028: Paul Hunter - Helping socially-responsible companies tell their why
Social entrepreneur talks launching his company at 17, the climate crisis, & the Overview Effect
Paul Hunter started his first company in the midst of working on his college degree at the age of 17. He strategically branded Repurpose Bowties and gained national attention as a young starter of a budding social enterprise. Paul later served as a consultant to social enterprises and non-profits in the Denver area on brand-strategy and donor-activation while obtaining his degree in Economics from Regis University.
Paul has served as a judge of local business competitions and on expert panels related to social-branding, non-profit collaboration, and his experience as a socially-conscious entrepreneur. He has developed and executed workshops on brand-imaging related to social activism and environmental causes.
During his closing year at Regis University, Paul began working with Instream Water, where he is currently increasing brand awareness, engagement, and thematic consistency. He is responsible for managing social media campaigns, developing public relations materials, and disseminating information in a way that is brand-consistent and effective.
NOTES
starting his first company at the age of 17 which ended up giving him the opportunity to take his product to the Emmy Awards because they wanted to add Repurpose Bowties to their gift bags for attendees
morning and evening rituals that help him to get focused and more productive and provide a method for separating personal life from business, as well as a great tip for how you can work on your computer in a way that can minimize distractions while working
the psychological shift known as the “Overview Effect”, that is most commonly present in astronauts when they look back down on Earth from space (and is loosely referenced in the new film, “Lucy in the Sky”, starring Natalie Portman)
how he’s working with Instream Water to innovate water stations while reducing the waste from single-use plastic bottles (a global crisis that spans the globe from the US to Kenya) by providing bands with a passive chip in them that allows you to add a nickname for your bottles and to indicate which of three types of water you prefer that their stations offer currently (ambient, chilled, or sparkling) while getting triple-filtered water that is not done chemically
the social campaign, called Week Without, that recently took place and how you can support the single-use plastic bottle crisis wherever you are
the greatest investment that he has made in his life and how it affects his daily life as well as those around him
LINKS
@Paul.Alan.Hunter
@instreamwater
TRANSCRIPT
Paul Hunter: 00:00:00 For such a long time, like there was this kind of viewpoint about work that you kind of had to dig in and like, you know, work sucks and like you just got to do it like your nine to five and then you get home and like you're good. But there's so much power in finding a job that gives you energy and not just internal like emotional power, but there's this amazing like productive power that comes from that that we all know. Like when when you love something, when you're passionate about it, you, you tend to put more energy in to it and not as a product of like wanting to put more energy into it, but that that energy is just there.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:00:36 You're listening to The Artful Entrepreneur podcast, a show about living an inspired life filled with vitality, creativity and fulfillment. My name is Gabe Ratliff and I'll be your host as I interview fellow creative entrepreneurs from around the globe to hear their stories and learn more about their work so that you can tap into your creative purpose and live a life that's drawn, not traced on the show. We talk about things like the creative process, personal development, community equity and contribution as well as the lessons learned along the way. All right, let's get to it.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:01:15 Hey, Artfuls! How's it going out there? Hope you're doing well today and I hope you're rocking it. I'm hope you're creating some awesome stuff and I hope you are enjoying that glorious day that we have out there, whether it's sunny, rainy, snowy, whatever you got. I hope it's awesome. So listen, I, I've been thinking about doing something on the show and I want to ask you guys your opinion. I want to get your input and see if this is something you think would be valuable, but I've been actually thinking about since I do the show bi-weekly with these inspiring stories of creative entrepreneurs, what I would love to maybe do if you're interested is plug in the other weeks with solo episodes where I'm providing value. You know, maybe speaking to what came out of the previous episode with that guest or if there's questions that you have that you'd like to ask that I can speak to on the show.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:02:18 If there's questions about podcasting, branding, marketing, content marketing, any of that stuff that is relative to helping you level up, you know, cause the show is about artful entrepreneurs and the show is also for artful entrepreneurs. So, you know, I love doing story-based story-driven shows and introducing you to people who I just think are doing really great work. But I also want to make sure that I'm bringing you value. If you are at that point where you're wanting to level up or you're wanting to get more information and not just hear these stories. So let me know. Let me know. I wanted to take a moment to, you know, pose this question to, to all your articles out there and just see if this speaks to you and if you would like me to do it. Because if, if so, then I've already been starting to put together a whole bunch of topics and thoughts around what those episodes could look like.