Podcast Summary

Podcast: How I Built This with Guy Raz
Episode: Advice Line: Playing to Your Strengths
Date: September 4, 2025
Host: Guy Raz
Guests: Troy Carter (Atom Factory), Joe Gebbia (Airbnb), Sadie Lincoln (Bar3)
Theme: Expert advice for founders on leveraging strengths, navigating partnerships, and scaling, through three live call-ins with entrepreneurs.

Episode Overview

This special "Advice Line" mashup brings together three founders from previous "How I Built This" episodes to join host Guy Raz in responding to entrepreneurs seeking guidance. Across the calls, the central topic emerged: as founders scale, how do they identify and best play to their strengths? The episode covers celebrity partnerships, storytelling for brand differentiation, and how to leverage your customer community to scale.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Celebrity Partnerships and Authentic Brand Alignment

Guest Expert: Troy Carter, Founder of Atom Factory
Caller: Onna (“Honor”), Founder of Dozy (aesthetically designed pill organizers)
Timestamps: [05:11] - [18:44]

• Background:

  • Onna, an Aussie now based in the US, founded Dozy after wanting a more elegant, aesthetic pill organizer as a daily pill-taker. The business quickly went viral via TikTok.
  • Projected 2025 sales: $3.5 million (profitable).

• Core Question:

  • How can Dozy effectively partner with a celebrity, given limited financial resources, and potentially involve equity sharing?

• Key Advice & Insights:

  • Celebrity Fit Must Be Authentic:
    • “It has to be directly related to being part of that person’s lifestyle.” – Troy Carter [09:24]
    • Assess if the celebrity truly aligns with your product values, has a personal connection, and will be committed beyond what's required contractually.
  • Many Celebrity Endorsements Fail:
    • “Most celebrity partnerships don’t work. The majority don’t work. The other piece that I find is when celebrities invest, they're more committed.” – Troy Carter [16:41]
    • Consider selectivity and the benefits of having the celebrity with skin in the game (via investment/equity).
  • Influencers Might Be More Valuable:
    • Micro-influencers can be more cost-effective and impactful if their communities authentically match the brand.
    • "With social influencers, they're used to promoting things. With celebrities, it's often more rigid." – Troy Carter [11:35]
    • Recommendation: Identify 5-10 individuals (celebrity or notable micro-influencers in wellness) and send them the product with a handwritten note.
      “Just send them one and say, 'I admire you... I'd love to partner with you.' Just try that.” – Guy Raz [15:23]
  • Expand Product Range & Audience:
    • Onna’s audience is mostly female; several suggestions to create designs appealing to men, especially those who travel and take supplements.
    • "I would really think about positioning, creating another design that maybe might appeal to men..." – Guy Raz [14:41]
  • Memorable Moment:
    • Honor notes, “It feels like here [in America], it's all about celebrity... I just presume they have the influence.” [16:15]
    • Both experts reinforce: celebrity power is far less potent today—genuine belief and alignment matter far more.

Notable Quotes

• Troy Carter:
  • “Look for the person who is genuinely excited about your product and willing to put in the work, not just a famous face.” [09:24]
• Guy Raz:
  • “People put too much faith in the power of celebrity. The power of celebrity is vastly diminished today…” [17:52]

2. Scaling Through Storytelling and Brand Differentiation

Guest Expert: Joe Gebbia, Co-founder of Airbnb
Caller: Arvi Shongwe, Founder of Perdub Optics (South African outdoor optics company)
Timestamps: [23:23] - [33:08]

• Background:

  • Perdub Optics manufactures binoculars and sporting optics, partnering with high-end safari lodges and contributing to wildlife conservation. Arvi wants to scale internationally while staying true to their brand.
  • Products: Binoculars, rangefinders; sell for ~$220 USD; backed by a 10-year warranty.

• Core Question:

  • How to approach major retail players and secure investment for expansion while maintaining core values and brand uniqueness?

