This is a series of real talk blog posts meant to let founders share a bit about themselves and their companies without the marketing jargon and “killing it” puffery of most tech startup profiles.
What does your company do, for who, in plain English please!
HEST develops and delivers high-performance and portable sleeping solutions for camping and travel. HEST revels in the idea of enabling more people to get outdoors and enjoy all that it has to offer, especially after a good night's sleep.
What's a typical day like for you, from wakeup ‘til bed?
Wake at 6 AM, Check email and Oura sleep score, run with the dog (or bike), take youngest son to school, work at HEST warehouse until 6 PM, dinner at home, walk dog with wife, try to get through all emails and go to bed.
What keeps you up at night?
I try to have a good sleep routine, but sometimes my mind gets going with HEST product ideas and responsibilities which wake me up in the night.
What brings you joy?
Designing products to help people find joy in the outdoors.
What is one word you hate to hear?
Impossible
What is one word you love to hear?
Iterate
What was your biggest failure in the past year?
Hmmm. Seems like I fail everyday in something, but fortunately, there have not been any big ones the past year.
What was your greatest accomplishment in the past year?
Developing, commercializing and launching new products to drive over 50% of our sales YTD.
Who or what inspires you most?
Other founders. I’ve been fortunate to meet some amazing founders since creating HEST, and I’m so impressed and inspired by people building companies from scratch.
What's your best tool for managing stress?
Riding my bike
What's getting the most burn on your playlist right now?
Sleeping on the Blacktop by Colter Wall or Mountains, Alone by Carly King
Favorite shoes?
K2 Ski Boots (Designed original collection)