How I Built This with Guy Raz

Advice Line: Tapping AI as a Resource for Your Business

Release Date: January 1, 2026
Host: Guy Raz | Wondery

Episode Overview

This special Advice Line mashup episode brings together three returning powerhouse founders—Randy Hetrick (TRX), Todd Graves (Raising Cane’s), and Mei Xu (Chesapeake Bay Candle)—to tackle real-life business challenges from three entrepreneurs. The main theme: leveraging AI, micro-influencers, and community-driven marketing to grow products and brands in crowded markets. Guy and guests share hands-on advice for effective retail sampling, unified social media strategy, and integrating AI into both marketing and product functionality, offering a “mini masterclass” on innovation and strategic growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Scaling Small CPG Brands with Experiential Marketing & Micro-Influencers

Case: Shereen Khadri, Co-founder of Moji Masala (Indian Spice Packets)

Issue Presented:
How to reach and educate a broad array of customers who can't experience live in-store demos (sampling), and how to allocate limited marketing funds.

Discussion Highlights:

• Power of Sampling: Shereen notes in-store demos yield a >90% conversion rate when people sample Moji Masala's products.

  “So Randy, just like you had to teach people not only what your product was, but how to use it… we're trying to figure out how to reach this broad array of potential customers we can't get with a live demo.” — Shereen Khadri [04:54]

• Retail vs. Online Strategy: Shereen realizes rapid online growth is capital-intensive; entering select retailers like Citarella and FreshDirect has been more effective with demos.
• Advice from Randy Hetrick (TRX):
  • Prioritize sampling and direct interaction over broad, paid media at this stage.
  • Only scale sampling after establishing more momentum.

  “To me, I would spend less time at the moment, given where you guys are doing paid media, and more time actually having people get your product in their mouth.” — Randy Hetrick [08:46]

• Hiring Demo Teams: Shereen worries about scaling demos via teams that aren't as passionate or authentic as founders.

  “Who's going to represent on a demo team the way I can, probably nobody.” — Shereen Khadri [09:11]

• Micro-Influencers and AI: Guy Raz proposes allocating a set budget to identify and partner with micro food influencers (10,000–50,000 followers)—using AI tools to identify the best candidates.

  “So many people are making recipes based on what they're seeing on Instagram and YouTube… you can use AI to help you with this…” — Guy Raz [11:12]

Key Takeaways:

• Double down on experiential marketing (sampling) while current resources last.
• Use AI to identify the most effective micro-influencers for product seeding.
• Avoid large untargeted paid ad spends at this stage.
• Consider a two-pronged approach: hyperlocal sampling + targeted influencer partnerships.

Memorable Moment

“You can spend a lot of money putting your food’s avatar in front of me, but if I can’t smell it and taste it, it’s lost in the noise… But if you put it in my mouth—oh my gosh, this is delicious. Now you’ve got me.” — Randy Hetrick [08:57]

2. Building a Unified Brand Voice on Social Media for Multifaceted Products

Case: Valerie Abinroth, Co-founder of Learn About Life, Large as Life, and Laugh with Life (Jigsaw Puzzle Brands)

Issue Presented:
Whether to maintain separate social media channels for three different puzzle lines or merge them under a single parent brand account.

Discussion Highlights:

• Product Overview: Three puzzle lines—life-sized animal puzzles, trivia puzzles, and joke-based puzzles—all with distinctive but related identities.
• Todd Graves' Perspective (Raising Cane's):
  • Emphasizes focusing on customer experience rather than product specificity.
  • Raising Cane’s uses only three primary social accounts (corporate, founder, mascot) but targets the broad spectrum of their audience with content that resonates across demographics.

  “I think the people that would like the trivia-based or the fun side would also love to see some beautiful puzzles of bison that are life size. I think all that can go together and actually create more interesting content for your audience…” — Todd Graves [21:13]

• Focus on Stories & Emotional Resonance:
  • Guy agrees—social is about vibe, stories, and building emotional connection.

  “What you are selling is an emotional thing… It’s the time that a parent and a child or parents are going to take to gather around and make this stuff and be together. That’s what your brand is.” — Guy Raz [22:50]

• Operational Simplicity:
  • Combining brands on one social account streamlines content creation, community engagement, and purchasing experience.

