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How I Built This with Guy Raz

Advice Line with Chet Pipkin of Belkin International

with Chet Pipkin, Daniel Maul, Daniel Moll, Meredith Hudson, Ryan Halrigo, Ryan Helrigel

Published November 13, 2025
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About This Episode

This Advice Line episode of How I Built This Lab features Belkin founder Chet Pipkin helping three early-stage entrepreneurs work through practical business challenges. They discuss adoption and positioning for dissolvable shampoo tablets, inventory and cash-flow planning for a fast-selling sports accessory, and how a massage tool company can expand into B2B and corporate wellness markets. Throughout, Chet shares lessons from building Belkin around solving real problems, managing capital constraints, and relying on grassroots demand instead of top-down sales pushes.

Topics Covered

Entrepreneurship Product development Bootstrapping Small business financing Scrappiness in business problem-first invention Pre-awareness marketing Leadership and management Personal development Inventory management

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Quick Takeaways

  • Capital constraints can be an advantage if they force founders to focus on solving a real, acute problem with a simple, elegant solution.
  • Education is critical, but it does not have to follow a traditional, uninterrupted college path when a clear and compelling entrepreneurial opportunity appears.
  • For unfamiliar product formats like shampoo tablets, adoption often hinges on real-world trial experiences and making the product feel desirable, not just eco-friendly or convenient.
  • Inventory that consistently sells out is a high-quality problem, but it still requires creative working-capital solutions and close supplier relationships to avoid growth bottlenecks.
  • Eco-conscious and functional products still live or die on user experience and perceived luxury or quality, not just environmental benefits.
  • Strong supplier partnerships, including extended terms and vendor-held inventory, can substitute for formal financing in the early stages.
  • B2B expansion for consumer products often works best through internal champions and grassroots use rather than direct top-down pitches to HR or procurement.
  • Data that ties a product to reduced costs, such as fewer workers' comp claims, can transform it from a wellness perk into a clear cost-saving tool.
  • Founders should be cautious about abandoning homegrown systems that work simply because outside experts claim there is a more professional way.

Podcast Notes

Introduction and setup of the Advice Line format

Guy Raz introduces the Advice Line on How I Built This Lab

Explanation of the Advice Line concept[2:44]
• Listeners can call in with business challenges and get advice from Guy and a returning founder guest.
• Call-in number is given and listeners are asked to leave a one-minute message describing their business and issues.

Introduction of guest expert Chet Pipkin

Guy reintroduces Chet and Belkin[3:21]
• Chet is the founder of Belkin International, known for computer cables, power banks, adapters, and related accessories.
• Guy notes how ubiquitous Belkin products are, including a magnetic phone mount he uses as a laptop camera.
Recap of Belkin origin story[4:29]
• In the early 1980s, Chet hung out in mom-and-pop computer shops and realized computers could not easily connect to printers or other computers.
• At that time, the necessary cables often did not exist, so he began soldering cables and selling them to shops and customers.
• He was 21, dropped out of college, and started Belkin because he did not have enough money to start a full PC company as he had imagined.
• Guy compares Chet to Levi Strauss, saying Belkin sold "jeans and shovels" to tech "miners" rather than mining for gold directly.
Belkin's growth and sale[5:28]
• Belkin eventually grew into a large brand and company.
• In 2018, Belkin was sold to Foxconn for a reported price of more than $800 million.

What Chet is doing now

Chet's current roles and projects[5:20]
• Chet has stepped down as CEO but remains very active with Belkin and Foxconn.
• He is involved with several early-stage tech firms, does a lot of work in the Lake Tahoe area, and is involved in education initiatives.
• He co-founded Desolation Hotel, a boutique hotel in South Lake Tahoe, and frames it as another way of creating great experiences for people.

