My brother Mitch recently interviewed Guy Raz on his podcast, Financially Speaking. Lucky Mitch.
Mitch is a Senior Vice President at UBS and has always loved radio, broadcasting, and performance. Over the years, Mitch got to work with Larry King, Howard Stern, and even one of my heroines, Terry Gross from NPR’s Fresh Air. And if you have a love for Bruce, check out Mitch’s Springsteen passion on Twitter at @mpslater.
Guy’s book is called How I Built This. Based on his top podcast of the same name, the book a terrific series of lessons in persistence and resilience.
Guy Raz and Mitch Slater
On Guy’s show, he interviews business leaders who tell their stories of how they struggled and perservered to build their brands through a range of adversity and struggles.
Great ideas often come from a simple spark
- A soccer player on the New Zealand national team notices all the new wool his country produces and figures out a way to turn them into shoes (Allbirds).
- A former Buddhist monk decides the best way to spread his mindfulness teachings is by launching an app (Headspace).
- A sandwich cart vendor finds a way to reuse leftover pita bread and turns it into a multimillion-dollar business (Stacy’s Pita Chips).
Raz is an award-winning journalist, and he has interviewed more than 200 highly-successful entrepreneurs to uncover amazing true stories like these.
In his new book, How I Built This, he shares tips for every entrepreneur’s journey: from the early days of formulating your idea to raising money and recruiting employees, to fending off competitors, to finally paying yourself a real salary.
How I Built This is a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamed of starting their own business or wondered how trailblazing entrepreneurs made their dreams a reality.
Ben and Jerry
One of my favorite interviews on Guy’s show was his conversation with Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. I got to work with and eat sushi with Ben & Jerry in my past life as a brownie entrepreneur.
In Guy’s conversation with the ice cream hippies, he captures the beauty of their marketing genius. In response to Guy’s question about marketing, Ben says, “We figured if we just make the best ice cream and have something different in every bite, people will buy it.”
Wisdom and straightforward advice, yet so many entrepreneurs miss this immensely valuable lesson.
Make a product that is different in a meaningful way to your customers.
The Podcast Question
Mitch asked me to give him a few questions that I’d like to ask Guy.
My first question: What’s the future for podcasting and why has it been adopted so rapidly in just a few years?
Guy said that podcasting is just a new technique for telling stories. From oral history to the printing press to radio, print, newspapers, photographs, video – and today audio files, podcasting is a continuation from the past.
It used to be called terrestrial radio, but now we have on-demand radio. With over a million podcasts, there is a lot of competition. But find one-hundred people who care about your topic and they will listen to you and become loyal listeners.
And my favorite question was turning the table on something he always asks his guests toward the end of each episode – What do you credit your success – luck or talent?
Guy tells Mitch a great story about how In 2000, he went to a BBQ in Washington, DC reluctantly. He saw someone he wanted to talk to but didn’t get to meet.
When he pressed his friends about this mystery person, she reluctantly came to a party that Guy was at. It turns out that the women in question became his wife and mother to his two children. So, Guy’s happy to say he has credited his success to the luck of meeting a loving and supportive wife and best friend.
Take a listen to Mitch’s interview and check out Guy’s book.
If you are in a startup or thinking about building a business, time spent with Guy Raz will raise your game. Listen and learn. Maybe you’ll be lucky too.
Need help wth a strategy and theme for your podcast?
I can help. You can set up a time chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Our initial conversation is free. You talk, I listen. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com or call me. 919 720 0995. Visit my website at www.themarketingsage.com. Let’s explore working together today.