  “It would just save you time, money, and brain space by just putting it all under one… You sell everything there. You make that your brand.” — Guy Raz [24:20]

Key Takeaways:

• Unify brand channels to tell a consistent story and maximize audience cross-pollination.
• Lean into the shared emotional “family togetherness” theme to increase engagement and sales.
• Simplify customer journeys: one site/one shop/one message.

Memorable Quote

“We're puzzle people, but really about family, spending time together, doing something very fun, that goes through that. That's our core, right?” — Todd Graves [24:56]

3. Using AI to Reinvent Product Experience & Grow Niche Communities

Case: Avni Modi, Co-founder of Modi Toys (Hindu Cultural Plush Dolls & Books)

Issue Presented:
After early organic growth, sales plateaued despite expanding product lines and paid marketing in the US and India. How can they reignite growth and scale, and can AI play a role?

Discussion Highlights:

• Company Background: Plush dolls of Hindu deities that recite mantras; targeting children in the Indian diaspora and beyond, with accompanying board books and videos.
• Sales Challenge: Strong early organic growth ($1M in sales in 2021), but recent declines even with new SKUs and ad investment.
• Guy Raz’s Content-Centric AI Suggestion:
  • Use generative AI tools to create short animated videos to foster emotional and cultural connection.

  “I see an opportunity to make animated, just little animated shorts, like 45 seconds to 2 minutes that are tied to the tradition and the culture…” — Guy Raz [34:03]

• AI-Driven Interactive Tech Products:
  • Mei Xu proposes an “AI-driven, conversational doll”—a plush toy that answers questions, teaches about culture, and evolves with each interaction, potentially via subscription.

  “What if you make this an interactive, AI-driven conversational doll?… Using AI, it becomes a talking God. I want one of those.” — Mei Xu [36:56]

  • Embedded chips (WiFi connected) can allow real-time Q&A and storytelling, providing long-term engagement.
• Expanding Mission:
  • Guy recommends thinking broader than dolls or books: consider content, digital tools, and more that connect diaspora kids to heritage.

Key Takeaways:

• Leverage AI both for marketing/content (animated shorts) and for innovative, tech-embedded products.
• Explore new digital “edutainment” offerings rooted in customer demand for educational and cultural content.
• Harness unique cultural insights and cross-border resources for scalable R&D.

Memorable Quotes

“What if you make this an interactive AI driven conversational doll?... Using AI it becomes a talking God. I want one of those.” — Mei Xu [36:56]
“Think about your business in a bigger way than just a business about dolls or books, but a business about getting people to become more knowledgeable about their history and culture.” — Guy Raz [39:13]

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|-----------|-------| | 08:57 | Randy Hetrick | “You can spend a lot of money putting your food’s avatar in front of me, but if I can’t smell it and taste it, it’s lost in the noise… But if you put it in my mouth—oh my gosh, this is delicious. Now you’ve got me.” | | 11:12 | Guy Raz | “So many people are making recipes based on what they're seeing on Instagram and YouTube… you can use AI to help you with this…” | | 21:13 | Todd Graves | “I think the people that would like the trivia-based or the fun side would also love to see some beautiful puzzles of bison that are life size. I think all that can go together and actually create more interesting content for your audience…” | | 24:56 | Todd Graves | “We're puzzle people, but really about family, spending time together, doing something very fun, that goes through that. That's our core, right?” | | 34:03 | Guy Raz | “I see an opportunity to make animated, just little animated shorts, like 45 seconds to 2 minutes that are tied to the tradition and the culture…” | | 36:56 | Mei Xu | “What if you make this an interactive, AI-driven conversational doll?... Using AI, it becomes a talking God. I want one of those.” | | 39:13 | Guy Raz | “Think about your business in a bigger way than just a business about dolls or books, but a business about getting people to become more knowledgeable about their history and culture.” |

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Moji Masala case (Sampling vs. Digital Marketing, AI & Influencers): 02:08 – 13:56
• Jigsaw Puzzle Brand case (Unified Social Strategy): 16:04 – 26:09
• Modi Toys case (Stalled Sales, Content, and AI Integration): 28:24 – 40:56

Conclusions & Actionable Advice

• Experiential marketing still wins—but scale it creatively, not just financially.
• Leverage AI for efficient influencer discovery and content creation.
• Unify disparate sub-brands under one powerful emotional story and voice.
• Embrace AI within products (conversational dolls, interactive toys) to differentiate in niche but sizable markets.
• Expand beyond product—cultivate a movement or community deeply grounded in your brand’s values and emotional mission.