Magnolia: Chip & Joanna Gaines. From House Flipping to Household Name

Magnolia: Chip & Joanna Gaines. From House Flipping to Household Name

What happens when a charismatic home renovator marries a budding design whiz? You get the billion-dollar powerhouse that is Chip and Joanna Gaines.

The Gaines’ TV show Fixer Upper became a cultural obsession, turning shiplap and farmhouse sinks into a lifestyle movement that swept America.

When they walked away from that show at peak popularity, everyone thought they were crazy. Instead, they turned their business Magnolia into a thriving lifestyle brand, which includes a network, retail, restaurants, books, and a magazine. The Silos, their Waco headquarters, became an unlikely tourist destination, drawing millions.

Chip and Joanna proved that faith, small-town values and authentic storytelling could compete with coastal glitz. And they did it all while raising five kids.


You’ll learn:

  • What Chip and Joanna saw in each other—as business and life partners.
  • How a miserable semester in New York sparked the idea for Joanna’s first store.
  • How the Gaines’ almost went bankrupt after the 2008 housing crash—and refused to quit.
  • Why walking away from their TV show turned out to be a brilliant move.
  • Why faith is as important as luck.
  • Why betting on your hometown can be a superpower.


Time Stamps:

3:30 Chip’s failed dream of becoming a pro baseball player—and the unexpected path that followed.

8:20 How running a laundry in college taught Chip the economics of entrepreneurship.

14:35 Joanna’s Korean-American childhood, identity struggles, and how a toxic newsroom internship changed the course of her life.

24:10 The day Chip walked into her dad’s tire shop—and never left.

35:10 How Joanna’s first $25 “sale” encouraged her to open the first Magnolia store.

45:15 The housing crash that nearly ended their renovation business—and how they scraped their way back.

55:15 The moment HGTV called—and why Chip thought it was a scam.

1:09:10 How saying “no” to Fixer Upper opened the door to owning their own network—and their future.

1:13:09 The cultural backlash and the lessons that came with becoming America’s most famous fixer-uppers.


This episode was produced by Katherine Sypher with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Chris Maccini. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Kwesi Lee.


Follow How I Built This:

Instagram → @howibuiltthis

X → @HowIBuiltThis

Facebook → How I Built This


Follow Guy Raz:

Instagram → @guy.raz

Youtube → guy_raz

X → @guyraz

Substack → guyraz.substack.com

Website → guyraz.com


See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Avsnitt(777)

Lonely Planet: Maureen & Tony Wheeler (2017)

Lonely Planet: Maureen & Tony Wheeler (2017)

In 1972, Maureen and Tony Wheeler bought a beat-up car and drove from London "as far east as we could go." They wound up in Australia, by way of Afghanistan, India and Thailand. Their notes on how to travel on a shoestring became a book, which grew into Lonely Planet — the largest travel guide publisher in the world. PLUS in our postscript "How You Built That," an update with Melanie Colón, a frustrated renter who created an easier way to communicate with noisy neighbors, called Apt App. (Original broadcast date: May 8, 2017) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

9 Juli 201837min

Chicken Salad Chick: Stacy Brown

Chicken Salad Chick: Stacy Brown

For many of us, chicken salad is just another sandwich filling, but Stacy Brown turned it into a $75 million business. In 2007, she was a divorced mother of three looking for a way to make ends meet. So she started making chicken salad in her kitchen and selling it out of a basket, door-to-door. She eventually turned that home operation into Chicken Salad Chick, and took her recipes to cities across the U.S. Today, Chicken Salad Chick is one of the fastest growing companies in the country. PLUS, for our postscript "How You Built That," how Dan Kurzrock and Jordan Schwartz up-cycled beer grain into ReGrained nutrition bars. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2 Juli 201855min

Lyft: John Zimmer (2017)

Lyft: John Zimmer (2017)

In 2006, John Zimmer was a college student and ride-hailing wasn't yet "a thing." But a class on green cities got him thinking about the glut of underused cars on the road. Eventually, he co-founded Lyft, a company that has helped make ride-hailing a fixture of American urban living. PLUS in our postscript "How You Built That," an update with Kyle Ewing, who almost set fire to his living room making Terraslate, a tough waterproof paper. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

25 Juni 201840min

Lululemon Athletica: Chip Wilson

Lululemon Athletica: Chip Wilson

After noticing more and more people sign up for yoga in the late 1990s, Chip Wilson bet everything on an athletic apparel company aimed toward young professional women. What started as a small pop-up store in Vancouver eventually became the multibillion-dollar brand Lululemon Athletica, spawning a new fashion trend and forever changing what women wear at the gym. PLUS, for our postscript "How You Built That," how Mike Sorentino developed the EyePatch Case, an iPhone case that cleans and protects the phone's built-in cameras. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

18 Juni 201852min

Honest Tea: Seth Goldman (2017)

Honest Tea: Seth Goldman (2017)

In 1997, after going for a long run, Seth Goldman was frustrated with the sugar-filled drinks at the corner market. So he brewed up a beverage in his kitchen, and turned it into Honest Tea. PLUS, for our postscript "How You Built That," we check back in with Jaya Iyer for an update on Svaha Inc., a unique apparel brand that focuses on STEM-themed clothing for babies, kids, and adults. (Original broadcast date: January 16, 2017) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11 Juni 201829min

Remembering Kate Spade

Remembering Kate Spade

We are incredibly saddened by the loss of the brilliant designer and entrepreneur Kate Spade. We are grateful she and her husband Andy Spade shared their story with us in 2017. The origins of the Kate Spade brand can be drawn back to a 1991 conversation at a Mexican restaurant, when Andy asked Kate, "What's missing in designer handbags?" Kate's answer was a simple modern-shaped handbag that launched the iconic fashion brand. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

5 Juni 201836min

Minted: Mariam Naficy

Minted: Mariam Naficy

In 2000, Mariam Naficy sold her first company, an online cosmetics store called Eve.com, for $110 million. Several years later, she got the entrepreneurial itch once again: she founded Minted, an online stationery store that solicits designs from artists all over the world. Today Minted is one of the biggest crowdsourcing platforms on the Internet. PLUS for our postscript, "How You Built That," how Vanessa and Casey White turned their grandfather's pierogi recipe into Jaju Pierogi. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

4 Juni 201849min

Lady Gaga & Atom Factory: Troy Carter (2018)

Lady Gaga & Atom Factory: Troy Carter (2018)

As a kid, Troy Carter dreamed of being a rapper, but soon discovered he was a better manager than a musician. He took Lady Gaga from obscurity to stardom – helping shape both her music and her brand. Then he turned his gift for spotting talent to spotting investment opportunities with his company Atom Factory. PLUS, for our postscript "How You Built That," we check back with Robyn Gerber for an update on Parkarr, a mobile app that helps drivers find street-parking. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

28 Maj 201847min

Populärt inom Business & ekonomi

badfluence
framgangspodden
varvet
rss-borsens-finest
uppgang-och-fall
rss-svart-marknad
avanzapodden
svd-ledarredaktionen
rss-dagen-med-di
lastbilspodden
24fragor
borsmorgon
affarsvarlden
rss-kort-lang-analyspodden-fran-di
rss-inga-dumma-fragor-om-pengar
fill-or-kill
kapitalet-en-podd-om-ekonomi
rss-en-rik-historia
dynastin
rikatillsammans-om-privatekonomi-rikedom-i-livet