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Green Traveler
Sick and tired of soggy sandwiches and leaky thermoses?
Grab a Green Traveler container and protect anything from your lunch to your cell phone.
To find out more behind how Green Traveler got its start and what’s in store for the future, Josh interviews Green Traveler founder, James Robinson
More about the episode…
Josh sits down with Green Traveler founder James Robinson. The idea of Green Traveler came to James in response to a problem he faced time and time again, carrying/containing food. After become fed up with heavy, easily-breakable, mason jars, he began design and prototyping a new container that could keep food separate and was liquid tight to prevent any nasty spills. Before long, Green Traveler was born as a reusable, liquid tight, container that doesn’t just keep food safe but, also keeps everything else safe from potential spills. Since then, Green Traveler has further evolved to become a perfect container for anything and any adventure, with it’s liquid tight seal being equally optimal to protect even your cell phone.
Have an opinion? We want to hear it! Join the conversation and leave a comment, check out show notes, and get all the links mentioned in this episode below
Links/resources:
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Check out Green Traveler’s website
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Purchase a Green Traveler container of your own in five awesome colors
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Stay up-to-date with all things Green Traveler on their blog
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The features of Green Traveler containers that make them stand out
Show Notes
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How did you come up with Green Traveler?
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“It started in northern California when I was university…It was absolute necessity for me to not use wasteful packaging everyday and to bring food from home that was healthy and cheap…the only food that was nearby to buy was expensive or something that you’d find at a gas station…”
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Where did you grow up?
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“I was born and raised in Colorado. I actually caught the entrepreneurial bug when I started selling lemonade at 12 years old… then I started my first business when I was in high school at a landscape designer…”
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What outdoor activities are you most into?
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“Number one is rock climbing… the taller the better…I caught the bug in Colorado and actually almost died during a climbing session…”
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What was the development process like with Green Traveler?
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“Besides the two year lapse it was invention to business plan competition to getting ready to launch a Kickstarter. Launching that Kickstarter was definitely a scary time…”
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What was it like building your marketing plan for Kickstarter?
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“It was definitely a combination of a lot of things. I can’t take all the credit for it, I also received a huge amount of help from friends and family to get some momentum with the Kickstarter…”
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How big was your email list when you launched?
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“In the neighborhood of 1,500 emails.”
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What’s something unique about Green Traveler?
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“What makes it most unique is it has four different compartments, all which are liquid tight, and two loops that can carabiner to a strap or even a belt loop…Being able to carry four different foods that don’t touch each other has been fantastic…you can even keep your cell phone in it and it will stay dry…”
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Did you have any mentors along this journey?
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“I asked many people for advice and to be quite frank, I actually feel like the advice I got had lead me in the wrong direction…It’s always helpful now to have advisors to at least bounce ideas off of but, I’d say at the end of the day, go with your gut…”
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What are your strengths in terms of Green Traveler?
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“The biggest facet I have is detail orientation…There have been of course, times when I miss a detail and later I have to go back to the manufacturer…That pre-planning, I think is my biggest asset…”
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How much time does Green Traveler take from you?
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“It could take, literally as much as I give it. I’d say, at this moment, I’m pretty diligent to work eight hours a day…”
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What do you do for a day job?
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“I’m business developing and marketing for a Swedish local company that sells baking products…they’ve been doing business to business sales, and I’m helping them branch into business to consumer sales…”
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What is Green Travelers commitment to sustainability?
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“We started this out and wrote it in the beginning of our very first business plan of giving 1% of net profit to 1% for the planet. They allocate funds for various locations where it’s needed…so we plan on doing that when we have net revenue. We designed the Green Traveler to last for life… I hope that people hold their Green Traveler as it’s important to them and use it until the end of time…”
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What has been one of the hardest parts starting Green Traveler
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“Manufacturing, for sure. I’m sure every manufacturing business will say that and, it’s mainly because it’s out of my hands. I can visit the factory all day but, breathing down their neck only makes them slower…”
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What is your biggest fear in regards to Green Traveler?
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“I guess the obvious answer is running out of money. Because I’m so tenacious and committed to make this work, I feel like my breaking point is selling everything I own to keep it afloat…”
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What have been some of the biggest mistakes that you’ve made?
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“It was after Kickstarter, begin excited about this momentum, we could have done better…I was a little overconfident in Green Traveler’s design and, I thought we were ready…here we are six months later and we’ve redesigned…”
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What advice would you give to someone starting a business?
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“I would say, come with a solid idea that nobody has thought of yet that you can’t find. Do your due diligence and research the market so that you know that product doesn’t already exist in some form…”
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What’s the best part about running Green Traveler?
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“You have to be determined…The idea of just trading hours for dollars is the biggest reason I don’t want to have a job…I feel that, in my life with what I have done, it’s shown me that there is so much potential in having someone work for you…”
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