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:03:18 So let me know what you think. So let's move on to today's guest, Paul Hunter. I'm very excited to introduce Paul to you. He spoke with my business coach Nate Ishe Lappegaard who is also a guest on the show and definitely recommend checking out his episode. I saw them speak at an event called, The Blender, where nonprofits and businesses meet. Ironically, I'm actually speaking there tomorrow actually, it's today) around story of all things with Justin Kruger who is the founder of Project Helping and I am very excited to be a part of that. I'm so excited. Julianna asked me to beyond, but I met Paul at that event and was just very moved by his story. I love the fact that he's like very young but is just a tour de force and he started his first company in the midst of working in college at the age of 17 so I'm just a huge fan of stories like this where people tap into that entrepreneurial spirit at young ages.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:04:29 I love that story about the girls that set up the lemonade stand by the football field and just nailed it and were super successful. And I, I love stories like that. So Paul is like I said, he started his first company was 17 he strategically branded Repurpose Bowties and gained national attention as a young starter of a budding social enterprise. He later served as a consultant to social enterprises and nonprofits in the Denver area on brand strategy and on donor activation while obtaining his degree in economics from Regis university, he served as a judge of local business competitions and on expert panels related to social branding, nonprofit collaboration, and his experience as a socially conscious entrepreneur. He has developed an executed workshops on brand imaging related to social activism and environmental causes as well and during his closing year at Regis university, Paul began working with Instream Water where he's currently increasing brand awareness, engagement and thematic consistency.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:05:38 He's responsible for managing social media campaigns, developing public relations materials, and disseminating information in a way that is brand consistent and effective. His free time is largely filled with outdoor activities like rock climbing, hiking and swimming while not outside. Paul loves to read books on the psychology of human decision choice architecture and evolutionary biology. In this episode, we talk about starting his first company at the age of 17 like I said, and how that ended up giving him the opportunity to take his product to the Emmy awards because they wanted to add Repurpose Bowties to their gift bags for attendees. He shares his morning and evening rituals that help him to get focused and more productive and provide a method for separating personal life from business as well as a great tip for how you can work on your computer in a way that can minimize distractions while working.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:06:30 He shares the psychological shift known as the overview effect that is most commonly present in astronauts when they look back down on earth from space, and it's actually loosely referenced in the new film Lucy in the sky starring Natalie Portman. He talks about how he's working with instream water to innovate water stations while reducing the waste from single use plastic bottles, a global crisis that spans the globe from the U S to Kenya by providing bands with a passive chip in them that allow you to add a nickname for your bottle and to indicate which of three types of water you prefer that their stations offer. Currently ambient, chilled or sparkling while getting triple filtered water that is not done chemically and how you can support the single use plastic bottle crisis wherever you are. And finally he shares the greatest investment that he has made in his life and how it affects his daily life as well as those around him. So great stuff. Let's get to it.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:07:36 Hi Paul. Thank you so much for coming on the show. I'm so excited to have you here.
Paul Hunter: 00:07:40 Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it. I'm excited to be here.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:07:43 I was so moved when I met you recently at one of the talks you did with my coach Nate lap guard and I just would really love the dialogue that you guys both had around the way that you show up. And, and I'm just, I'm so honored to have you here on the show cause I love everything you're doing. Oh, thank you. There was just like so many things that I was just like, wow. And when you did your questionnaire I just was like, Oh my gosh, I love this guy. So amazing. And I just, you know, the language you're using and all of these things I've just like, so moved by it and had just a whole lot of alignment. And so I'm just really excited to have you here, but I wanted to start off with your first company. You were 17 and I was wondering if you could tell us about repurpose bow ties and how that started in and where that all came from for you. Totally. Yeah.
Paul Hunter: 00:08:36 I was like, just, I think it was just 17 and I was struggling. I mean like a lot of people in this country right now, but even more specifically Denver, like I was struggling to keep a consistent place to live. I was living out of my car for awhile and I just had to find a way to make some and do something meaningful and I like, I didn't really have a plan, you know? And I just remember very vividly like this one night I was sitting on my couch, I was staying with some friends who had an extra bedroom in their apartment and I was just like up late. And I was watching this like news rerun and this, this news channel had done a special on this woman who made Teddy bears that of military uniforms. I don't know if you've ever seen them, but they were very popular there for awhile.
