Advice Line with Justin McLeod of Hinge

How I Built This · 17 Jul 2025 · 39m

What this episode covers

Hinge founder and CEO Justin McLeod joins Guy Raz to answer questions from three early-stage founders: Jessica Off of Guess Where Trips, Nick Kelly of Framework Doors, and Chandler Whittington of Archive 22. McLeod advises Off on market expansion strategy, suggesting she focus on depth over breadth and leverage nano-influencers rather than expensive broad campaigns. He helps Kelly drive word-of-mouth for his steel security doors by creating 'unreasonable hospitality' moments and interactive features like handbells. Finally, he guides Whittington on how to better communicate the hand-drawn, licensed nature of his sports posters to online customers, suggesting a shift toward fan-centric storytelling and limited editions.

Mentioned

Companies
Guess Where Trips, Framework Doors, Archive 22, U.S. Bank
Products
Hinge, Spanx
Also
Dragon's Den, U.S. Open, PGA of America, National Hockey League

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Product Startup · 14m

    176: How Hardware Founders Should Represent Their Product

    Mike Fata, a serial entrepreneur with over $500 million in hardware sales and three nine-figure exits, explains the concept of 'founder product market fit' to host Kevin Mako. Fata argues that founders must leverage their personal passion and authentic story to build communities, citing his own journey with Hemp Harvest and his book, Grow: 12 Unconventional Lessons for Becoming an Unstoppable Entrepreneur. He advises hardware startups to use trade shows, LinkedIn networking, and nonprofit involvement to connect with niche markets and scale their brands without relying on traditional sales tactics.

  • Product Startup · 18m

    179: Maximize the Value of your Design Agency Partner

    Nick Allen, an industrial designer at MAKO Design + Invent, explains how hardware founders can maximize the value of their relationship with a design agency. He advises inventors to clearly articulate their vision, target audience, and constraints through sketches and bullet points, while leveraging their own domain expertise. The conversation emphasizes distinguishing between 'must-have' and 'want-to-have' features to avoid feature creep and ensure a successful MVP launch.

  • Product Startup · 27m

    066: E-Commerce Platforms for Launching a Consumer Product

    Deirdre Tshien, President of Growth Boss, explains that hardware startups must build a community or 'tribe' organically before attempting to sell, warning that spending money on ads without an established audience is a common and costly mistake. She recommends using Facebook Groups to nurture this audience and leveraging TikTok influencers to create content that serves as effective pattern-interrupting ads for Facebook and Instagram. The discussion emphasizes that even niche products can build a loyal following by solving specific pain points, allowing founders to validate demand and generate revenue through direct-to-consumer channels like Shopify or Amazon.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 33m

    #232 - 2026 Brand Resolutions

    Host Daniel Scharff interviews Rebecca Styn of Blind Tiger Spirit Free Cocktails, Dava Guthmiller of A Dash of, and Andrew Schundler of CH Matcha about their 2026 brand resolutions. Rebecca resolves to eliminate noise by saying no to unaligned opportunities like expensive celebrity gifting, focusing instead on strategic regional growth. Dava aims to step into the spotlight by sharing her personal story and passion for salt terroir to build authenticity, rather than just curating others' products. Andrew plans to double down on retail execution and in-person tastings for his canned matcha brand, learning from early data to avoid stretching the business too thin.

  • Product Startup · 27m

    109: Landing Page Sales Funnels for Consumer Products

    Marco Torres, founder of Marketing Boost, explains how hardware startups can use single-page sales funnels to launch or scale direct-to-consumer sales. He details the essential structure of a landing page, emphasizing the removal of navigation, the use of benefit-driven copy, and the inclusion of credibility markers like press mentions and video testimonials. Torres also discusses leveraging affiliate marketing networks to acquire customers and using value-added incentives, such as complimentary hotel stays, to increase average order value without discounting.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.