If you are in the market for a new podcast, look no further than NPR’s hit show How I Built This, hosted by Guy Raz. The show opener puts it perfectly: How I Built This is “a show about innovators, entrepreneurs, idealists and the stories behind the movements they built.” Every week Guy Raz, a news journalist turned podcast host, sits down with some of the world’s most inspiring, eclectic and entertaining entrepreneurs to give listeners a behind the scenes look at what it’s like to start some of the world’s most successful businesses. With nearly 300 episodes recorded, Raz has raised the curtain and allowed listeners to hear from the founders themselves about how businesses like Ben and Jerrys, AirBnB, Whole Foods, Bumble, Panera Bread, Instagram and more were built from the ground up.
When a business like Lululemon or Tempur-Pedic comes to mind, most people’s first thought is of their billion dollar net worth and overwhelming success. Little do they know that for many of the world’s most successful founders, they failed time and time again, often hitting rock bottom financially and emotionally before eventually navigating their way to the top. Raz highlights in his show that big failures are actually a common denominator among some of his most successful guests. His vision behind How I Built This is not a 60 minute question and answer session about how great it is to be a successful entrepreneur, but rather a deep dive into some of the most challenging moments along the way. Raz’s personable demeanor and casual format makes his guests relatable to the audience rather than putting them on a pedestal for all they have accomplished.
When interviewing Bobby Trussell, founder of Tempur-Pedic, much of the episode centered around Trussell’s near mid-life crisis at age 40 when his career in horse racing came to an abrupt end. In a nearly impossible situation with no income and a family to support, Trussell stumbled upon the opportunity to travel to Sweden to hear about memory foam mattresses and pillows that Americans might like. While luck played a role, Trussell spoke of how the resilience he developed during his darkest moments was key in forming his outlook on how to run a successful business later on. In a recent interview with Inc.com, Raz summed up the message of why telling the difficult parts of someone’s story is so important: “Failure is really, really interesting,” said Raz. “I think it also gives hope to people who may not yet have achieved the kind of success they’re hoping to achieve.”
By telling stories like that of Bobby Trussell and Tempur-Pedic, How I Built This has grown into an outrageous success since it’s initial launch in 2016. Attracting listeners from all ages, occupations and walks of life, the show has risen to the top of the charts, and is currently Apple Podcasts’ #1 Business Podcast in America. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the show started releasing an additional episode a week called “How I Built This — Resilience Edition.” In these episodes, Raz catches up with past interviewees and picks their brain about how they are using resilience to navigate the unexpected terrain of the past six months. Next time you are looking for inspiration or just need an easy listen to pass the time, consider opening up your podcast app and giving How I Built This a try.
