Podcast Summary: "Advice Line with Chet Pipkin of Belkin International"

Podcast: How I Built This with Guy Raz | Wondery
Host: Guy Raz
Guest: Chet Pipkin, Founder of Belkin International
Date: November 13, 2025
Episode Type: Advice Line (Entrepreneur calls for guidance)

Overview

In this episode, Guy Raz hosts Chet Pipkin, founder of Belkin International, for an "Advice Line" edition. Together, they take live calls from three entrepreneurs, offering in-depth and practical advice on scaling, positioning, and operational headaches. The show’s central themes are creative problem-solving, resourceful leadership, and the nuanced challenges that come with building a business from scratch. Chet also reflects on lessons from his own journey—from starting Belkin in college to eventually selling it for over $800 million.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Chet Pipkin's Founder Story & Perspective (03:02–09:02)

• Early Days: Chet started Belkin in his 20s, soldering and selling cables when connecting computers was a technical challenge that few addressed.
• “Jeans to the Miners” Analogy: Guy notes, "You were like Levi Strauss. You weren’t going in the gold mines, but you were selling the axes and the shovels." (04:27)
• Post-Acquisition Life: Chet remains active with Belkin (now under Foxconn), other startups, education initiatives, and even co-founded a boutique hotel in Lake Tahoe.
• On Bootstrapping & Resource Constraints: Chet warns, "One of the best ways to kill a startup is to overfund it. Not having enough cash isn’t always a bad thing..." (06:21)
• Advice on College vs. Starting Up: He values education and lifelong learning but urges following your passion:

  "If people have good intentions, good motives, are in touch with their values, following your passion in that moment is probably not a bad way to go." (07:40)

2. Caller Segment One: Daniel Mall, Founder of Earth Suds (09:10–20:56)

Daniel’s Business:

Producing dissolvable shampoo, conditioner, and soap tablets to replace plastic toiletry bottles—targeted at travelers and eco-conscious consumers.

Main Question:

How do we encourage adoption of a novel format (shampoo tablets) for everyday, not just travel use?

Key Insights & Advice:

• Validating a Real Problem:
  Chet praises the focus:

  "Is it solving an issue that people have? ... It turns out that allowing people to connect and live the lives they want with tech is a real business and a really fun one." (13:07)

• User Experience is Critical:
  Chet asks about customer feedback and user interviews, and Daniel shares they're at 4.7 stars over 500 reviews plus regular interviews.

  "Most research says people clamor to use environmentally friendly replacements if it doesn’t cost more or inconvenience them in any way." (15:58)

• Targeting Hospitality:
  Chet supports seeding in hotel settings—users experience the product without risk, aiding adoption.

  "I love the fact that you're seeding this in hospitality. I think for me, I would keep leaning into that really, really heavy." (16:58)

• Design & Brand Elevation (Guy):
  Guy suggests creating a luxurious, desirable brand—citing Method soap and Tesla as proof that design elevates green products:

  "Method really broke the mold by making [soap] cool and luxurious... Tesla did the same thing with electric cars... I feel like this is a product that could benefit from a redesign..." (18:22)

• Memorable Moment:
  Chet offers to trial Earth Suds at his Desolation Hotel:

  "I would love to be able to give what it is you sell a go..." (19:18)

• Outcome:
  Daniel to send samples; consensus that premium design, hospitality partnerships, and focusing the story can drive mass adoption.

3. Caller Segment Two: Meredith Hudson, Founder of Sideline Bags (25:39–37:44)

Meredith’s Business:

Organizer bags for female athletes to better manage accessories in sports backpacks.

Main Question:

How to plan inventory when constantly selling out, while bootstrapping and with limited cash/storage?

Key Insights & Advice:

• Entrepreneurial Origin: Meredith started Sideline Bags for her daughters' chaotic sports life and quickly found demand among teams.
• Inventory Headaches:
  Demand has skyrocketed (expecting >$100k in sales, 10x last year), leading to repeated sellouts.
• Chet’s Solution:
  Build trust with suppliers, potentially negotiate to have inventory stored with them until needed.