Discussion: Capital constraints, problem selection, and education

Advice for entrepreneurs with limited cash

Chet's view on overfunding and cash scarcity[6:45]
• Chet says one of the best ways to kill a startup is to overfund it.
• He argues that not having enough cash can be positive because it forces founders to get to the essence of what they need to do.
Identifying the right problem to solve[7:07]
• Chet encourages entrepreneurs to identify a true problem that is a real issue for people.
• If you can develop a simple, elegant solution to that real problem, you can figure out the rest of the business dynamics.
• He warns that a solution in search of a non-existent problem is unlikely to succeed regardless of available money.

College, AI, and following passion

Chet's personal education path and mindset[7:23]
• Chet says when he was in high school there was no doubt he would go to university and finish, and also no doubt he would start a business.
• As Belkin got going, his passion for the business far outweighed his passion for school, and he felt he had no choice but to pursue the business.
• He did not expect this shift in passion; it emerged as the business developed.
Lifelong learning vs. formal college[9:20]
• Chet sees himself as a lifelong learner and emphasizes that education is critical.
• He notes that education does not have to immediately follow high school in a formal college setting.
• He highlights that there are many ways to pursue lifelong learning outside a traditional, continuous college track.

Caller 1: Earth Suds dissolvable shampoo and soap tablets

Introduction to Earth Suds and product description

Daniel introduces himself and the business[9:36]
• Daniel Maul from Toronto, Canada is the founder of Earth Suds, which makes dissolvable tablets of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and hand soap.
• He describes them as more sustainable and more convenient for travel.
How the tablets work[10:00]
• Daniel likens them to laundry detergent tablets but for personal care products.
• Each is a small cube: add water, rub between hands, it suds up like traditional liquid shampoo or soap and is then applied to hair or body.

Origin story and environmental motivation

Inspiration from a polluted beach[10:19]
• On a family vacation, Daniel saw a local beach littered with plastic shampoo bottles.
• At the time, public narrative focused on plastic straws and grocery bags, but not on plastic toiletry bottles ending up in landfills.
• Back at college, he began tinkering in his kitchen with different formulations.
Product iteration process[10:50]
• The first iteration was shampoo strips like Listerine mouthwash strips, but they dissolved too quickly.
• After multiple experiments and iterations, he arrived at the shampoo tablet form.
Packaging and waste reduction benefits[10:56]
• The tablets are sold in tins that can be reused or easily recycled.
• Daniel notes that typical liquid shampoos are about 90% water, so shipping them generates unnecessary carbon emissions.
• He argues it makes little sense to ship mostly water to a place (the shower) where water is already present.

Business model, traction, and ingredients

Sales channels and traction[11:53]
• Earth Suds is sold mostly online through their website and on Amazon.
• They are entering some retail stores and are carried by a few hotels and Airbnbs.
• They are on track to do over $100,000 in sales this year and have sold over 200,000 tablets to customers around the world.
• National Geographic recognized them for reducing ocean plastic waste, which Daniel cites as important validation.
Ingredients and formulation[12:30]
• The tablets use surfactants, butters, oils, natural preservatives, and essential oils for scent.
• They exclude parabens, sulfates, and silicones, aiming to be a "clean" product.
Founder background and commitment[13:04]
• Daniel previously worked in consulting at Bain in San Francisco for three years.
• He left Bain to focus on Earth Suds full time.

Daniel's core question: driving adoption beyond travel

Framing the adoption challenge[13:36]
• Daniel asks how to get consumers to adopt an unfamiliar format like shampoo tablets so they become part of everyday routines, not just for travel.

