AI Summary
5 min readThe episode opens with Daymond John, founder of FUBU and Shark Tank investor, describing what he listens for in a pitch. He says nobody has the right to judge you but God — he is only judging whether a deal works for him. He asks whether he can add value by reducing costs or increasing sales. If not, his money is as good as anyone else's. Then he looks at the founder: did they build this because they had a pain or wanted to bring a customer joy? He wants to hear about their failures and how they overcame them. He also wants to know whether they know their market, their audience, and their numbers. Finally, he asks whether he can trust that they will make the right decisions. He tells founders they must always be able to answer "Why me? Why now? Why this?" — otherwise they have a me-too product.
What makes a successful entrepreneur
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of How I Built This with Guy Raz
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (03:08) **Daymond John Joins the Advice Line** - Guy Raz welcomes Daymond John back to the show; they recap his FUBU origin story and his role on Shark Tank.
- 2 (11:56) **Call 1: Sabora Mexico Salsa** - Christopher Navarro from Chicago calls in with his family's salsa business, built on his grandmother’s recipes from Mexico.
- 3 (27:40) **Call 2: Raised Nutrition Protein Bars** - Darcy, an Australian founder, calls in with a whole-food protein bar brand initially designed for Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes.
- 4 (37:42) **Call 3: Cooks Who Feed** - Seema Sangavi calls in from Canada with a kitchen-linen brand that gives meals back; 75% of sales are B2B to restaurants, cruise lines, and culinary schools.
- 5 (48:48) **Final Advice: Daymond’s One Piece of Wisdom** - Guy asks Daymond what he’d tell his younger self at Red Lobster.
- 6 Standout Quotes
- 7 "They have to have a very, very high tolerance for pain. They have to know they're gonna get whipped. They're gonna get the door slammed in their face every single partner they have is gonna doubt them at a certain point... and they have to be able to endure that pain for a long period of time." — Daymond John (06:50)
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Today’s callers: Cristopher from Chicago wants to expand his family’s salsa brand from farmers markets into retail. Next, Darcy in Australia considers adapting his protein bar brand’s messaging to reach beyond his core enthusiasts. Finally, Seema in Canada seeks strategies to increase B2B sales for her ethical kitchen linen company.
Plus, Daymond and Guy talk about what makes a great Shark Tank pitch, and why Guy decided to start How I Built This 10 years ago.
Thank you to the founders of Sabor a Mexico, Raised Nutrition and Cooks Who Feed for joining us on the show.
If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode—where Guy and former show guests take questions from early-stage founders—leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to [email protected] or call 1-800-433-1298.
And be sure to listen to FUBU’s founding story as told by Daymond on the show in 2018.
This episode was produced by Katherine Sypher with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Kwesi Lee.
You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
More from this podcast
How I Built This with Guy Raz →