Reflection: How I Built This 2018 Summit
Reflection: How I Built This 2018 Summit
On October 16th in 2018, NPR hosted the largest event they had ever produced. About one-thousand creative thinkers and business owners filled the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California, to take part in the 1st How I Built This Summit.
The first-ever How I Built This Live tour, supported by American Express, included sold-out stops in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, DC and Columbus. At each stop, Guy interviewed the founders of some of the world’s most notable companies. Did you catch one of the events?
Guy Raz, a popular NPR contributor and host of the popular podcast How I Built This, led the Summit. (Oh, by the way, he also co-produces another favorite of ours – Wow In The World!).
Our very own STICK-LETS® founder was fortunate enough receive a complimentary pass to the sold out conference along with her 5-month-old baby boy in tow. After being interviewed on an episode of the How You Built That (following How I Built This), Christina was invited to add a 4pc. starter set of STICK-LETS® into all 600 guest SWAG bags.
In the episode Christina talks about creating the idea for the flexible rubber joints in design school with a desire to return kids to the days of imaginative outdoor play. Listen here (start it up at 29:50 to hear her segment).
The Summit allowed attendees to network and hear inspiring stories from fellow business founders. It even provided time for one-on-one mentorship panels with influential members in the industry.
Industry founders shared their business insights and told their real stories behind their journeys from small start-ups to a multi-million dollar companies. Christina found several speakers particularly inspiring due to their personal struggles and accomplishments. That's the best part of Raz's podcast – it uncovers some personal and unpleasant hiccups along the path to success.
Among those giving talks were Jennifer Hyman of Rent the Runway, Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan of Method, Lisa Price of Carol's Daughter, John Zimmer of Lyft, Katrina Lake of Stitch Fix, and Joe Gebbia of Airbnb.
Christina found the 3 female guest speakers (Hyman, Lake & Price) particularly interesting. They all found a huge gap in the market and found creative ways to fulfill these needs. Their struggles as young female entrepreneurs and mothers to young children were all relatable.
Lisa Price, founder of Carol's Daughter, was dissatisfied with the limited selection of beauty products for women of color at her local pharmacies. She set out on a mission to supply women of color with more options for skincare and natural hair care. She started her business from her own kitchen in 1994 with just $100! Since then she has grown her business to over 30k stores nationwide.
(photo by NPR)
Attendees of the conference also received a complimentary gift bag filled with items from businesses featured on a smaller segment following How I Built This, called How You Built That. We admit, it's certainly the best SWAG bag we've ever seen, full of useful & interesting items including a Wazoo Survival Gear gift card, Pulp Pantry treats, De Fishing soap, Chop Saver lip balm, instant Voila coffee, and a S'well water bottle.
The conference inspired Christina to try some of the products she learned about at the Summit. Stitch Fix has been a favorite for everyday clothing, while Rent the Runway is perfect for special occasion designer dresses.
On October 16th in 2018, NPR hosted the largest event they had ever produced. About one-thousand creative thinkers and business owners filled the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California, to take part in the 1st How I Built This Summit.
The first-ever How I Built This Live tour, supported by American Express, included sold-out stops in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, DC and Columbus. At each stop, Guy interviewed the founders of some of the world’s most notable companies. Did you catch one of the events?
Guy Raz, a popular NPR contributor and host of the popular podcast How I Built This, led the Summit. (Oh, by the way, he also co-produces another favorite of ours – Wow In The World!).
Our very own STICK-LETS® founder was fortunate enough receive a complimentary pass to the sold out conference along with her 5-month-old baby boy in tow. After being interviewed on an episode of the How You Built That (following How I Built This), Christina was invited to add a 4pc. starter set of STICK-LETS® into all 600 guest SWAG bags.
In the episode Christina talks about creating the idea for the flexible rubber joints in design school with a desire to return kids to the days of imaginative outdoor play. Listen here (start it up at 29:50 to hear her segment).
The Summit allowed attendees to network and hear inspiring stories from fellow business founders. It even provided time for one-on-one mentorship panels with influential members in the industry.
Industry founders shared their business insights and told their real stories behind their journeys from small start-ups to a multi-million dollar companies. Christina found several speakers particularly inspiring due to their personal struggles and accomplishments. That's the best part of Raz's podcast – it uncovers some personal and unpleasant hiccups along the path to success.
Among those giving talks were Jennifer Hyman of Rent the Runway, Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan of Method, Lisa Price of Carol's Daughter, John Zimmer of Lyft, Katrina Lake of Stitch Fix, and Joe Gebbia of Airbnb.
Christina found the 3 female guest speakers (Hyman, Lake & Price) particularly interesting. They all found a huge gap in the market and found creative ways to fulfill these needs. Their struggles as young female entrepreneurs and mothers to young children were all relatable.
Lisa Price, founder of Carol's Daughter, was dissatisfied with the limited selection of beauty products for women of color at her local pharmacies. She set out on a mission to supply women of color with more options for skincare and natural hair care. She started her business from her own kitchen in 1994 with just $100! Since then she has grown her business to over 30k stores nationwide.
(photo by NPR)
Attendees of the conference also received a complimentary gift bag filled with items from businesses featured on a smaller segment following How I Built This, called How You Built That. We admit, it's certainly the best SWAG bag we've ever seen, full of useful & interesting items including a Wazoo Survival Gear gift card, Pulp Pantry treats, De Fishing soap, Chop Saver lip balm, instant Voila coffee, and a S'well water bottle.
The conference inspired Christina to try some of the products she learned about at the Summit. Stitch Fix has been a favorite for everyday clothing, while Rent the Runway is perfect for special occasion designer dresses.