# Five Guys: Jerry Murrell

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2017-06-05
- Length: 35m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-05-five-guys-jerry-murrell

## Summary

Jerry Murrell, founder of Five Guys, explains how he pivoted from failed business ventures to opening a burger joint in 1986 with his four sons, using their college funds as seed capital. He details the company's early strategy of using high-quality ingredients like peanut oil and expensive pickles, funded by a unique model of raising capital from friends and family through gross-revenue sharing notes rather than equity. Murrell describes the reluctant transition to franchising in the late 1990s, driven by his sons, and the subsequent rapid expansion to over 1,400 locations while maintaining strict control over food costs and supplier relationships.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-05-five-guys-jerry-murrell#t=0) Introduction: Jerry Murrell and Five Guys
- [2:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-05-five-guys-jerry-murrell#t=120) Early Life and Failed Ventures
- [5:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-05-five-guys-jerry-murrell#t=316) The Genesis of Five Guys
- [10:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-05-five-guys-jerry-murrell#t=623) Product Strategy and Ingredient Sourcing
- [15:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-05-five-guys-jerry-murrell#t=915) Early Funding and Growth
- [21:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-05-five-guys-jerry-murrell#t=1299) Transition to Franchising
- [25:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-05-five-guys-jerry-murrell#t=1549) Family Roles and Company Ownership
- [31:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-05-five-guys-jerry-murrell#t=1884) Postscript: RexSpecs Dog Goggles

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Five Guys (company)
- RexSpecs (company)
- U.S. Bank (company)
- McDonald's (company)
- Brenner's Bakery (company)
- Thrashers (company)
- Franchising for Dummies (other)

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## Citing this page

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