What happens when a father-son conversation at the kitchen table resurfaces an old invention and accidentally creates an entirely new product category?

In this episode of Innovator Insights, Henrik Johansson sits down with Devon Wilson, Founder and CEO of RV Snap Pads, a Calgary-based company that makes what Devon calls "shoes for your RV." These snap-on pads, made from recycled semi-truck tires, provide grip, stability, and protection for RV leveling systems, replacing the old solution of wood blocks and loose plastic.

Devon shares how the idea started with his father, one of the original inventors of the iconic orange leveling blocks that RVers have used for over 30 years. After a rough experience that pushed the family out of that original venture, a kitchen table conversation reignited the idea, and Devon ran with it. The first prototype was built on a shoestring budget just to see if, as Devon puts it, "anybody quite frankly gave a damn."

They did. Feedback from early RV owner groups was overwhelmingly positive, revealing unexpected benefits like vibration dampening that stabilized entire motorhomes. From there, Devon built the product line almost entirely by listening to customers, adding new SKUs only when waitlists hit critical mass.

But the road hasn't been smooth. Devon is candid about cycling through six or seven contract manufacturers, the whiplash of COVID-era demand they couldn't fulfill, over-correcting with too much inventory, and the constant tension between growth and operational stability. Now, with two strong manufacturing partners and nearly 6 million pounds of recycled rubber kept out of landfills, the company is finally ready to hit the gas, with big-box retail conversations on the horizon.

Whether you're bootstrapping a physical product, navigating supply chain chaos, or wondering how to build a brand that customers genuinely love (they have a customer on their seventh set of Snap Pads), this episode is packed with real-world lessons on resilience, customer obsession, and knowing when to push forward versus when to stabilize.

How do you go from selling 13 bikes in year one to building a global brand with over $180 million in revenue?

Mathias Ihlenfeld, founder of Woom Bikes, didn’t start with a massive VC check. He started with a side hustle while working as a consultant, building the business at night and on weekends. In this episode, Matthias reveals the unvarnished truth about scaling a physical product company—from the terrifying cash flow crunches that left him unable to fix his own dishwasher, to the "zero to one" SEO marketing hack that exploded his sales.

In this episode, we cover:

1. The Side Hustle Strategy: How Matthias managed a consulting career by day and built a global bike brand by night to extend his runway.
2. The "Dishwasher Moment": The reality of 300% YoY growth, where revenue is high but cash is gone—leading to maxed-out credit cards and liquidated retirement funds.
3. The SEO Growth Hack: How Matthias went from 13 sales to 1,500 by reverse-engineering what "concerned parents" typed into Google.
4. Brand vs. Amazon: Why avoiding Amazon early on and focusing on fanatical customer service (including founder cell phone calls) created a "love brand".
5. Navigating Risk: Lessons from a product recall and why entrepreneurs should "over engineer" safety compliance.

Tune in for a masterclass on bootstrapping, resilience, and customer obsession.

What does it take to turn a scientific concern into a household name?

Join us as we sit down with Kevin Broderick, the entrepreneur behind Think Baby and Think Sport. Raised in a household of scientists and inventors, Kevin combined his background in biophysics and epidemiology with a passion for entrepreneurship to solve a massive consumer problem: toxic chemicals in everyday products.

In this episode, we discuss:

1. The Power of Experience: Why a mentor advised Kevin to work at startups, mid-sized firms, and major corporations like Dell before launching his own enterprise.
2. The "Little Black Book": Kevin’s method of recording every idea, from digitized bathtubs to parachutes for planes, and how it shaped his thinking.
3. Mission-Driven Growth: How focusing on the safety mission—specifically creating BPA-free baby bottles—accidentally led to building a great company.
4. Guerilla Sales Tactics: The "West Coast Tour" where Kevin and his head of sales drove from San Diego to Vancouver, averaging 6 to 10 meetings a day to get products on shelves.
5. Navigating the Exit: Why Kevin chose a lower acquisition offer to ensure his brand’s mission and product safety remained intact under new ownership.
6. The Next Frontier: Kevin’s current work with Trixie (sustainable, waterless beauty) and Atomico (vitamin-infused water with a STEM-education focus).

What does it take to build a profitable, purpose-driven company without venture capital?

In this episode of Innovator Insights, Henrik Johansson sits down with Dan Dicker, Founder & CEO of Circular, to unpack a 23-year journey of building a design-led business rooted in sustainability, long before the circular economy became mainstream.

Dan shares how his background at Dyson shaped his approach to product design, why dyslexia became a hidden entrepreneurial advantage, and how Circular grew organically from a backyard shed into a global leader in reusable and returnable drinkware.

You’ll also hear a deep dive into Circular’s Tap & Reuse system, an RFID-powered platform designed to eliminate single-use cups by making reuse seamless, habit-forming, and measurable. From consumer psychology to return-rate data, Dan explains why systems, not guilt, drive real behavior change.

