# Rick Steves' Europe: Rick Steves

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2021-03-08
- Length: 1h 22m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-08-rick-steves-europe-rick-steves

## Summary

Rick Steves, founder of Rick Steves' Europe, explains how he built a $100 million travel business by giving away free content like guidebooks and TV shows to build trust and drive revenue from tours. He details his early days of backpacking on $3 a day, self-publishing his first book out of his car, and the strategic pivot to minibus tours. Steves also discusses the challenges of scaling the company, the toll his work took on his family life, and how he maintained his team during the pandemic by drawing on 30 years of profits.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-08-rick-steves-europe-rick-steves#t=0) Introduction: Rick Steves and the Origin of Rick Steves' Europe
- [6:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-08-rick-steves-europe-rick-steves#t=416) Backpacking Europe on $3 a Day and Early Business Ventures
- [18:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-08-rick-steves-europe-rick-steves#t=1118) Teaching Classes and Self-Publishing 'Europe Through the Back Door'
- [28:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-08-rick-steves-europe-rick-steves#t=1708) Launching Minibus Tours and the 'Cash Cow' Strategy
- [40:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-08-rick-steves-europe-rick-steves#t=2410) Creating the Public TV Show 'Travels in Europe' with Small World Productions
- [50:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-08-rick-steves-europe-rick-steves#t=3018) Scaling the Business, Family Sacrifices, and Company Culture
- [1:07:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-03-08-rick-steves-europe-rick-steves#t=4026) Navigating the Pandemic, Revenue Model, and Future of Travel

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Rick Steves' Europe (company)
- Europe Through the Back Door (product)
- Travels in Europe with Rick Steves (product)
- Small World Productions (company)
- Oregon Public Broadcasting (company)
- Arthur Frommer (other)
- YWCA (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [92 - Combining faith and business with Ben Steuart](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2021-12-16-92-combining-faith-and-business-with-ben-steuart) (People of Packaging)
- [Bootstrapped to 800,000 Units Sold Worldwide: The Story Behind Rockit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-04-17-bootstrapped-to-800-000-units-sold-worldwide-the-story-behind-rockit) (It's Only a Prototype)
- [Kickstarter, Copycats, and Comebacks: RiutBag’s Rise](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-07-01-kickstarter-copycats-and-comebacks-riutbags-rise) (It's Only a Prototype)
- [#179 - Bootstrap Heroes: Hazard's Hop Water, SWAIR, Gourmend Foods](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-01-21-179-bootstrap-heroes-hazards-hop-water-swair-gourmend-foods) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [34: Goals and Plans for 2018](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2018-01-24-34-goals-and-plans-for-2018) (Thoroughly Considered)

## 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/2021-03-08-rick-steves-europe-rick-steves. 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.