Paul Hunter: 00:09:23 And I was sitting there and I was like, wow, like that's really cool. But I wonder if there's a better way to like remember the work that soldiers do and the work that people do overseas and the Valor and the honor and like the Adapar masculinity that comes with being in the armed forces. And the very first symbol that came to my mind was bow tie. And so I like for some reason, whatever it is, I just felt this like energy pulse, you know, like this boost of energy. And I was like, you know what? I'm going to do this right now. And so I drove to Walmart at like one in the morning and I bought my very first sewing machine and that night I started messing around and I was watching videos on YouTube, like trying to figure out how to even thread a sewing machine.
Paul Hunter: 00:10:07 And by like three, four in the morning, I had made the first like workings of a bow tie. I didn't quite know how I made it in two separate pieces because of the way like a uniform is put together and I didn't quite know how to put them together. And so I just kind of folded this bow tie up and then I pinned it together and I put it in a shadow box and I was like, it's done, it's ready. And it was just kind of this fun like popping project for a second. And then I started telling people about it and then I started getting calls and people were like, I want to get a bow tie for you know, this family who has a son currently serving or this family who lost their son in the military. And so what people did is they would send military uniforms in of like fallen soldiers and I would make bow ties out of their uniforms as a way to remember them.
Paul Hunter: 00:10:50 And this was just like a really, really fun project for me in a really meaningful project. And at the same time, like something was missing, right? Like I had this big, like activisty side of me, you know, like the environmental activist side of me that wasn't necessarily being fulfilled here. And this kind of came to a head when I was going through my closet as we all do. Like getting ready to donate a bunch of stuff. And I had just learned about like the dark side of donating and clothing and basically what happens, I don't know if you know, but when you donate clothing, a lot of it ends up getting dumped into third world countries and ends up just in waste fields basically and ends up polluting the earth more than we could ever even imagine. No, I didn't know that. Yeah, it's, it's a really awful thing.
Paul Hunter: 00:11:34 And then you've talked about, you talked about the social aspect of this, of like the fact that like third world countries are kind of like getting our leftovers and they're, you know, they're wearing our clothes because it's the only thing they have and it's just like not a very empowering situation altogether. Like literally like crates of clothing will be dropped out of airplanes onto communities like in third world countries. And it's just like this really awful, almost like dehumanizing situation. Right? So I learned about this, this awful side of it. And again, like on the front end there you have like most of these clothes I'd had for a season and just wore them a couple times kind of thing. And so I was like, a lot of this stuff is great patterns. Like now I know how to make bow ties that have like shirts and jackets and stuff.
Paul Hunter: 00:12:14 Like why don't I make some bow ties out of this stuff. And so I started making bow ties out of clothes that I had in my own closet and I'm just kind of reducing my, my fabric waste. And I started wearing them around, you know, like I'd have a special event here or there. And like when I'd go into Starbucks to get my coffee in the morning, somebody would say, dude, I really like your bow tie. Like where'd you get it? And that was the time that I would kind of tell, you know, the story up to that point of like how I came to making bow ties out of repurposed materials. And so I recognized that there was like this genuine interest from people you know, around this like quirky products that was made in like a meaningful way. So I designed a website and I put up like 1520 designs and sold out and I was like, Oh my gosh, like I kind of have something and here's my extra way to make cash.
Paul Hunter: 00:12:57 So by that point I was having conversations with people. I got invited to trade shows and started doing all this stuff. About a year and a half into it, I started selling to retail stores around the U S and I ended up going out and doing some sales calls in the Los Angeles area because I knew that something like this would be popular out there and gotten to a store out there. And a couple months later, a woman ran into the bow ties on the shelf and she like read the story that we had printed on the back and she ended up getting ahold of me and she was one of the people that was in charge of organizing a gifting suite at the Emmys, which is where all the celebrities go beforehand and they get like their swag bags, right, with all the cool stuff in them. And so she calls me and he's like, do you want to be at the Emmys this year?
