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Aug 7, 2025 · 41m · how-i-built-this

Advice Line with Mei Xu of Chesapeake Bay Candle and Blueme

Guy Raz · 13m spoken Mei Xu · 10m spoken Lindsay Gallis · 5m spoken Sasha Milstein · 4m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

On this Advice Line edition of How I Built This Lab, host Guy Raz and veteran entrepreneur Mei Xu coach three business founders on executive hiring, multichannel distribution, and navigating institutional sales.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Guy holds 35.9% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Guy as informed peer 5.0 Guest teaching 2.3 Guest disagreement 0.7 Guy pushing back 1.3
05100:0015:0030:000:55–3:00 · Guy as informed peer 4/10 Welcoming Mei Xu and Introducing Wellness Brand Blueme Guy warmly welcomes back Mei Xu and provides context on her prior candle business exit before Mei explains the origin story of her wellness fragrance brand Blueme.3:01–5:35 · Guy as informed peer 5/10 Mei Xu on Rebounding from Sales Dips and Retail Channels Mei describes how she overcame seasonal retail slumps by introducing scented candles. Guy offers slight pushback to Mei's generalized statement that consumers have completely stopped in-person retail shopping.5:36–17:59 · Guy as informed peer 6/10 Caller 1: Sasha Milstein of Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies Sasha seeks guidance on finding a co-founder for Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies. Both Guy and Mei suggest hiring key operators or a COO with equity rather than taking on a traditional equal co-founder.18:13–27:19 · Guy as informed peer 5/10 Caller 2: Tara of Dry Dolly on Towel Apparel Distribution Tara asks how to expand distribution for Dry Dolly towel apparel across retail and DTC channels. Guy and Mei advise demonstrating practical use cases on video and exploring TV shopping channels like QVC.27:28–39:18 · Guy as informed peer 7/10 Caller 3: Lindsay Gallis of Math Medic on EdTech Disruption Lindsay discusses Math Medic's freemium curriculum model and institutional resistance from districts. Guy draws directly from his own entrepreneurial background building an EdTech platform to discuss RFP hurdles.39:19–40:40 · Guy as informed peer 3/10 Mei Xu's Advice to Younger Self and Archival Reflection Mei reflects on what advice she would give her younger self, noting that earlier fundraising would have accelerated her business network and growth.0:55–3:00 · Guest teaching 2/10 Welcoming Mei Xu and Introducing Wellness Brand Blueme Guy warmly welcomes back Mei Xu and provides context on her prior candle business exit before Mei explains the origin story of her wellness fragrance brand Blueme.3:01–5:35 · Guest teaching 3/10 Mei Xu on Rebounding from Sales Dips and Retail Channels Mei describes how she overcame seasonal retail slumps by introducing scented candles. Guy offers slight pushback to Mei's generalized statement that consumers have completely stopped in-person retail shopping.5:36–17:59 · Guest teaching 2/10 Caller 1: Sasha Milstein of Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies Sasha seeks guidance on finding a co-founder for Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies. Both Guy and Mei suggest hiring key operators or a COO with equity rather than taking on a traditional equal co-founder.18:13–27:19 · Guest teaching 2/10 Caller 2: Tara of Dry Dolly on Towel Apparel Distribution Tara asks how to expand distribution for Dry Dolly towel apparel across retail and DTC channels. Guy and Mei advise demonstrating practical use cases on video and exploring TV shopping channels like QVC.27:28–39:18 · Guest teaching 3/10 Caller 3: Lindsay Gallis of Math Medic on EdTech Disruption Lindsay discusses Math Medic's freemium curriculum model and institutional resistance from districts. Guy draws directly from his own entrepreneurial background building an EdTech platform to discuss RFP hurdles.39:19–40:40 · Guest teaching 2/10 Mei Xu's Advice to Younger Self and Archival Reflection Mei reflects on what advice she would give her younger self, noting that earlier fundraising would have accelerated her business network and growth.0:55–3:00 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Welcoming Mei Xu and Introducing Wellness Brand Blueme Guy warmly welcomes back Mei Xu and provides context on her prior candle business exit before Mei explains the origin story of her wellness fragrance brand Blueme.3:01–5:35 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Mei Xu on Rebounding from Sales Dips and Retail Channels Mei describes how she overcame seasonal retail slumps by introducing scented candles. Guy offers slight pushback to Mei's generalized statement that consumers have completely stopped in-person retail shopping.5:36–17:59 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Caller 1: Sasha Milstein of Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies Sasha seeks guidance on finding a co-founder for Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies. Both Guy and Mei suggest hiring key operators or a COO with equity rather than taking on a traditional equal co-founder.18:13–27:19 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Caller 2: Tara of Dry Dolly on Towel Apparel Distribution Tara asks how to expand distribution for Dry Dolly towel apparel across retail and DTC channels. Guy and Mei advise demonstrating practical use cases on video and exploring TV shopping channels like QVC.27:28–39:18 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Caller 3: Lindsay Gallis of Math Medic on EdTech Disruption Lindsay discusses Math Medic's freemium curriculum model and institutional resistance from districts. Guy draws directly from his own entrepreneurial background building an EdTech platform to discuss RFP hurdles.39:19–40:40 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Mei Xu's Advice to Younger Self and Archival Reflection Mei reflects on what advice she would give her younger self, noting that earlier fundraising would have accelerated her business network and growth.0:55–3:00 · Guy pushing back 0/10 Welcoming Mei Xu and Introducing Wellness Brand Blueme Guy warmly welcomes back Mei Xu and provides context on her prior candle business exit before Mei explains the origin story of her wellness fragrance brand Blueme.3:01–5:35 · Guy pushing back 2/10 Mei Xu on Rebounding from Sales Dips and Retail Channels Mei describes how she overcame seasonal retail slumps by introducing scented candles. Guy offers slight pushback to Mei's generalized statement that consumers have completely stopped in-person retail shopping.5:36–17:59 · Guy pushing back 2/10 Caller 1: Sasha Milstein of Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies Sasha seeks guidance on finding a co-founder for Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies. Both Guy and Mei suggest hiring key operators or a COO with equity rather than taking on a traditional equal co-founder.18:13–27:19 · Guy pushing back 1/10 Caller 2: Tara of Dry Dolly on Towel Apparel Distribution Tara asks how to expand distribution for Dry Dolly towel apparel across retail and DTC channels. Guy and Mei advise demonstrating practical use cases on video and exploring TV shopping channels like QVC.27:28–39:18 · Guy pushing back 3/10 Caller 3: Lindsay Gallis of Math Medic on EdTech Disruption Lindsay discusses Math Medic's freemium curriculum model and institutional resistance from districts. Guy draws directly from his own entrepreneurial background building an EdTech platform to discuss RFP hurdles.39:19–40:40 · Guy pushing back 0/10 Mei Xu's Advice to Younger Self and Archival Reflection Mei reflects on what advice she would give her younger self, noting that earlier fundraising would have accelerated her business network and growth.

