Innovator Insights
This podcast celebrates the visionaries, the risk-takers, and the disruptors who are shaping the future of consumer product innovation and e-commerce. We love to spotlight consumer product entrepreneurs, e-commerce titans, and sustainability champions to share their insights and expertise. Think you'd be a great guest on our show? Apply at https://podcast.gembah.com/podcast-guest-home-page.
Episodes
What does it take to build a premium, made-in-America knife brand entirely by hand — no overseas factory, no marketing budget, no AI? In this episode of Innovator Insights, we sit down with Morgan Keenan, founder of Cudaway and co-founder of the fast-growing CPG brand Empress of Ghee, to hear how he did exactly that.
We cover:
- His winding path from a cross-country dirt-bike trip to head knife maker to launching Cudaway in 2...
How do you go from carrying wine totes to soccer practice to hitting your Kickstarter goal in six hours? In this episode of Innovator Insights, host Henrik Johansson talks with Sarah Wustefeld, co-founder of Grandir Bags, about the twelve months she and her co-founder Kate spent turning a real, lived-in mom problem into a fully launched consumer product brand.
Sarah opens up about leaving her VP role in enterprise sales to bootstrap...
What if the real reason food spoils so fast, and even blood storage is limited, comes down to something simple: oxygen?In this episode of Innovator Insights, Henrik Johansson speaks with Bruce Roesner, founder of Green Life Tech, about how controlling oxygen exposure could extend the life of everything from fresh produce to blood.
Bruce explains how his work in RFID technology led to a broader discovery: oxygen is a key driver of de...
In this episode of Innovator Insights, Kathy Kempff shares how a single trip to Kenya transformed her perspective on purpose, philanthropy, and education. Inspired by the story of a young girl who simply wanted the chance to learn, Kathy founded Moja Tu, a nonprofit providing one-to-one educational scholarships that empower children to break the cycle of poverty.
Kathy opens up about the lessons she has learned building technology-e...
Griff Jaggard, co-founder and CEO of FireDisc Cookers, joins us to share how a gifted plow disc and a few buddy trips turned into a nationally distributed portable outdoor cooking brand.
Griff talks about starting with no consumer product experience, landing their first retail deal with Buc-ee's, building a product tough enough to stop a .357 Magnum, and learning from the founders of YETI.
He also gets real about the impact of tariff...
How do you turn a personal hack into a philosophy that shapes entrepreneurship and land insights from 18 founders along the way?
Jeffrey Chernick and Alex Gitter, co-authors of High Five Energy, didn’t just write a book, they distilled years of founder wisdom into 33 actionable insights. In this episode, they reveal the unfiltered truth about what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur, from impossible moments that seem like l...
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 protect...
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 flo...
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:
- Read more
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 bec...
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 sust...
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 s...
29 - From Restaurants to Retail: How Jeff Norling Built Henning Lee on Relationships, Not Algorithms
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.
...
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 t...
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...
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 SebastianMierau, 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 wor...
How does an investigative journalist become the CEO of a fast-growing, venture-backed retail disruptor?
In this episode of Innovator Insights, Shraysi Tandon, former business reporter and director of the award-winning documentary Invisible Hands, shares her journey from uncovering child labor in global supply chains to launching KidC, a sustainable e-commerce platform tackling the $1 trillion returns crisis in the U.S.
We discuss:
What do you get when you mix sharp business instincts with a pun-based brand name?
In this episode of Innovator Insights, we’re joined by Colin McIntosh, the founder of Sheets & Giggles, a company that disrupted the sleepy bedding category with humor, heart, and hustle. Colin shares how he turned a joke into a crowdfunding success story, his lessons from being fired (three times), and why not tying your identity to your st...
How do you scale a family business into a thriving B2B powerhouse while staying true to your values?
In this episode of Innovator Insights, I sit down with Todd Steinberg, owner and founder of Plush in a Rush, to hear how he turned a small Dallas-based distributorship into a $5M operation known for custom teddy bears, loyal customers, and genuine heart.
Todd shares how he inherited the business, modernized it with e‑commerce and emai...
How do you launch a new product brand into retail, before it even exists?
In this episode of Innovator Insights, we sit down with Jim and Melissa Schifman, co-founders of Project Hive Pet Company, to unpack their unconventional go-to-market journey: launching a full line of toys and treats into retail before COVID hit, and before they’d even completed manufacturing.
We explore:
- Why they skipped the DTC-first playbook and wen...
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