Paul Hunter: 00:13:41 And I was like, what? Like this is not real. Like this is a scam. I remember like where I was on the highway, like when I got this phone call, I was on Bluetooth. Don't worry, it was hands-free, but I just remember like this very moment I got this phone call and I was like, what? Like there's, there's no way. There's just no way. And so I, I told her, I was like, playing it cool. I was like, yeah. I was like, well, think about it. Give me your information. And so at that point I was in a, I was at Regis university and I like went and I told some of my professors about this and I was like, how do I like vet this to make sure that I'm not going to like get my identity stolen or something? Professors helped me vet it.
Paul Hunter: 00:14:18 And in the process my university was building an innovation center on campus. And so Regis, this innovation center was just popping up. They were looking for this for a marketing opportunity. So at this time that I wanted to say yes to go into the Emmy's but like didn't have any money or any way to make that a possibility, right? Like going out and giving out hundreds of versions of my product and getting them made and hiring people to make them and everything. And then all of a sudden this came into my life that they were looking for this marketing opportunity. And so the university asked if I wanted to partner and three months later we were flying to Los Angeles with the team of like six people and we were in the gifting suite at the Emmy's. And I was like the craziest thing. Wow. Yeah.
Paul Hunter: 00:14:58 And so that's kind of like the, the story with repurpose. It was like the craziest roller coaster and kind of everything that came after that for probably six months surrounding that event. Like I was on one or two airplanes a week, like traveling to go do interviews and like talk shows and Boston and DC and New York and all of this stuff while being a full time student. And it was just like crazy, crazy experience. And so that was, that's, that's repurpose bow ties. Wow. Yeah, I know. That's my reaction. Every time I talk about it I'm like, that's, I'd like I'm talking about my life and like that happened and it's, it's crazy. It really is.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:15:41 Yeah. What you just shared in the past seven minutes is more than some people ever do or get the opportunity to do. I mean, wow. He goes, man, that is so awesome. I appreciate it. I do absolutely
Paul Hunter: 00:15:58 Say there was a lot of like right time, right place happening there. And I always like just recognize that, that it wasn't, it wasn't all me. There were so many players in this, in this happening. Like it was sometimes I say it was like 10% me and 90% like the universe. I swear. Cause that's just how it feels when you're in, when you're in the middle of it, you know all these people coming together.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:16:21 Yeah. But the thing I love though is you even spoke to this, right? Like you saw this original piece on this woman, right? Who's doing these Teddy bears. Yeah. And it, and you had this, this surge of energy that you, that you followed, you know, and so it was you, right, it was, it was something from within you and that was the 90% you, but then like took over after that.
Paul Hunter: 00:16:55 Exactly. And just ended up like haphazardly talking to the right people who like new, some person, you know, and, and all the investments along the way. Like when people invested in the company, it was very much like, like I remember my first investment was like a friend, like used to wait tables at like Buffalo wild wings. And she had this regular that came in. And like she was like, he might be interested and hooked us up and he was my first investor. Like just weird, crazy things like that that just made this thing go. It was just, it was phenomenal. It was really phenomenal.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:17:32 So I wanted to step back a little bit and ask around the, the military aspect, you know, when you saw this piece and you were thinking like, I think there might be a better way to S you know, to the memory of these, these people from the military and these people that have given their service to our country and to keep us safe and all of these things. Yeah. I'm curious where that came from for you. Is there a connection? Like are you an army brat or is there, is there a connection to you from your family or did you just see that? Like where did that spark come from with that specifically?
Paul Hunter: 00:18:12 Yeah, my, so my family, especially my mom's side is all air force veterans for the most part. So I kind of grew up in a, in a military S household. And then actually after my first year, or I guess after I graduated high school, I ended up going to recruitment an office for the air force and I signed papers and trained with a group for a couple of months and the contract ended up falling through, but I very much just got like this really unique glimpse into air force life and like what it takes to be a service member and what that process is like. And you know what goes into like going into a recruitment office and signing away technically eight years of your life, you know, and it's just this, it's a crazy thing. Right. And I just thought that there was maybe a different way to, to honor that.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:18:58 No, that's great. I mean I definitely connect to that. I remember growing up as a kid just absolutely wanting to be an air force pilot. And for me, I had two things happen. I have worn glasses since I was about two and my pretty much my eyesight dictated that that wasn't going to happen. And then as I got older and really started to tap more and more and more into being a creative and the right brain weirdo, I also recognized my lack of authority, appreciation. Oh, totally. Like this,
Paul Hunter: 00:19:36 The structure. Yeah. Like yeah, totally. I felt that same thing and in so many ways this was a departure from the years previous of like, you know, fitting in and doing this thing and all this sudden I have this energy to do this creative thing, you know? And, and just, I went with it.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:19:56 That's so great. And I love that you, I mean, you completely embrace this new modern capacity that is not only available but is accessible if you, if you let it. With going to Walmart one in the morning, getting a sewing machine and jumping online and looking up how to do this thing. I mean, I, I worked at a startup that does online education and a huge advocate for it. I mean, we have so much information at our fingertips totally. And it really is just like if you have an interest in one follow it, whether it be my little pony to write whatever. I mean you can just dive in if you want to become a Brony or you know, if you want to like learn, if you want to get into cosplay, if you want to make, start making clothes, if you want to make bow ties to honor service members. I mean Holy cow, that's just amazing man. And that you just went for it and we're like, you know what, let's just do this thing. Let's figure it out. And you figured it out. The universe just pulled you along the way.