  "We formed a very tight alliance with the person manufacturing our stuff ... and they allowed us to pull it off of them as we needed it. We could have never afforded to keep all that stuff on our own books." (29:45)

• Guy’s Suggestion:
  Review payment terms, consider small business or Shopify-type loans, and avoid excessive air shipping that eats margins.
• Customization Challenge:
  Team color orders can skew inventory unpredictably; ongoing need to balance core colors and bulk team orders.
• Chet on Risk:
  "Is your inventory more like bananas, or is your inventory more like wine?" (33:34)
  Meredith: “Zero risk… it would eventually sell.”
• Result:
  Experiment with supplier terms, possibly find external (non-dilutive) working capital, focus on planned sea shipments.

4. Caller Segment Three: Ryan Helrigo, CEO of Rollflex (39:41–51:34)

Ryan’s Business:

Produces a patented arm/leg therapeutic massage tool—$5 million in annual DTC sales.

Main Question:

How to successfully break into B2B/corporate wellness and government contracts, having struggled with outbound approaches?

Key Insights & Advice:

• Chet on B2B Penetration:
  Success comes from “inside jobs,” not frontal sales assaults.

  "A frontal assault is expensive and ineffective ... the best way to do it is an inside job. If you can plant these experiences from people on the inside..." (43:33)

• Slack Example:
  Chet references Slack’s bottom-up adoption. Product must spread inside organizations organically, then employees push for corporate adoption.
• Data-Driven Pitch:
  Guy: "If you can show data—even anonymized—about claims reduction, you turn the tool into a cost-reduction device for employers." (46:23)
• Grassroots Tactics:
  Chet urges attending trade events, activating individual “champions” in target orgs, and rewarding referrals.

  "I would be much more on the guerrilla side of things ... 99% of my effort [should be there]." (49:10)

• Distributor Angle:
  Guy suggests finding distributors/wellness program partners rather than direct outreach.
• Bootstrapped Limitations:
  Ryan affirms B2B is a growth focus but needs new channel partners for scale.

5. Chet Pipkin’s Parting Wisdom (52:25–53:31)

• On Sticking to Your DNA:

  "The biggest errors we made was listening to so-called pros tell us ... the right way to run a business... Rather than just staying true to what worked and our own DNA... So I would just keep following the heart and keep following what works." (52:37)

• Reflecting on the Grind:
  Chet empathizes deeply with callers:

  "It's like I'm reliving it. Right. I'm here in this moment, and I just want to dive in to help them, because these are solvable things..." (51:48)

• Memorable Quote from Original Interview:

  “There were days when I thought nothing could stop us... and there were other days that were really, really dark and I just would hold my head in my hands and say, wow, this is never going to work.” (53:49)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Guy Raz:
  "You were like Levi Strauss. You weren't going in the gold mines, but you were selling the axes and the shovels and the tents and all those things." (04:27)

• Chet Pipkin:
  "One of the best ways to kill a startup is to overfund it." (06:21)

• Chet Pipkin:
  "Is your inventory more like bananas, or is your inventory more like wine?" (33:34)

• Guy Raz:
  “If you can show with data... that this can reduce repetitive strain injuries even 5, 10%... you then turn the product into a cost reduction tool.” (46:23)

• Chet Pipkin (Advice to Entrepreneurs):
  "Keep following the heart and keep following what works and not worry so much about what other people say are the right way to do things." (52:37)

Key Segment Timestamps

• [03:02] – Introduction to Chet Pipkin and Belkin backstory
• [09:10] – Caller #1: Daniel Mall, Earth Suds (sustainability & product adoption)
• [13:01] – Discussion of product experience & adoption barriers
• [18:22] – Importance of brand design and messaging
• [25:39] – Caller #2: Meredith Hudson, Sideline Bags (inventory/cash flow)
• [29:45] – Advice on supplier relationships & working capital solutions
• [33:34] – Inventory risk analogy: “bananas or wine?”
• [39:41] – Caller #3: Ryan Helrigo, Rollflex (B2B sales channels)
• [43:33] – Guerrilla marketing & inside-organization approach
• [46:23] – Using data to make the corporate case
• [52:25] – Chet’s reflections and advice to his younger self

Final Thoughts

This episode offers a masterclass in entrepreneurial resourcefulness. Chet Pipkin brings decades of wisdom, reminding founders that creativity and relationships can trump cash, that a focus on solving real problems wins, and that it’s often the scrappy, bespoke approaches—not the textbook ones—that push businesses forward. Guy Raz provides context, sharp follow-up, and keeps the tone engaging and optimistic throughout.

For new and seasoned founders alike, the candid, go-deep format of this "Advice Line" will provide both tactical takeaways and much-needed reassurance that every entrepreneur’s hurdles are shared—and surmountable.