What does it take to turn a Brooklyn beer salesman into the king of iced tea?

In the early 1990s, the iced tea market was dominated by Lipton, Nestea, and Snapple. But Don Vultaggio saw an opening. A single moment—watching Snapple cases fly off a truck in winter—sparked an idea that would change his life: why not sell tea in a tallboy can?

AriZona exploded—outselling Snapple and becoming a multi-billion-dollar brand.

Behind the success was struggle: Don fought to keep the company private. and faced a painful 10-year legal battle with his former friend and co-founder.

In this episode, Don reveals:

• How he stayed independent in an industry dominated by giants.
• Why Snapple stumbled after being acquired—and how AriZona avoided the same fate.
• Why he wants AriZona to remain a multi-generational family business.
• Why packaging can be more powerful than advertising.
• How AriZona holds onto its 99c price tag

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This episode was produced by Rommel Wood with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei.

It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Iman Maani.

Our engineers were Maggie Luthar and Gilly Moon.

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Entrepreneur, author, and podcaster Tim Ferriss joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Tim shares the inspiration behind his latest venture, Coyote— a 10-minute card game that encourages time spent with friends and family.

First, Lauryn from San Francisco asks about the best way to scale her biodegradable ear plugs in two very different directions. Then Emily from Kansas City weighs whether DTC or wholesale is where to focus her accessory brand after Taylor Swift wore one of her rings and sales exploded. And finally, Kimberley in Woolwich, Maine wonders how to incentivize her customers to pre-order her high-quality, sustainable, clothing.

Thank you to the founders of Gob, EB & Co, and K. Becker Designs for being a part of our show.

If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, 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 hibt@id.wondery.com or call 1-800-433-1298.

And be sure to listen to Tim Ferriss’s founding story as told by Tim on the show in 2020.

This episode was produced by Noor Gill with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Cena Loffredo.

You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.

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In 2001, three web designers built a quirky email tool called Mailchimp.

It wasn’t their main business.

It wasn’t even meant to make real money.

For years, Ben Chestnut and his partners survived on web-design gigs, while Mailchimp earned just enough to cover lunch.

Then…one surprising spreadsheet changed everything.

In this episode, Ben reveals:

• The decision that tripled their revenue overnight
• How a mispronunciation on the world's biggest podcast turned into a marketing masterstroke
• How a painful wake-up call about leadership reshaped the company’s culture

Listen now to hear how guerrilla billboards, a monkey logo, and a string of improbable breaks built one of the most recognizable names in tech.

Follow How I Built This:

Instagram → @howibuiltthis

X → @HowIBuiltThis

Facebook → How I Built This

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Instagram → @guy.raz

X → @guyraz

Substack → guyraz.substack.com

Website → guyraz.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.