Paul Hunter: 00:21:08 Yeah, totally. And I always like, especially when you're having this conversation, like I always allow to recognize like the privilege that played a role there, right? Like I had access to a car to go buy this sewing machine and access to internet to access the online education and everything. And I think that there is totally a space there to talk about the fact that not everybody in this country in more generally, the world has access to that. And so that is one thing that I am always just like so grateful for and so humbled by. And I think that it's always just important to talk about and
Gabe Ratliff: 00:21:43 Yes, yeah, no full stop copy that. Shoot. No like, Oh man, I so get that cause it is. I mean, and it's, it's, it, I get that urge to want to continue that sentence. Right. Even just that wanting to say more because it really beckons for that. But it is just even acknowledging that in itself. I mean I love that you just broke that down of like, I had a car, I had this access, I have these things and that's not everywhere. It's still coming. Some, you know, more and more people are getting it, but it's still this and that's the thing. So I'm a, my wife and I are absolute just massively into travel. We don't have kids. And the place that we really put our energies and our off time is around experiences and travel, whether that's local with friends and family or if that's, you know, traveling domestically or abroad.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:22:36 And one of the things that I've really found from doing that is that it, it, it shows you that world, you know, if you get out of your backyard and you go and you see what it's like for other people, it's in a place that's not as privileged. It really gives you a sense cause you're in it, you know, and you're having to deal with things whether you're [inaudible], you know, somewhat privileged in the space that you're in. You may be coming from a place of privilege, but you're seeing what it's like for others in this space that aren't. And it gives you that access to how different it is and the preemptive. Exactly. And I just think that that's so vital for, and that's why I talk about it on the show whenever I can because it's so relevant. I mean, when you, when you have that comparison to be able to see the fact that we do have things like thrift stores and secondhand stores, that we can actually donate to these things that we may have worn a few times.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:23:35 And recognizing as, as I've grown more into a minimalism, recognizing these things that you know, you really want to S to wear, really want to use. And, and getting really clear about what's important. I learned it, that's a new thing occurring. But to hear that even when we think we're doing something good and we're donating to do, you know, to these places that are gonna serve someone else to then hear that they're being dropped in crates and other countries is just mind blowing to me. First of all, thank you for sharing that. Cause I, I was not aware of that cause I'm actually a big advocate for secondhand stores.
