"How I Built This" is a popular NPR podcast hosted by Guy Raz. In weekly episodes Raz interviews top entrepreneurs and business founders and tells the story of how they built their companies from the ground up. The "How I Built This" podcast has featured several well-known companies and their founders, including Whole Foods Market's John Mackey, Southwest Airlines' Herb Kelleher, Spanx's Sara Blakely, and many more.
Top 10 Episodes of "How I Built This" with Guy Raz:
Episode |
Synopsis |
Runtime |
|---|---|---|
Instagram: Kevin Systrom & Mike Krieger |
Despite a rough start that included a server that crashed every hour, Systrom and Krieger built Instagram into a hugely popular photo-sharing app. |
34 minutes |
Airbnb: Joe Gebbia |
With an idea that stemmed from a chance encounter that helped Gebbia cover his rent, the resulting company boasts more rooms than the world's largest hotel chains. |
45 minutes |
Spanx: Sarah Blakely |
A frustrated fax machine salesperson who wanted to reinvent her life creates one of the most popular women's apparel brands in the world. |
32 minutes |
Southwest Airlines: Herb Kelleher |
Starting with a competitor's lawsuit in 1968, Kelleher went from having his planes grounded for three years to more than 4,000 flights per day. |
38 minutes |
Serial Entrepreneur: Marc Cuban |
Successful investor and Dallas Mavericks owner Marc Cuban discusses the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. |
35 minutes |
Dave's Killer Bread: Dave Dahl |
A prison inmate decides to turn his life around by taking over the family bakery, building a powerhouse that ultimately sells for $275 million. |
1 hour 9 minutes |
Samuel Adams: Jim Koch |
Stifled by his corporate job, Koch brews a family recipe, founds Sam Adams, and helps launch the craft beer movement in the US. |
38 minutes |
Patagonia: Yvon Chouinard |
Problem: Chouinard can't find the climbing gear he needs; solution: he founds a company to create it that grows huge by following his unique corporate philosophy. |
27 minutes |
VICE: Suroosh Alvi |
A recovering addict in Montreal starts an underground newspaper that becomes an industry-disrupting multi-billion dollar media company. |
41 minutes |
Clif Bar: Gary Erickson |
Gary Erickson challenges his mom to make a cookie without butter, sugar, or oil, and ends up creating one of the country's most popular energy bars. |
29 minutes |
Key Information About the How I Built This Podcast with Guy Raz:
Premiere Date |
September 12, 2016 |
Host |
Guy Raz |
Producers |
Casey Herman, Rund Abdelfatah & Ramtin Arablouei |
New Episode Release |
Weekly on Monday |
NPR's How I Built This Podcast with Guy Raz Can Be Found At:
How I Built This with Guy Raz FAQs:
Why should I listen to "How I Built This?"
"How I Built This" features in-depth interviews with some of the most well-known entrepreneurs in the world, telling the stories of how they got started and what it took to build their companies into the biggest brands in the world. It's reassuring to know that the world's most successful businesspeople often started really small and took a leap of faith (several, in some cases) to get to where they are now.
In addition, the "How I Built This" podcast provides insight into the philosophies used to build companies like Spanx, Ben and Jerry's, Virgin, Patagonia, Whole Foods, and many more. Founding a startup isn't easy, but knowing that hugely successful businesses grew from humble beginnings can give you that boost of inspiration you needed to dig deep and do the work of building your company.
Who is Guy Raz?
Guy Raz co-created and hosts NPR's "How I Built This," "TED Radio Hour," and "Wow in the World" (NPR's first podcast for children). He also hosts Spotify's "The Rewind," for which he's interviewed superstar musicians including Wynton Marsalis, Kelly Clarkson, Rita Ora, and more. He's the first podcaster to simultaneously have three shows in Apple Podcasts' Top 20, and thus far he's interviewed more than 6,000 people.
Raz began as an intern for NPR's "All Things Considered" in 1997, and by 2000 was NPR's Berlin Bureau Chief, where he covered Eastern Europe and the Balkans. From 2004 to 2006 he was CNN's Jerusalem correspondent, then returned to NPR to cover the Pentagon and U.S. Military. Guy received both the Edward R. Murrow Award and the Daniel Schorr Journalism prize for his coverage of Iraq. He then moved to helm the weekend host spot for "All Things Considered" before creating and hosting his extraordinarily successful NPR shows and podcasts.
In addition to his NPR and Spotify podcasts he hosts Luminary's exclusive "Wisdom from the Top", for which he interviews business leaders such as Yahoo's Marissa Mayer and Intuit's Brad Smith. You can learn more about Guy Raz and "How I Built This" on Raz's website, GuyRaz.com.
What is the "How I Built This" Summit?
The "How I Built This" Summit is a 2-day entrepreneur conference which will be held on October 22 - 23, 2019 in San Francisco. The Summit features speakers such as Spanx's Sara Blakely, Slack's Stewart Butterfield, Instagram's Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, and many more. You can learn more about the "How I Built This" Summit and purchase tickets on the Summit's website.