Chet's assessment and user experience focus

Initial reaction to the product and problem fit[13:40]
• Chet calls the product "super cool" and says he loves that it clearly solves a real issue.
• He personally relates as a frequent traveler who wants to bring preferred products without TSA hassles.
• He also sees strong potential on the hospitality side due to waste reduction.
Understanding the current user base and experience[14:14]
• Daniel says most current users are travelers using the tablets for trips, camping, and safaris.
• He acknowledges the first use can feel a bit unfamiliar, but after one shower they become straightforward to use.
• Earth Suds is currently in about a handful of hotels, primarily eco-adventure and mountain lodges.
• Hotels are slow to adopt the new format, but Daniel notes mini-bottles are being banned in states like California, New York, and Washington over several years, which could help.
Chet's focus on measuring user satisfaction[16:05]
• Chet asks how Daniel measures user experience, mentioning tools like Net Promoter Score.
• Daniel says they collect over 500 reviews on their site with an average of 4.7 stars and have conducted over 150 customer interviews to refine formulation, packaging, and go-to-market.
Trade-offs between eco-benefits, cost, and convenience[16:40]
• Chet cites research suggesting people are eager to use environmentally friendly replacements if they do not cost more or create inconvenience.
• Once a product is more expensive or less convenient, resistance can increase rapidly.
• He recommends exploring any perceived compromises the user feels they are making when using Earth Suds.
• He praises seeding the product through hospitality to let people experience it firsthand and suggests doubling down on that approach.

Branding, desirability, and design advice for Earth Suds

Guy's skepticism about convenience as the primary hook[17:40]
• Guy notes Daniel positions the product as convenient, but he is not convinced convenience alone will drive adoption because many travelers are content with hotel shampoos.
• He argues that consistency in story and message over time is more powerful than hoping for a single viral influencer hit.
• Guy encourages Daniel to keep telling the story through talks and public appearances, which Daniel appears to have started doing.
Analogies to successful consumer brands[18:35]
• Guy compares Earth Suds' opportunity to Method soap, Tesla, and Sun Bum sunscreen.
• He explains Method succeeded by making environmentally friendly soap feel cool and elevated versus earlier eco brands.
• Tesla did not invent electric cars but reframed them as highly desirable, aspirational products.
• Sun Bum differentiated in sunscreen by designing beautiful packaging and elevating the product experience compared with legacy brands.
• He suggests Earth Suds may benefit from redesigning the product and packaging to make it look sleek, elevated, and luxurious, not just eco-friendly.
Hospitality trial and Chet's interest[19:59]
• Guy asks if Chet's Desolation Hotel is upscale, and Chet says it is a small boutique hotel where guests may be curious about new products.
• Chet offers to try Earth Suds at his hotel and see what kind of experience he has with it.
• Daniel agrees to send samples.

Post-call reflection on Earth Suds

Guy's design and brand perception reflections[20:19]
• Guy calls Earth Suds a really cool product that could benefit from design tweaks to look more sleek.
• He references Aesop soaps as an example of a brand whose name and beautifully designed, botanical-feeling products convey luxury, regardless of actual environmental impact.
Chet reiterates importance of user experience[20:59]
• Chet says Earth Suds will likely live or die based on the user experience.
• He is curious to test whether the experience is good; if not, Daniel faces a steep hill.

Caller 2: Sideline Bags for female athletes

Introduction to Sideline Bags and problem context

Meredith introduces herself and product[25:39]
• Meredith Hudson from Long Island, New York is the founder of Sideline Bags, backpack organizers designed for female athletes.
• The bags are intended to go inside sports backpacks to hold items like hairbrushes, hair elastics, sunscreen, and similar accessories that typically rattle around the bottom.
Origin story as a sports mom and former athlete[26:48]
• Meredith is a mom of two very active teenage daughters who were at one point playing three or four sports simultaneously.
• Leaving the house often meant juggling multiple backpacks, and at the last minute someone would need a hairbrush, Band-Aid, or sunscreen that they could not find.
• She felt that organization would allow athletes to focus on their performance instead of worrying about small items.
• She initially created Sideline Bags just for her daughters, and their positive experience made her think it could become a real product.
• Meredith herself played ice hockey, field hockey, and lacrosse growing up, and field hockey in college, giving her direct experience with the problem.

