Episodes

Bobby Trussell returns to Advice Line to help three founders navigate growth. Leif Gildersleeve wrestles with scaling Flying Fish Company beyond his Portland restaurant. Colleen King of Hala Gear debates marketing versus product expansion. And Amanda Horan of Line & Cleat seeks pre-seed capital strategies without a startup network. Trussell's core message: focus, prove your model, and let clarity guide every decision.

Danae Ringelmann and Slava Rubin defied 93 rejections to build Indiegogo, forever changing how ideas find funding. They proved that community belief, not venture capital, can launch movements. This episode unpacks how perseverance, platform design, and trusting creators rewired the economics of innovation. Their story reveals that when you remove gatekeepers, ordinary dreams become extraordinary businesses.

Guy Raz hosts an Advice Line episode featuring two seasoned founders giving real-time counsel to growing businesses. Jamie Siminoff, founder of Ring (sold to Amazon for $1B), advises Melita Cyril of Q for Quinn on scaling without losing brand soul. Scott Tannen of Boll & Branch shares hard-won lessons on supply chain transparency and premium positioning. Two founders. Two distinct challenges. Zero platitudes—just actionable advice from the trenches.

Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, recounts how tutoring his cousins in math over video calls sparked a global non-profit education platform. He explains why he rejected a for-profit model, leveraged early YouTube to reach learners worldwide, and built support from donors like Bill Gates, all while keeping every lesson free for anyone, anywhere.

Dermalogica co-founder Jane Wurwand joins the Advice Line to share her brand-building philosophy centered on customer education, while answering real questions from three early-stage founders: Camille Hardy of vegan baby food brand Chunky Vegan, Molly Brubaker of parent-focused baby workout community Baby Booty, and Sarah Weihman of performance underwear brand Paradis Sport.

Meridith Baer transformed the real estate industry by pioneering home staging as a essential selling tool. After restarting her career at 50, she built Meridith Baer Home into a powerhouse that helps properties sell faster and for higher prices. Her approach combines design psychology with strategic marketing, proving that age is no barrier to entrepreneurial success.

Bill Creelman, founder of Spindrift, joins Guy Raz on How I Built This Advice Line to help four founders tackle real scaling, distribution, and positioning challenges. The episode uses Spindrift’s growth path to give practical advice about partnerships, distribution strategy, and brand clarity—tailored for beverage and lifestyle businesses trying to grow without losing control.

Travis Rosbach turned a simple problem, keeping water cold, into a cultural phenomenon. As Hydro Flask's co-founder, he transformed the humble water bottle into a status symbol through relentless focus on quality, design, and community. This episode reveals how a surfer's obsession with the perfect chill became a billion-dollar brand that reshaped an entire industry.

Squarespace founder Anthony Casalena trades his usual host chair for guest advisor, sharing hard-won lessons on building a brand that resonates. He joins Guy Raz for a special Advice Line, where founders bring their toughest challenges—from scaling manufacturing without sacrificing soul, to turning plateaued growth into a community-driven engine. With direct, no-fluff advice, Anthony helps three founders break through their barriers and find the clarity they've been missing.

From pizza delivery driver to fitness empire builder, Ben Francis turned a dorm-room side hustle into a global phenomenon. Gymshark wasn't born in a corporate boardroom but in a university bedroom, where Francis and his friends hand-packed orders while studying. The brand's explosive growth came from mastering social media before it was mainstream, building a cult-like community that felt like a fitness family. Today, Gymshark stands as a direct-to-consumer titan, proving that authenticity and community can outmaneuver traditional retail giants. This is the story of how a 19-year-old's passion project rewrote the rules of athletic apparel.

Chet Pipkin, founder of Belkin International, returns to The Advice Line to guide three founders through scaling challenges. Daniel Mall seeks to mainstream his dissolvable shampoo tablets beyond travelers. Meredith Hudson struggles to stock inventory with limited cash. Ryan Halrigo wants to crack B2B sales for his therapeutic massage tools. With practical wisdom from building Belkin into an $800 million company, Pipkin shares how to turn constraints into creative advantages.

Ditching a stable city planning job in Las Vegas, Tom Hale bet everything on a radical idea: that people would pay to bike and camp through places like Death Valley. With four strangers on his first trip, no business experience, and nights spent washing dishes to survive, Hale built Backroads from a one-man operation into a global active travel empire spanning 60 countries—all without taking a single dollar of outside investment.