first-time founder playbook: sell first, learn the rest later29:14—Whole Foods says yes… before she knows what “freezer safe packaging” even means34:30—Getting into national distribution: “What just happened?” 44:09—Burnout, hiring a CEO, raising outside money—and what changes when investors arrive52:06—The Costco conundrum: huge upside, real downside —------------------ This episode was produced by Noor Gill, with music by Ramtin Arablouei. Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Alex Cheng. —--------------------- 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
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    58 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
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