Most hardware startups die broke. 

Christian Reed’s didn’t. 

He turned a basement side project into Reekon Tools, an 8-figure construction-tech brand with tools that don’t break, content that hit 300M+ views, and a cult following of tradespeople. 

In this episode of Why Design, Chris sits down with Christian to break down exactly how he went from MIT → military → Formlabs → scaling one of the most talked-about startups in hardware. 

👉 Want more insights from world-class builders? Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events 

What You’ll Learn 

• How a Kickstarter side project became an 8-figure company 
• Why building a product ≠ building a business (and what most founders get wrong) 
• The content playbook Recon used to rack up 300M+ views 
• The difference between scaling hardware and software — and why “muscle beats magic” 
• How to spot talent that thrives in startup chaos 
• The truth about AI in design: why it won’t replace you, but will expose you 

Memorable Quotes 

💬 “Hardware development is a muscle activity. You just have to muscle through it. It never gets easier.” 

💬 “If you can’t make content and you don’t appreciate design, you’re just shooting yourself in the foot.” 

💬 “If you’re scared of AI, to be frank, it probably just means you’re not a good designer.” 

👉 Love this? Subscribe to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or Amazon Music so you never miss an episode. 

Links & Resources 

🌍 Connect with Christian Reed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianrreed/ 

🔗 Explore Reekon: https://www.reekon.tools/ 

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube 

📸 Follow on Instagram 

🎵 TikTok: @_whydesign 

👥 Join the Why Design community: events, huddles, and workshops → teamkodu.com/events 

🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte 

🎧 Listen to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music. whydesign.club  

👉 Ready to go deeper? Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events