Hydro Flask: Travis Rosbach. How a thirsty surfer changed the water bottle industry

Hydro Flask: Travis Rosbach. How a thirsty surfer changed the water bottle industry

What if the idea that changes your life… starts with something as ordinary as being thirsty?

In 2007, Travis Rosbach walked into a sporting goods store looking for a water bottle—and stumbled onto a problem no one had solved. Plastic, BPA-lined bottles dominated the market. Metal alternatives leaked, dented, or couldn’t keep drinks cold enough.

Travis’s solution? A double-walled, vacuum-insulated, stainless steel bottle. His expertise? Non-existent.

This is the improbable story of how Hydro Flask was built—from scavenging metal parts in China, to selling bottles at outdoor markets, to getting into Whole Foods by sheer timing and luck, to a last-minute investor who walked in on the day Travis planned to shut the company down.

Hydro Flask would go on to become one of the most recognizable and popular bottles in the country.

This is the story behind it.


What You'll Learn

  • How paying attention to trends can lead to new business ideas
  • How a novice learns the ropes by obsessively comparing existing products
  • How the lessons from past ventures can fuel future success
  • Why perseverance and timing can be just as important as know-how


Timestamps:

  • 05:46 - Building a fence, and a first business: “I had no clue.”
  • 09:33 - A one-way trip to Hawaii : The surprising detour that leads Travis to his biggest invention
  • 15:13 - How Travis gets inspired—then obsessed—after trying to buy a water bottle
  • 22:08 - Searching for a manufacturer: a here-goes-nothing trip to China
  • 31:58 - The first prototype: two colors, sharp edges
  • 35:43 - Bootstrapping Hydro Flask: moving in with mom, storing bottles in grandpa’s garage
  • 37:14 - Farmer’s markets, ice tests and the first buyers
  • 52:27 - The crisis that almost kills the company
  • 56:30 - An eleventh-hour visitor: “I might want to invest”
  • 58:34 - Leaving the company he built: why Travis walked away
  • 1:06:07 - Small Business Spotlight


This episode was produced by Chris Maccini, with music by Ramtin Arablouei.

Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Claire Murashima.


Follow How I Built This:

Instagram → @howibuiltthis

X → @HowIBuiltThis

Facebook → How I Built This


Follow Guy Raz:

Instagram → @guy.raz

Youtube → guy_raz

X → @guyraz

Substack → guyraz.substack.com

Website → guyraz.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jaksot(785)

How I Built Resilience: Live with Stewart Butterfield and Steve Holmes

How I Built Resilience: Live with Stewart Butterfield and Steve Holmes

Slack's co-founder Stewart Butterfield wonders what the future of work will look like for his 12 million customers. Springfree Trampoline's co-founder Steve Holmes says the company has seen a 300 percent increase in demand for its products. These conversations are excerpts from our How I Built Resilience series, where Guy talks online with founders and entrepreneurs about how they're navigating these turbulent times.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

9 Touko 202021min

How I Built Resilience: Live with Christina Tosi and Gary Erickson & Kit Crawford

How I Built Resilience: Live with Christina Tosi and Gary Erickson & Kit Crawford

Since March, only five of Milk Bar's 18 locations have been up and running, but founder Christina Tosi tells Guy she is determined to bring the joy of baking to the doorsteps of family, friends, and healthcare workers. Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford have donated more than 3 million Clif Bars to doctors and nurses during the COVID-19 crisis. They tell Guy about the importance of morale when running an essential business during a pandemic. These conversations are excerpts from our How I Built Resilience series, where Guy talks online with founders and entrepreneurs about how they're navigating these turbulent times.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

7 Touko 202029min

Cotopaxi: Davis Smith

Cotopaxi: Davis Smith

By his mid-30's, Davis Smith had co-founded two businesses. The first ended well, but the second was such a disappointment that he wondered if he should even bother trying again. But he did. In 2014, he launched Cotopaxi, an outdoor gear company with two fluffy llamas as mascots and an expressed mission to do good in the world. The brand is now making tens of millions of dollars a year, and Davis hopes that the current pandemic will not slow its ambitions to grow and to give back generously. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

4 Touko 20201h 5min

How I Built Resilience: Live with José Andrés

How I Built Resilience: Live with José Andrés

When chef José Andrés isn't running Michelin-starred restaurants, he's feeding the masses through World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit he founded that brings food to people during humanitarian crises. The COVID-19 crisis has shut down his restaurants indefinitely, but José is busier than ever leading the relief efforts of World Central Kitchen, which has served more than 3 million people to date. José talked to Guy as part of our How I Built Resilience series: weekly online conversations with founders and entrepreneurs about how they're navigating these turbulent times.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

30 Huhti 202028min

Fitbit: James Park

Fitbit: James Park

In 2006, James Park had what he describes as a "lightning bolt" moment when he first used a Nintendo Wii. Fascinated by its motion-tracking controller, James wondered if you could take the technology out of the living room and into the streets. Three years later, he and co-founder Eric Friedman launched the Fitbit Tracker, which allowed users to track their steps and compare progress with others. Sales took off, and Fitbit dominated the wearables market until the Apple Watch came along, forcing James and Eric to re-imagine the brand. Today, against a cloudy economic backdrop, James hopes Fitbit can grow into its role as a health and wellness service. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

27 Huhti 20201h 4min

How I Built Resilience: Live with Simon Sinek

How I Built Resilience: Live with Simon Sinek

Each week, Guy is hosting online conversations with founders and entrepreneurs about how they're navigating these turbulent times. Today's conversation is with Simon Sinek, whose books about business — including "Start with Why," and "The Infinite Game" — offer guidance to founders that is especially timely right now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

23 Huhti 202019min

Brooklinen: Vicki and Rich Fulop

Brooklinen: Vicki and Rich Fulop

On the first day of their Vegas vacation in 2012, Rich and Vicki Fulop sat down on their hotel bed and immediately had the same thought: "These sheets are really nice!" The fabric was the perfect blend of cool, crisp, and soft, but the sheets turned out to be way too expensive to buy. So, Vicki and Rich wondered if it was possible to make high-end linen at reasonable prices; linen that would appeal to a younger market, "not just our moms." After many stumbles, they built Brooklinen into a $100 million brand, and are hopeful they can withstand today's economic turbulence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

20 Huhti 20201h 9min

How I Built Resilience: Live with David Neeleman and Tristan Walker

How I Built Resilience: Live with David Neeleman and Tristan Walker

Each week, Guy will be hosting brief online conversations with founders and members of the How I Built This community about how they're navigating these uncertain times. This past week, Guy spoke with two former guests: David Neeleman of JetBlue Airways, and Tristan Walker of Walker & Company. David described how Azul Airlines, his Brazil-based company, has been directly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, and Tristan explained how he's innovating from home. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

16 Huhti 202020min

Suosittua kategoriassa Liike-elämä ja talous

sijotuskasti
mimmit-sijoittaa
psykopodiaa-podcast
rss-rahapodi
rss-neuvottelija-sami-miettinen
oppimisen-psykologia
ostan-asuntoja-podcast
pomojen-suusta
hyva-paha-johtaminen
rss-rahamania
inderespodi
lakicast
raharesepti
rss-lahtijat
rss-uppoava-vn-laiva
rss-bisnesta-bebeja
yrittaja
rss-myyntipodi
rss-doulapodi
rss-rahataito-podcast