It’s hard to imagine a time where Wikipedia didn’t exist– although dubbed as an unreliable research source, its creation has completely changed how we can find and organize information. Day in and day out, we make use of products of a multitude of brands. Whether it’s an app on our phones, a store we visit, or a service we use, these franchises help make our lives easier. Yet the powerhouses of Linkedin, Lyft, and others had to start at square one to build the empires they have today. We get an eye-opening look into the origins of these companies through the podcast, “How I Built This with Guy Raz.” The podcast offers an insight into how people were able to innovate and prosper and they narrate the work that went into their achievements.
For about an hour, Raz interviews the founders of popular companies, and we are able to hear their stories. I’d recommend the podcast to aspiring entrepreneurs so that they can see the many entrepreneurs who made their aspirations reality. But anyone who wants motivation for any goal can learn a lot from the program.
Podcasts tend to seem boring in the sense that listening to people talk for an hour may seem uninteresting. I felt the same way until I found myself unable to do anything else but listen to these stories, one episode after the other. After I listen to an episode, I always feel a surge of creativity or an unusually strong desire to create my own company. Guy Raz does an impressive job of keeping the episodes organized. The way he gets his guests to open up with detailed questions allows for smooth transitions from topic to topic.
It’s very clear that he does his research and that he’s genuinely interested in every person that comes onto the podcast. Each person has a different narrative, and they all offer a completely new viewpoint into the incentive to create these companies. For example, Angie and Dan Bastian of Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP created their popcorn to make money for their kids’ college funds. On the other hand, Seth Goldman disapproved of the sugary drinks and began to create the brand of Honest Tea to offer a healthier alternative.
The most recent episode is of Andy Puddicombe and Rich Pierson, the founders of Headspace, an app meant to teach meditation. The company began in England, where Rich saw a lot of alcoholism. He then traveled the world, teaching meditations in places like Russian monasteries.
Finally, he and Andy Puddicombe met and started teaching meditation in a clinic. In 2010, they began to think to create a company together and had many different ideas, such as hosting live events. They explain the trivial story behind the name “Headspace” and the journey towards the app. Hearing their story and how unpredictable their futures were sent a message of comfort to me especially, someone who barely knows what they want to do with their life. It’s encouraging to see that even if your life seems to not be going to plan, this may be for your greatest good.
In terms of accessibility, practically everyone can listen; each episode is on Spotify. iPhones offer the Podcast app which provides hundreds of free podcasts as well. Android also offers many podcast apps like Google Podcast. It’s effortless to get access to the podcasts and listen to them.
There are hundreds of episodes from the last 3 years, with interviews from all types of companies, from Yelp to Dippin’ Dots. There are a variety of stories ready for your listening, meant for your learning. Take an hour out of the time you’d spend watching Netflix or scrolling Instagram to find out how they were made.