Paul Hunter: 00:24:16 Yeah, I know and I, I never went to like completely tarnish the name. Right. Like there are great, especially like privately owned second hand stores and stuff, but overall like we just have this massive crisis in the country, right about like fast fashion and should we don't always think about those impacts.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:24:34 Do you, I wanted to ask, secondly, continue speak to stores that I may not cause I imagine you probably know more about this now and if you don't that's absolutely fine. But do you have any places that you can kind of speak to that, that you can say are not doing that and are supporting actually putting back into the community and not doing that kind of a thing rather than calling out [inaudible] that are doing it
Paul Hunter: 00:24:57 Right? You know, I, I don't honestly, I wish that I did, but I typically stray away from thrifting in general. Like I, I try to tell people like even if you get one more cycle out of it, right? Like hold a garage sale and sell it for a buck to somebody who's actually going to wear it, that's something different. Or like if you know somebody, if you do the second hand transfer, if you know somebody who would actually want it and wear it or post it for free on Facebook marketplace or whatever, like these things have a transactional cost of like times do this, but it ends up just being better for our economy. And then also just a better learning experience for people in general that you know when you have to take the time to figure out and an environmentally viable way to get rid of your clothing after you're done using it, the next time you go and you buy clothing, you're a little bit more conscious about like is this, is this high quality, is this like an impulse buy? Like what is this going to look like in two years if I want to wear it? And so that's kind of what I realize like even myself, I just started asking those questions when I was at the store in the front end. Mostly just because I, I just refuse to donate stuff. I like to try to find a home for it personally.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:26:11 You know, the other thing too is it helps grow the community, right? Because you're actually connecting face to face and having conversations. We're selling a bunch of stuff right now and we're prepping for a garage sale this weekend. So I totally get it. You know? And like, yeah, I think the thing I've recognized is that I'm connecting with my neighbors and having conversations with them. I mean we had, I had this fantastic conversation with somebody that came over to buy some audio equipment that I wasn't using anymore and we ended up hitting it off. Right? Yeah. Owns a few bars that we really dig and I'm like, Oh man, no way you will. But we love that place. You know? And then this awesome conversation and now we're talking about having dinner, you know? And it's like actually sitting down together and breaking bread and connecting more than just, Hey I have this thing, here's, let's, let's have a transaction. It's, it's now moving into this place of connection. And, and I just, I kind of left that being like now this is what this is all about.
Paul Hunter: 00:27:04 Exactly. A totally is like cultivating community around, I mean cause we're using so much of it nowadays and we have this really great ability to integrate like the technology to create community because in so many ways technology is taking that away from us. But if we use the technology intentionally, like, like Facebook marketplace and Craigslist and all of that, like if we use that stuff intentionally, we do have this opportunity to create community and meet people we otherwise wouldn't, and interact with them in a way that we otherwise wouldn't. And in so many ways, like I'm an economist by training and so in so many ways, like there's this social cost or benefit to this that comes about when you do these in person interaction that your community does become closer together and you kind of transcend some of these issues that we're seeing today around polarization and seeing like that in these, in some of these interactions. So I just, I love that and I always advocate for that
Gabe Ratliff: 00:27:57 Here. Here, I wanted to, I wanted to, I wanted to kind of step back again because you know the, we talked a little bit about the, the Emmys. That's a big triumph, you know, to come from such humble beginnings and then get to this place where these things have come together and you're actually doing it. What was that like in the process and what was the response from people when they connected to that? When you're able to share that story and, and, and you're actually getting it into the hands of these people at that show. So what was, what was that whole thing like any, and most of it was just,
Paul Hunter: 00:28:35 This is like one giant out of body experience. You know? Like I said when I was first telling it, it's like, it's kind of like I'm telling a story about somebody else and that's part of the thing that's so strange for me. And I, I just remember like some of these moments, you know, like this moment that I had a conversation with Oprah about like feminism and the symbol of the bow tie as a like feminist symbol, you know, and like her taking one for Stedman and like what a fricking out of body experience that was. Wow. And you know, and never, ever, ever imagining that I would even be anywhere close to that. You know, like these are, these are bucket lists, things that I just like I experienced. But when I was there, it was just like there was so many things going on and on top of it, like being in school full time, like I was pursuing a degree in economics at that time and I just, I remember a lot, all of these, you know, these plane rides that I would take and everything and like every single one of them was with a bag full of textbooks and like I was cramming those textbooks onto those little tiny airplane tray folding table things.
Paul Hunter: 00:29:44 And I just remember writing papers, you know, on my way back to Colorado or on my way to wherever I was going. And so in so many ways, like this thing was this massive out of body experience that it was just moving so fast and so quick and I was so focused on my studies and on, you know, on so many different aspects of this company and, and everything that it was just, it was a whirlwind in so many ways. But now looking back on it like it is almost more rewarding to be able to look back on it than it was to live through it. Cause that was a very stressful part of my life in so many ways. I don't even know what else to say to that. It just gets my brain in this whirlwind to think about the fact that all of that happened.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:30:24 How long had it been from when you started, when you were 17 to the Emmy's? Like how, what was the time span between the,
Paul Hunter: 00:30:31 I think it was about like two or three years. Somewhere in there. Probably closer to three. Yeah. It's like the magic number. Yeah, exactly right. And yeah, exactly. It's the magic number. Third year
Gabe Ratliff: 00:30:46 I take us back also back to Regis and cause you also served as a consultant to social enterprises and nonprofits. I was wonder if you could talk about that too and like what that was like and how you're, how you were engaging in that space.
