# Five Guys: Jerry Murrell (2019)

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2019-01-14
- Length: 37m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-01-14-five-guys-jerry-murrell-2019

## 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 sourcing premium ingredients like peanut oil and specific potatoes from Idaho, and its unconventional financing model that relied on gross-revenue sharing from individual investors rather than traditional equity or bank loans. Murrell also discusses the reluctant transition to franchising, which was driven by his sons and a consultant, leading to rapid national expansion despite his initial fears about brand dilution and geographic reach.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-01-14-five-guys-jerry-murrell-2019#t=0) Introduction: Jerry Murrell and Five Guys
- [2:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-01-14-five-guys-jerry-murrell-2019#t=131) Murrell's Early Life and Failed Ventures
- [5:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-01-14-five-guys-jerry-murrell-2019#t=352) The Genesis of Five Guys and First Location
- [11:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-01-14-five-guys-jerry-murrell-2019#t=672) Ingredient Sourcing and Quality Strategy
- [18:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-01-14-five-guys-jerry-murrell-2019#t=1089) Unconventional Financing and Growth
- [22:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-01-14-five-guys-jerry-murrell-2019#t=1356) Reluctant Franchising and National Expansion
- [26:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-01-14-five-guys-jerry-murrell-2019#t=1606) Family Roles and Company Ownership
- [33:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-01-14-five-guys-jerry-murrell-2019#t=2002) Postscript: Hannah England and Wash. It. Later.

## 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)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Five Guys (company)
- U.S. Bank (company)
- NPR (company)
- McDonald's (company)
- Wash. It. Later. (company)
- QuickBooks (company)
- Kickstarter (company)
- Brenner's Bakery (company)
- Thrashers (company)

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- [Founder Feature:  Elan Halpern & Kiki Couchman of Sourmilk](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-11-07-founder-feature-elan-halpern-kiki-couchman-of-sourmilk) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
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- [Founder Fundraising Journey: Frozen One, Alan Chen & Conner Mennig](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-07-25-founder-fundraising-journey-frozen-one-alan-chen-conner-mennig) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-01-14-five-guys-jerry-murrell-2019. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.