Kurt Avery built Sawyer Products from a snakebite kit into the most trusted water filter on the planet. His tech is in 80 countries, used by the Red Cross, World Vision, and the U.S. military. He lost money for 23 of his first 25 years β and kept going anyway.In this episode, he tells us everything.What We Cover:π§ How a 30-cent filter gives someone 10 years of clean water β and why villages that used to wait until age 3 to name their babies now name them at birthπ¦ The JAMA-published study proving Sawyer's fabric treatment cuts malaria in babies by 67%π° Bidding 69 cents when everyone else bid $5 β and landing a 6.2 million bottle military contract with only 24 products ever shippedπ Losing money for 23 straight years and funding the company through Gulf War contractsπ§ The "Decision Matrix" β Kurt's framework for making better decisions by killing emotional biasβ½ Why Kurt hires based on the sport position you played (and why he loves midfielders and point guards)ποΈ Why Sawyer will never be sold β it transfers to the Sawyer Foundation so the mission lives foreverβοΈ How faith drives every layer of the business β from naming the company to scaling globallyQuick Hits:Sawyer filters are used by 140+ charities in 80 countries3β5 million people get clean water for the first time every year through SawyerOne filter serves 100 people for 10 years. It never wears out.Sawyer treated a third of Puerto Rico's water supply after back-to-back hurricanesKurt went to Northwestern (Kellogg) for his MBA and played baseball at Hope CollegeHis book Sawyer Think has 25 business lessons and is being used in college entrepreneur coursesConnect:Β π sawyer.comΒ π Sawyer Think β available on Amazon (ebook ~$7)Β π§
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