Paul Hunter: 00:31:00 Yeah. I mean in so many ways, like my work with repurpose and like being a CEO of a company, it's almost like the, you know, it's usually the last position you end up in, right, as like a CEO of a company. But it being the first position that I ended up in, like I got to dip my hands in so many pots with that company. Like I got to mess with logistics and marketing and you know, every different aspect of the company. And so I got to try out a bunch of things. And basically what I landed on was that I, I loved, you know, marketing and telling the story and working with that consumer experience side of things. So that's, that's more than just a transaction like we talked about. It's about creating community and cultivating like an experience for the consumer. And I just, I loved that.
Paul Hunter: 00:31:42 And so what I ended up doing was working, I worked at a nonprofit for a while while I was in college. Just helping them kind of revamp their event space and in hosting fundraising events and what that looks like in, in hosting an event that's an experience for donors, you know, as not only as this experience for your brand but as an experience to activate donor allyship and activate donations from donors and everything like that. And, and that kind of opened up this door for me of like, you know, I could do this with other companies too. And I did it with, I mean primarily smaller like social enterprises and friends that were like working on starting things up and, and stuff like that. I don't want to like overstate that or anything like that, but it was just this awesome time to kind of support groups doing good work in a way that I knew how and then I was passionate about. And so it kind of just clicked. And in so many ways that's exactly what repurpose was for me was this kind of journey into finding out what I'm passionate about. Because truth be told, I am not passionate about being a CEO of a company at this point in my life. And I very much like the, I like Ivy in to one thing and really just like nailing down these sorts of aspects to a company, if that makes sense.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:32:54 Yeah. So you're just being more focused with the work you want to be doing as opposed to that overarching kind of gorilla looking at all of it. I can speak to that for sure. Yeah. Cause there's definitely a lot to juggle in that space, especially with two companies. Yeah, I get it for sure.
Paul Hunter: 00:33:14 Yeah it is for sure. I mean there's just so many things to be doing all at once and there is kind of this like this power in being able to choose what you, what you're going to do and like gravitating towards what you're passionate about for such a long time. Like there was this kind of viewpoint about work that you kind of had to dig in and like, you know, work sucks and like you just got to do it like your nine to five and then you get home and like you're good. But there's so much power in finding a job that gives you energy and not just internal like emotional power, but there's this amazing like productive power that comes from that that we all know. Like when you love something, when you're passionate about it, you, you tend to put more energy in to it and not as a product of like wanting to put more energy into it, but that, that energy is just there.
Paul Hunter: 00:34:02 So I just, I, that's kind of where I've arrived, you know, in this place of being able to do something that I'm passionate about and it's all sudden not like hard to do my job or hard to do the type of work that I do because I always find myself wanting to do it. In fact, it's like, it's hard for me to shut off at the end of the day. Like a big theme of the past couple months has been how do I create boundaries for myself and like force myself to stop working because I just get envelopes and it is like, I mean not even just from the time that I wake up and go to bed, it's like even just like dreaming about this stuff, I, I have a hard time like shutting off about it cause I'm so passionate about it and care about it so much. And so I think like that's like that's the dream space to be in, no pun intended, but it really is like the best place
Gabe Ratliff: 00:34:48 It is. And it is such a double edged sword cause I have monkey mind and I get so spooled up and it's hard for me to calm down. So I've been experimenting a lot with ways to calm down and gear down the monkey mind so that I can just, you know, get enough rest and find respite for the evenings so that I can get up and charge the next day and have full energy and full focus. Do you, have you found ways to set, as you were talking about setting boundaries, have you found ways to do that or they have like are you trying things and seeing how their work or where are you at with that?
Paul Hunter: 00:35:26 So when I was studying outreach, yes I did a lot of studies in like psych and dipped into neuroscience for a little bit because that was such an important aspect to like economics for me, like the behavioral economics side. Sure. And so of course I approached this from like a psychology perspective. So I started looking off like, Hey know how do you psychologically create space for like recharging and stuff. And the two things that I found was one like being intentional about the space that you use, like the physical space and creating boundaries that way. Like and like what comes with that? Like, like using an office space in your home or being intentional about leaving your house to do work so that you can come back at the end of the day and like have kind of strict rules with yourself about, you know, answering emails in the house or even more specifically like if you have a bedroom in the house that you can use as an office, like making sure that you're not doing work in your room.
