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It isn’t particularly hard to get me excited, but nothing will do it as easily as a good ole’ fashioned success story. Nothing is sexier than starting from nothing and getting to a point where you’re changing the world. And while some of these stories are documented explicitly (we’re talking Apple, Microsoft, and so on…), some fly completely under the radar. You might think that after a while, it’s all the same story —and you’re not wrong, there are common underlying themes. But with each person, each business, and each circumstance, there come a plethora of new obstacles, setbacks, and failures. Each story is fascinating, and to get it straight from the horse’s mouth is a truly unique experience.

That’s why you need to check out How I Built This.

The What

From the host of the established NPR podcast ‘The TED Radio Hour’, comes a relatively new podcast in which Guy Raz interviews the people behind some of the most important brands out there today. You get stories from the likes of Richard Branson, Mark Cuban, and L.A. Reid. From businesses such as AirBnB, Instagram, and Spanx. These are tales that are remarkably interesting for stories that haven’t yet been documented, and the story is only half of it. The perspectives of these innovators is enlightening no matter which field they’re operating in, and given the concise length of each episode, you can’t afford to miss it.

The Why

Stories are fun, success stories even more so. Chuck in a great host that finds the right people and the right questions, and you have a very potent half hour of listening.

The Where

You can listen to NPR’s How I Built This on their website.

Alternatively, you can also look to iTunes, Google Play Music or Stitcher. Here’s an RSS feed too.

Enjoy!

Pick of the Week is TCO Lab’s weekly spotlight pick. In it, we choose a product, bit of music, literature, podcast, or anything that catches our fancy, and showcase it. Stay tuned, and we’ll lead you on to some exciting stuff.

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