Design, manufacturing, and early sales

From sketch to prototype[27:23]
• She has no background in manufacturing or retail and began by drawing the bag on graph paper.
• A friend who owns a manufacturing company guided her on turning the sketch into a CAD drawing and finding a manufacturer for a prototype.
• Meredith describes herself as self-taught in this domain, learning from YouTube, her friend, and other contacts.
Part-time founder status and channels[28:14]
• Sideline Bags is about one year old.
• Meredith has worked in advertising and media sales for about 20 years and still has that job, making Sideline Bags her "5 to 9" and weekend work.
• She sells through her website, does a lot with TikTok Shop, and is in a few retail stores.
Traction and growth[29:00]
• She expects to do a little over $100,000 in sales this year, roughly 10x growth from the prior year.
• She describes the rapid growth as a whirlwind in a positive way.

Meredith's core question: inventory planning under constraints

Stockouts, cash limits, and space constraints[29:19]
• Meredith says she cannot keep Sideline Bags in stock; they keep selling out.
• She is bootstrapping, so cash flow is limited and physical space is constrained; inventory is stored in her garage, basement, and around the house.
• She asks how to plan and buy inventory in this situation.

Chet's perspective on the product and inventory problem

Validation of the use case[30:03]
• Chet relates the product to his granddaughter's volleyball experience, noting he watches her and her teammates constantly gear up and re-gear for life and games.
• He can easily imagine a more organized way to manage all their accessories.
Belkin's early inventory financing workaround[30:24]
• Chet says Belkin had the same problem of lacking cash and working capital to invest in goods.
• They formed a tight alliance with their manufacturer, built high trust, and persuaded the manufacturer to build and hold inventory on their own books.
• Belkin could then draw inventory from the manufacturer as needed; Chet notes Belkin could never have afforded to carry it all on their own balance sheet.
• He suggests Meredith explore building a similar relationship, acknowledging it depends on whether her supplier is willing.

Digging into sales patterns, colors, and risk

Best-selling colors and team orders[32:11]
• Sideline Bags come in nine colors; navy blue and Carolina blue are the biggest sellers.
• Team orders create unpredictability: for example, a Division I soccer team might buy 40 green bags, causing a sudden spike in that color.
• Other teams request large quantities in specific school colors, forcing Meredith to manufacture new color runs.
Sales velocity and current inventory[33:14]
• Some reorders sell out during pre-sale before the entire shipment arrives.
• Meredith estimates she currently has about double $10,000 in inventory at any given time.
• Lead times are about six weeks with air shipping (which hurts margins) and about nine weeks with sea shipping.
• She prefers sea shipping for better margins but must plan more carefully to avoid stockouts.
Chet characterizes the inventory risk[34:10]
• Chet asks if her inventory is more like bananas (perishable) or wine (non-perishable).
• Meredith believes there is essentially zero risk: if she held a lot, she would eventually sell it over time.
• Chet concludes her inventory is like wine since it does not degrade over time.

Financing options and strategic recommendations

Treating stockouts as a solvable, high-quality problem[34:57]
• Chet frames her situation as a desirable problem: sales are constrained only by lack of goods.
• He says it is more fun to solve than being unable to generate sales.
• He urges Meredith to get creative with working capital constraints, via suppliers, angels, or others who could fund inventory in exchange for margin.
• He notes that giving up some margin to finance inventory may be cheaper than paying for air freight.
Guy's suggestions on terms and loans[36:00]
• Guy suggests negotiating better payment terms with the manufacturer (e.g., partial payment upfront and balance on delivery).
• He mentions options like small business loans or platform-based financing (e.g., loans offered through e-commerce platforms).
• Meredith says she has renegotiated terms with her manufacturer in the latest inventory cycle, which Guy affirms as a good first step.

Caller 3: Rolflex therapeutic massage tools

Introduction to Rolflex and its product

Ryan introduces himself and Rolflex[40:56]
• Ryan Halrigo from San Diego, California is CEO of Rolflex, which makes therapeutic massage tools.
• They are best known for arm recovery tools addressing issues like tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, and general arm soreness.
Product description and use cases[40:59]
• Ryan says to imagine Rolflex as a vice or nutcracker for arms and legs.
• Instead of relying on gravity like foam rollers or lacrosse balls, it uses leverage to create pressure on muscles and tissues.
• The device is adjustable and primarily used for tennis elbow and arm recovery, but it can also be used on legs.

