(July 2021) Ben Chestnut: From Side Business to $12 Billion – The Accidental Triumph of Mailchimp
How I Built This with Guy Raz
- Published
- August 25, 2025
- Duration
- 1h 19m
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Jun 24, 2026
Discusses In 2001, three web designers built a quirky email tool called Mailchimp.It wasn’t their main busines…
Summary
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 th…
Intelligent Report
Sign in to read teasers, or upgrade to Research Pro to commission intelligent report for this episode. Learn more →
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 overnightHow a mispronunciation on the world's biggest podcast turned into a marketing masterstrokeHow a painful wake-