Key themes covered:Why organic growth beat venture funding for Circular

1. Designing products from waste materials, before it was trendy
2. How constraints fuel innovation
3. The psychology behind reuse vs. deposits
4. Building technology around physical products to unlock scale
5. Why failure isn’t just acceptable, it’s essential
6. If you care about product innovation, sustainability, or building a business that lasts, this episode is packed with insight.
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If you care about product innovation, sustainability, or building a business that lasts, this episode is packed with insight.

Patrick Bishop didn’t start with a pitch deck. He started with a truckload of agave straws, and a decision to bet on himself.

In this episode, Patrick, Founder & CEO of Reroute Americas and Reroute AI, shares how a sustainability insight turned into a fast-growing hospitality supply business, and why inefficiencies in restaurant inventory management pushed him to build an AI platform from scratch.

We talk about:

• Why sustainable products don’t have to cost more
• How a hurricane wiped out 40% of the business, and forced a pivot
• What hospitality gets wrong about inventory, forecasting, and waste
• How AI can reduce over-ordering while improving ESG reporting
• The moment Reroute shifted from distribution company to tech company
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A candid look at building in a legacy industry, and redesigning systems most people accept as “just how it works."

Patrika Alis Cheston joins Innovator Insights to break down a topic every founder needs but few talk about: how to market products that aren’t naturally “sexy.”

From legal tech to compliance tools to infrastructure no one ever sees, Patricia has built a career turning complex, overlooked, or “boring” offerings into memorable, experience-driven campaigns. In this conversation, she shares how brands can stand out by focusing less on funnels and more on how people feel when they interact with you.

We dig into:

• Why experiential marketing works even for the driest industries
• How to create emotional relevance for technical products
• The danger of over-focusing on features instead of the human problem
• The rise of authentic, human-led marketing in an AI-saturated landscape
• Patricia’s journey through startups, agency life, and women in tech
• How democratized entrepreneurship is reshaping access and opportunity

Whether you're building a tech platform, a hardware product, or a service company, Patricia’s insights will help you rethink how your brand shows up, and why the experience around your product might matter more than the product itself.

Jeff Norling’s entrepreneurial path didn’t start in a boardroom, it started in the kitchen.

After years of running family-named cafés across Minnesota, Jeff took the leap into consumer goods, launching Outset, a brand that redefined grilling accessories for specialty retailers.

Today, as founder of Henning Lee, he’s building a product company rooted in craftsmanship, personal connection, and staying small by design.

In this episode, we explore:

• How Jeff transitioned from hospitality to hard goods, and found his niche
• Why deep factory relationships are a competitive advantage in modern manufacturing
• The hard truth about tariffs and the unpredictability they bring to small business
• Why he believes founders shouldn’t build brands on “rented land”

A story of reinvention, resilience, and the art of relationship-driven growth.

From dropping out of music school to building a multi-brand powerhouse, Michael Sirpilla’s journey is a masterclass in resilience and reinvention.

In this episode of Innovator Insights, Michael shares how Society Brands scaled through disciplined execution, smart acquisitions, and an unshakable focus on data-driven decisions.

We discuss:

• Why obsession (not balance) fuels success
• The mindset shift from employee to founder
• How to build long-term brand equity beyond Amazon
• What it means to “let the results decide”
• Why consistency beats talent in entrepreneurship

A candid look at what it really takes to build, scale, and sustain in today’s competitive consumer space.

Andrew Ackerman has seen startups from every angle, as a founder and investor.

In this episode of Innovator Insights, Andrew joins Henrik Johansson to share the frameworks, stories, and lessons that shape successful founders, and the painful truths behind those who fail.

You’ll hear:

🔗 Why startups are like chains, not ropes, and how one weak link can break everything

📉 The “three dimensions of pain” every product must solve to be fundable

🧠 Why storytelling sticks better than advice when mentoring founders

💵 How to validate assumptions with nothing but a spreadsheet and $100 in Facebook ads

📚 The journey behind his new book The Entrepreneur’s Odyssey, and how he turned years of startup lessons into a story that teaches better than a manual ever could

A must-listen for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone looking to understand what really makes or breaks a startup.

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, Pandora, YouTube, Audible, and iHeartRadio.

What does it take to turn a scrappy idea into a global wellness business?

In this episode of Innovator Insights, Henrik Johansson sits down with Sebastian Mierau, co-founder of Healthy Global and CEO of Clearlight Saunas. Sebastian shares his unconventional path, from struggling in school with dyslexia, to testing his first business idea by selling saunas online before he even had any in stock, and even living in a van to make it work.

We explore:

• How scrappiness and resilience fueled Sebastian’s entrepreneurial journey
• Why great products can sometimes “sell themselves”
• The future of wellness technology, from red light therapy to cold plunges and digital gamification
• The crucial role of team and culture in building a lasting business

This is a conversation about persistence, innovation, and finding the right mix of passion and practicality to create products that truly impact people’s lives.

Tune in and discover how Sebastian turned obstacles into opportunities, and why he believes the obstacle is the way.