Origin story, channels, and scale

How Rolflex was invented[42:18]
• The company started in 2016 when Ryan's business partners, both physical and massage therapists, needed to alleviate their own arm tension from working on clients all day.
• One partner, Nick, would come home and ask his wife to roll out his arms, which prompted them to develop a tool to do it themselves.
• The product is patented.
Sales channels and revenue[43:05]
• Rolflex sells primarily on Amazon and their own website.
• Ryan projects about $5 million in sales this year, up from $3 million the year before.
• He says their market is essentially anyone with arms and legs.

Ryan's core question: accessing B2B and institutional markets

Interest from large organizations[43:27]
• Ryan says large businesses in manufacturing, logistics, and the military reach out wanting to use Rolflex to reduce workers' compensation claims.
• However, outbound efforts to reach new organizations and the right contacts have not yet produced consistent success.
Question about B2B pathways[44:17]
• Ryan asks what pathways exist to serve more people in B2B spaces like logistics, manufacturing, and military organizations.

Chet's "inside job" and guerrilla adoption strategy

Why direct pitches to procurement are weak[44:49]
• Guy notes that government and military contracting processes are complex and stressful, with heavy RFP structures.
• Chet says a frontal assault through HR and procurement is expensive and ineffective.
• He proposes treating it as an "inside job," planting experiences with people inside the organization who then advocate for broader adoption.
Slack as an adoption model[44:53]
• Chet cites Slack as a firm that excelled by getting individuals inside organizations to use the product first.
• Internal users then fought for their organizations to adopt Slack more broadly, creating bottom-up demand.
• He recommends getting a critical mass of Rolflex users inside target organizations, who can speak to reduced downtime and lower injury-related costs.
Current internal-champion experience and its limits[46:19]
• Ryan says their existing B2B deals have indeed come from internal champions like a single UPS driver or health and safety officer.
• The challenge is repeatability: when that person leaves, they often have to start again from scratch.

Reframing Rolflex as a cost-saving tool and expanding channels

Using data to make a cost-reduction case[46:42]
• Ryan says the product costs $80, roughly the price of one massage.
• Guy suggests demonstrating that Rolflex can reduce repetitive strain injuries and workers' comp claims, turning it into a clear cost-reduction tool.
• Ryan says they have done consumer studies but cannot publicly share data from corporate or military clients due to confidentiality.
• Guy proposes anonymizing the data-describing results from a well-known but unnamed company-to show impact while preserving confidentiality.
Maintaining D2C core while diversifying[48:53]
• Ryan notes that about 99% of their sales are direct-to-consumer, achieved through Meta ads, influencers, Google, and TikTok.
• He sees the next growth phase as requiring sales channel diversification.
Chet's expanded guerrilla strategy and incentives[49:40]
• Chet says Belkin's B2B business was often almost as big as the consumer side and that the line between the two is blurry, since people use the same tech at home and work.
• He reiterates that going directly through HR and procurement is not the approach he would take.
• He advises going where target users are-e.g., triathlete events-and giving them hands-on experiences with Rolflex at booths or demos.
• Chet suggests designing referral or incentive structures for people who help Rolflex gain wider organizational adoption.
Guy's suggestion to work with distributors[51:33]
• Guy proposes finding a distributor already serving corporate wellness programs, even if it means sharing margin.
• He suggests outsourcing some outreach and sales to partners that already have relationships with corporate buyers.
• Chet reiterates that he views broader adoption as an inside job, reinforcing the importance of internal advocates.

Chet's reflections on the entrepreneurial grind and lessons to his younger self

Relating to current founders' struggles

Emotional resonance with early-stage challenges[53:20]
• Chet says hearing the callers' current grind brings back memories of similar struggles at Belkin.
• He feels compelled to help because the problems being discussed are solvable and familiar.