speaking balance: gold is Guy, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Guy 56.4% · guest 43.6%0:00 · Guy 56.4% · guest 43.6%3:00 · Guy 36.4% · guest 63.6%3:00 · Guy 36.4% · guest 63.6%6:00 · Guy 26.2% · guest 73.8%6:00 · Guy 26.2% · guest 73.8%9:00 · Guy 23.6% · guest 76.4%9:00 · Guy 23.6% · guest 76.4%12:00 · Guy 44.7% · guest 55.3%12:00 · Guy 44.7% · guest 55.3%15:00 · Guy 37.4% · guest 62.6%15:00 · Guy 37.4% · guest 62.6%18:00 · Guy 33.5% · guest 66.5%18:00 · Guy 33.5% · guest 66.5%21:00 · Guy 14.4% · guest 85.6%21:00 · Guy 14.4% · guest 85.6%24:00 · Guy 31.8% · guest 68.2%24:00 · Guy 31.8% · guest 68.2%27:00 · Guy 44.2% · guest 55.8%27:00 · Guy 44.2% · guest 55.8%30:00 · Guy 22.5% · guest 77.5%30:00 · Guy 22.5% · guest 77.5%33:00 · Guy 29.9% · guest 70.1%33:00 · Guy 29.9% · guest 70.1%36:00 · Guy 33.3% · guest 66.7%36:00 · Guy 33.3% · guest 66.7%39:00 · Guy 72.3% · guest 27.7%39:00 · Guy 72.3% · guest 27.7%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 34:17 Lindsay rejects partnering with traditional textbook publishers

Lindsay immediately dismisses Mei's suggestion of partnering with legacy publishers, asserting that textbook companies represent an outdated model ripe for technological disruption.

 Hardest push from Guy ▶ 4:55 Guy challenges Mei's premise on physical shopping decline

Guy interrupts Mei's broad assertion that consumers no longer shop in person, clarifying that retail foot traffic varies significantly by market and location.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 37:28 Lindsay clarifies Math Medic's actual constraint

Lindsay educates the hosts that Math Medic is already highly profitable at 2.1 million dollars in revenue and does not have financial or monetization issues, but rather bureaucratic RFP barriers.