• Key Advice & Insights:

  • Highlight Unique Local Story:
    • "You have a point of view that another binoculars company that's not based [in Africa] can't do." – Joe Gebbia [29:13]
    • Lean heavily into the African origin, expertise in safari, and deep involvement in conservation.
    • Guy and Joe urge: Move your value proposition (e.g., 10-year warranty, authentic African roots) higher on your website and into marketing materials.
  • Leverage Visual Storytelling:
    • Show the products in real use by rangers/guides on safari, highlight the brand's toughness and local knowledge.
    • "I want to see this in the hands of somebody who's in the bush all day and night…” – Joe Gebbia [30:50]
  • Methodical Retail Expansion:
    • Use a targeted approach by first placing products in safari lodge gift shops and select adventure boutiques (like the Sunbum sunscreen model).
    • Attract international tourists—let them discover the brand authentically in Africa, then generate demand worldwide.
    • “Step by step, very methodically, before you can think about a bigger, more scaled plan.” – Guy Raz [31:04]

Notable Quotes

• Joe Gebbia:
  • “You have the credibility to claim your space as a South African company. Specifically, it's about safari, it's about enjoying wildlife. I think you can double down on that more.” [30:11]
• Guy Raz:
  • “If you're the only South African optics brand, that just feels like a great opportunity.” [29:25]

3. Scaling by Leveraging Customer Community

Guest Expert: Sadie Lincoln, Founder of Bar3
Caller: Captain Genevieve Evans, Go Sail Partners (Learn-to-sail vacations in Montana and the Virgin Islands)
Timestamps: [37:04] - [44:47]

• Background:

  • Go Sail offers premium sailing vacations and certified sailing instruction. Genevieve is ready to scale, overwhelmed by sales and communications, but wants to maintain quality and a personal touch.

• Core Question:

  • How to let go, delegate more, and scale the business—especially finding the right people to handle technical sales and maintain connection with customers?

• Key Advice & Insights:

  • Recruit Your Best Customers:
    • “My first best team members were clients who loved the product...came from backgrounds of sales, operations, marketing, finance…” – Sadie Lincoln [41:44]
    • Your customers are deeply invested in your success, may possess relevant professional skills, and are best positioned to carry the spirit/standards of your brand.
    • Sadie suggests training instructors to actively network with students (clients) and asking, “Do you know a videographer/marketing person/salesperson interested in this?”
  • Franchise Potential:
    • Genevieve’s business model is differentiated by quality, personal instruction, newer boats, and can be replicated—Sadie’s Bar3 story (hiring from client base, expansion via franchise) is a relevant blueprint.
  • Maintain Connection as You Scale:
    • Retain value and trust by keeping people involved who share the founder’s passion.
    • “They probably want you to be successful. They want you to keep going. They're rooting for you.” – Sadie Lincoln [43:26]

Notable Quotes

• Sadie Lincoln:
  • “Your customers can be your greatest strength...not just because they buy your product, but because they want you to succeed.” [40:56]
• Genevieve Evans:
  • “One of our best salespeople is me, because I say, ‘Hi, I’m Captain Genevieve. Let me help you plan your vacation.’” [39:48]

Memorable Moments

• Guy Raz and Troy Carter’s realistic perspective on the limits of celebrity power, advocating for authentic partnerships and highlighting pitfalls of chasing celebrity endorsements.

  • [17:52]: “People put too much faith in the power of celebrity. Vastly diminished today…”

• Joe Gebbia and Guy Raz’s impassioned call to own your story as a local, credible brand, leveraging your unique position rather than competing only on price or features.

  • [29:13]: “You do have a point of view that another binoculars company...can't do.” – Joe Gebbia

• Sadie Lincoln’s foundational Bar3 story: hiring from her loyal customers, trusting those with lived experience to “build from the inside out.”

  • [41:44]: “My first best team members were clients who loved the product...”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Celebrity Partnerships & Influencers: [05:11] – [18:44]
• Storytelling & International Expansion: [23:23] – [33:08]
• Scaling Teams via Customers: [37:04] – [44:47]

Episode Tone & Takeaways

The episode maintains its usual warm, insightful, and occasionally humorous “entrepreneurial therapy” tone. The recurring message is that scaling requires playing to your unique strengths—whether it's a founder's network, authentic brand story, product design, or the passion of your community. Authenticity, storytelling, incremental growth, and believing in the power of your own customer base prove to be more valuable than shortcuts or chasing trends.