Advice Chet would give his 21-year-old self

Trusting internal systems over outside "pros"[54:00]
• Chet says the systems and approaches Belkin invented were appropriate and effective for their business.
• He identifies major errors that occurred when they listened to so-called professionals who claimed there was a "right" way to run a business.
• Switching to those prescribed methods often represented a big step backward compared to their homegrown systems.
• His advice to his younger self is to keep following what works in their own DNA and not worry too much about outside prescriptions for how a business "should" operate.

Outro and reference to original Belkin episode

Promotion of original How I Built This episode with Chet

Guy encourages listeners to hear the full Belkin story[54:07]
• Guy invites listeners to check out Chet's original How I Built This episode, with a link promised in the show notes.
• A clip is played where Chet recalls days when he felt unstoppable and other dark days when he doubted Belkin would ever work.

Closing instructions for aspiring Advice Line callers

How to apply to be on the Advice Line[55:59]
• Guy asks listeners building a business to send a one-minute voice memo or call the show's phone number, describing their business and their questions.

Lessons Learned

Actionable insights and wisdom you can apply to your business, career, and personal life.

1

Start by identifying a real, painful problem and build a simple, elegant solution around it instead of pushing a solution in search of a problem.

Reflection Questions:

  • • What recurring frustrations do I or my customers experience that are so obvious I might be overlooking them as business opportunities?
  • • How can I validate that the problem I'm working on is truly painful and widespread, rather than just interesting to me?
  • • What part of my current product or idea could I strip away to make the core solution simpler and more focused on the primary problem?
2

Capital constraints can be a strategic advantage if they force you to focus, stay lean, and creatively structure relationships with suppliers and partners instead of relying on easy funding.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Where have I been assuming I need more money, when I might actually need clearer priorities and tighter constraints?
  • • How could renegotiating terms with suppliers or partners reduce my cash burden without slowing growth?
  • • What is one concrete step I could take this month to improve my working-capital position, such as changing payment terms, cutting waste, or phasing inventory more intelligently?
3

Functional and eco-friendly products still depend on user experience and desirability; design, storytelling, and how a product feels often determine adoption more than its rational benefits.

Reflection Questions:

  • • How do customers currently feel when they first encounter and use my product, and what signals does the design send about quality and status?
  • • In what ways could I elevate my product's packaging, naming, or visual identity to make it something people are proud to display and talk about?
  • • What is one small, testable change I could make to my product's design or story over the next quarter to make it more emotionally compelling?
4

Inventory and demand planning in a growing, bootstrapped business requires treating suppliers as strategic partners, understanding lead times, and choosing financing options that cost less than constant emergency fixes.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Do I clearly understand my lead times, best-sellers, and sales velocity well enough to plan inventory instead of constantly reacting?
  • • How might a deeper, trust-based relationship with my manufacturer or a financing partner change the way I handle inventory risk?
  • • What specific data (like 30-, 60-, and 90-day sell-through) should I review this week to adjust my next inventory order more intelligently?
5

For B2B and institutional adoption, grassroots internal champions and real-world trial experiences often outperform cold pitches to HR or procurement, especially when backed by clear cost-saving data.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Who inside my target organizations already loves my product or would be most likely to become an internal champion?
  • • How could I create low-friction ways for people in those organizations to try my product and share their experiences with colleagues?
  • • What metrics could I start tracking now (like injury reduction, time saved, or fewer support tickets) to build a compelling cost-saving case for business buyers?
6

As your company grows, don't blindly discard homegrown systems that work just because external experts claim there is a more "professional" way; your unique operating DNA can be a competitive advantage.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Which of my current processes or habits consistently produce good results, even if they don't look like standard best practices?
  • • Where have I been tempted to adopt a generic "expert" playbook that might conflict with what I know works for my team and customers?
  • • What is one core practice or principle from our early days that I want to consciously protect as we scale?

Episode Summary - Notes by Kendall

Advice Line with Chet Pipkin of Belkin International
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