Episodes

Stacy Madison of Stacy's Pita Chips joins the Advice Line to share her journey from farmers market experiment to national brand. She reveals how baking leftover pita bread into chips became a multi-million dollar business, and discusses scaling production while keeping the brand's original spirit. Alex Hildebrandt and Stephanie offer strategic advice on growing with authenticity.

Two brothers from New Jersey built a beachwear empire by blending coastal casual with urban sophistication. Alex and Mike Faherty turned a simple idea-creating high-quality swim trunks from recycled materials-into a lifestyle brand that now spans 80 stores across America. Their secret? Merging the relaxed spirit of the Jersey Shore with the polish of Manhattan chic, creating clothing that feels both effortless and intentional.

Michael Dubin of Dollar Shave Club joins Guy Raz for an Advice Line episode featuring three entrepreneurs seeking growth guidance. The conversation spans scaling strategies, brand authenticity, and operational readiness. Dubin shares lessons from building a billion-dollar brand while hearing challenges from a mobile mini golf business and an outdoor gear company. He also looks back on his own journey. The episode delivers tactical advice for founders navigating expansion without losing their soul.

Vijen Patel turned a simple $1.99 dry cleaning gamble into a nationwide empire by betting customers would pay premium prices for convenience. What started as a single Pressbox locker in a Washington, D.C. apartment building grew into 1,300+ locations across 40 states, then merged with Tide Cleaners to dominate the on-demand laundry market. His story reveals how a counterintuitive price point became the ultimate acquisition strategy—and why sometimes charging less actually builds more value.

DoorDash CEO Tony Xu joins Guy Raz for an exclusive Advice Line masterclass, coaching three founders through scaling bottlenecks, operational headaches, and the mindset shifts required to grow from startup to enterprise. The episode delivers tactical frameworks for logistics, team structure, and decision-making that apply to any founder facing complexity.

Craig Newmark's 1995 email list for sharing local San Francisco events accidentally became Craigslist, a platform that's lasted nearly 30 years. With no investors, basic design, and a focus on community over profit, he built a lean operation that generates hundreds of millions annually. After realizing he wasn't CEO material, Craig handed control to Jim Buckmaster and moved to customer service. This is how a "Forrest Gump" figure built an un-gentrified internet icon while planning to give away his fortune.

Randy Hetrick of TRX joins an Advice Line episode to tackle real founder challenges alongside Katharine Perry, Kerri Jones, and Paige Cey. Four entrepreneurs bring distinct problems, from scaling manufacturing to navigating post-advertising collapse, and get blunt, experience-driven advice. The conversation reveals how to transform constraints into advantages and why the simplest solutions often work best. Listeners walk away with practical frameworks for decision-making under pressure and a reminder that breakthrough thinking rarely follows conventional paths.

Allison and Stephen Ellsworth transformed a simple farmers market vinegar tonic into Poppi, a functional soda brand now worth $2 billion. They cracked the code on making apple cider vinegar delicious—bottling gut-health benefits in flavors people actually crave. After years of grassroots selling, their breakthrough came when they stopped chasing trends and started building real community around wellness. The result: a beverage that's neither compromise nor cure-all, but a smarter choice that finally made functional drinks mainstream.

Bobbi Brown brings her no-nonsense beauty expertise to the advice line, helping founders navigate the pressures of building authentic brands in a curated world. Joined by Abby Rosalier, Henry Davis, and Mark Sokolowski, this episode delivers raw insights on maintaining creative vision while scaling. Brown shares how she built Jones Road Beauty on simplicity and transparency—principles that apply to any founder fighting industry noise. Expect practical wisdom on product integrity, team trust, and the kind of slow growth that actually lasts.

Nirav Tolia reveals how Nextdoor transformed local neighborhood gossip into a global social platform. The former Facebook executive shares candid stories about the accidental pivot from a neighborhood social network to a vital community lifeline during crises. Discover why hyperlocal trust became their biggest competitive advantage, and how a simple "welcome wagon" feature created an unbeatable moat. Tolia's journey offers a masterclass in turning everyday interactions into network effects that scale.

Guy Raz takes calls with Priority Bicycles founder Dave Weiner on this Advice Line episode, helping entrepreneurs navigate growth, education, and balance. Dave Lanning of Dave's Coffee seeks to expand coffee milk syrup beyond Rhode Island, Alex Plante of Kinloch Farmstead wrestles with scaling versus sustainability, and Sabrina Sherwood of Idaho Barkery targets corporate clients with custom dog treats. Together, they unpack how to open new categories, delegate without losing control, and segment markets for B2B and B2C success.

Carlton Calvin turned a simple scooter idea into a cultural phenomenon, then weathered its collapse, and emerged with a reinvention that defied expectations. In this episode, he reveals how recognizing fleeting trends while building lasting brand equity became Razor's secret weapon. You'll learn why the same product that sparked a global craze also nearly sank the company, and how Carlton's pivot into new mobility categories saved the empire. This is a masterclass in riding hype cycles without being crushed by them.