 Guy holds their own ▶ 35:21 Guy details his own EdTech venture challenges

Guy asserts deep domain familiarity by explaining the exact structural and grant-related procurement difficulties he faced trying to monetize his own EdTech platform, Tinkercast.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicGuy as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementGuy pushing backWhy
Welcoming Mei Xu and Introducing Wellness Brand Blueme 4200 Guy warmly welcomes back Mei Xu and provides context on her prior candle business exit before Mei explains the origin story of her wellness fragrance brand Blueme.
Mei Xu on Rebounding from Sales Dips and Retail Channels 5312 Mei describes how she overcame seasonal retail slumps by introducing scented candles. Guy offers slight pushback to Mei's generalized statement that consumers have completely stopped in-person retail shopping.
Caller 1: Sasha Milstein of Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies 6212 Sasha seeks guidance on finding a co-founder for Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies. Both Guy and Mei suggest hiring key operators or a COO with equity rather than taking on a traditional equal co-founder.
Caller 2: Tara of Dry Dolly on Towel Apparel Distribution 5201 Tara asks how to expand distribution for Dry Dolly towel apparel across retail and DTC channels. Guy and Mei advise demonstrating practical use cases on video and exploring TV shopping channels like QVC.
Caller 3: Lindsay Gallis of Math Medic on EdTech Disruption 7323 Lindsay discusses Math Medic's freemium curriculum model and institutional resistance from districts. Guy draws directly from his own entrepreneurial background building an EdTech platform to discuss RFP hurdles.
Mei Xu's Advice to Younger Self and Archival Reflection 3200 Mei reflects on what advice she would give her younger self, noting that earlier fundraising would have accelerated her business network and growth.

Statements from this episode (11)

Assertion Supported
Guy Raz: Mei Xu sold Chesapeake Bay Candle to Newell for $75M
“You wound up starting a candle company, Chesapeake Bay Candle, and you actually sold that company for seventy five million dollars to Newell Brands, which also owns Yankee Candle.”
Guy Raz Aug 7, 2025 ▶ 1:08
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Mei Xu: Small retail boutiques outperform department stores
“Small boutiques are doing much better than department stores.”
Mei Xu Aug 7, 2025 ▶ 5:14
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Sasha Milstein: Aunt Ethel's hits $250k in sales, sells 8,000 on QVC
“So we technically launched last year, last fall, into over a hundred Wegmans locations. Nice. We then went on QVC. We aired and sold out of 8000 units in six minutes, and we just hit the quarter of a million dollar mark.”
Sasha Milstein Aug 7, 2025 ▶ 8:29
Insight
Mei Xu advises founders against working with their spouses
“It is very hard to work with your spouse in a business that is so intense, so I suggest you look elsewhere.”
Mei Xu Aug 7, 2025 ▶ 9:39
Disclosure
Sasha Milstein: Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies prepares to raise first funding round
“We are actually gearing up for our first round. As you know the CPG business is very capital intensive, and while we've bootstrapped and taken out debt, we're finally ready to start using other people's money.”
Sasha Milstein Aug 7, 2025 ▶ 12:15
Insight
Mei Xu: Consumer startups must pursue omnichannel distribution rather than single-channel sales
“I don't think one can try only one channel these days. We really are in a, in an economy where you need to meet people where they shop and people shop everywhere. They shop on TikTok, they shop on Instagram, they shop in store, they like what they see in a hot…”
Mei Xu Aug 7, 2025 ▶ 26:38
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Lindsay Gallis: Math Medic has about 100,000 teachers using its lessons
“We currently have about a 100,000 teachers across the U.S. And across the world, really, who are using our lessons in their class.”
Lindsay Gallis Aug 7, 2025 ▶ 30:17
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Lindsay Gallis: Math Medic generated $2.1 million in revenue last year
“Last year we did 2.1 million.”
Lindsay Gallis Aug 7, 2025 ▶ 31:33
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Lindsay Gallis: Math Medic was bootstrapped with $1,500 and profitable immediately
“Yeah, we've been profitable, really from day one, essentially, I think at the very beginning, we put, like, 1500 dollars in and then everything has just been funded by our own growth”
Lindsay Gallis Aug 7, 2025 ▶ 32:09
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Lindsay Gallis: Textbook companies face imminent disruption from digital alternatives
“So the textbooks really, honestly, I feel like it's one of the last industries that haven't been substantially disrupted by digitalization. They're not being used anymore by students. You know, students bring home a textbook, maybe, but for the most part, if t…”
Lindsay Gallis Aug 7, 2025 ▶ 34:47
What-if
Mei Xu: Early Fundraising Would Have Provided Crucial Scaling Insights
“I did not do any fundraising when I was building my first business, and I feel it could have given me a very interesting sort of insight into how to scale.”
Mei Xu Aug 7, 2025 ▶ 39:40
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