(July 2021) Ben Chestnut: From Side Business to $12 Billion – The Accidental Triumph of Mailchimp

Show notes

In 2001, three web designers built a quirky email tool called Mailchimp. It wasn’t their main business. It wasn’t even meant to make real money. For years, Ben Chestnut and his partners survived on web-design gigs, while Mailchimp earned just enough to cover lunch. Then…one surprising spreadsheet changed everything. In this episode, Ben reveals: The decision that tripled their revenue overnight How a mispronunciation on the world's biggest podcast turned into a marketing masterstroke How a painful wake-up call about leadership reshaped the company’s culture Listen now to hear how guerrilla billboards, a monkey logo, and a string of improbable breaks built one of the most recognizable names in tech. Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis Facebook → How I Built This Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @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.

Guests

Ben Chestnut

Co-Founder

Mailchimp