Paul Hunter: 00:36:16 So being intentional about space and then also like being intentional about like the rituals that come with working from home have specifically in making sure those rituals don't bleed over. Like, like the rituals when you wake up, everything that you do every morning to like get ready for the day. Don't let work bleed into those rituals. Like getting up and taking your shower and making your coffee and making breakfast in the morning. Like that should be tainted by answering emails on your phone, even if it's just for a second. And just like being intentional about the ritualistic boundaries that should exist. So those are the two, my like my two focus areas that allow me this great space to like recharge. And again, it's like totally a work in progress but it feels a ton better. But it is, it is hard. It's just hard to shut off. But sometimes like I'm laying in bed and I want to like go through my emails and it's just, it's a hard no, you know, it just, it has to be a hard no.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:37:14 Yeah, yeah. I do things similarly. I don't keep my phone by the bed. You know, I actually, when I'm done at the day, at the end of the day, I actually plug it in in the office and I Ikea sound off, it's just on vibrate, you know, go have dinner, do you know, do my thing and hang out, have time with, with TIFF and you know, just turn that off. But yeah, I've, I've found that that really helps because then I am not getting sucked back into it cause it's, I, if every once in awhile when I happen to pick it up and open it to check something and then I see one and I'm like, Oh God, I'm getting sucked in. I know. I try to keep that separate. So what, what rituals have you, what, what rituals are you currently using that you've established that you feel are positively impacting this, this intention?
Paul Hunter: 00:38:04 Yeah, I think like my main ones are my morning rituals and my evening rituals. Just making sure that again, like everything in my morning routine is, is my morning routine and until I like sit down to intentionally work, my morning routine is my morning routine, like getting up, walking the dog, making breakfast, all of that stuff, making sure that I'm not starting emails or not doing any of that. And then again that night making sure that when I shut my laptop it's shut. And really connecting and engaging with like I live with my sister right now and making sure that we're spending time together, spending time with a dog or whatever it is, spending time in nature for the time that I can. And those are kind of my two main focus areas I'd say.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:38:47 Yeah, I agree. Yeah, I've been playing around a lot, especially with my morning ritual because, so one, one new thing for me is that, you know, I was in that whole school of thought around, you know, work out early, get the hardest thing out of your day. Right. And then you can kind of move on. But one of the things I found is that my workouts weren't as good and they weren't as productive and I wasn't feeling as, I wasn't feeling as, you know, awake and alert and really bought into the process as far as like my mental and emotional state. And so I actually swapped that out. Are you familiar with college info geek Thomas Frank? He's a big productivity guy. Sounds really familiar. Yeah. Yeah. He's, he and Matt de Avila are like to my favorites. Matt de Avila did the, he was the filmmaker that did the minimalist documentary minimalism and Thomas Frank, he, he owns a college info geek and he's just a huge productivity guy.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:39:43 He was like, I put that in the afternoon when I hit that three o'clock slump. Yeah. Rather than doing coffee. So I've actually been trying that. I had already been trying it, but he kind of confirmed it for me. Like, okay, cool. There are some people that are also doing the right thing. Just yeah. Like another, another bro in, in this school of thought it was just like, okay, cool. But he had, you know, he has really great he has all this really great like backing behind it, you know, to like kind of speak to how it's working for him and why. And I was thinking the same thing and I was playing around with like midday, like 11 before lunch, that kind of a thing I was playing with in the morning. And I just have found that the experimentation is also fun for me. But it's also just kind of seeing like how things flush out in the process. Yeah.
Paul Hunter: 00:40:30 And the power that comes with like setting tensions, you know, even if they're experimental and they don't work, but the power that comes with sitting down either at night or like in the morning and setting intentions for your day of like how you're going to do it I think is like is one of the key things, you know, it's not even so much and how it ends up happening, but that you intentionally make it happen, you know?
Gabe Ratliff: 00:40:52 Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And you know, it was also breaking down this barrier for me too of thinking like, Oh if, you know, cause a lot of people also in that same school of thought think like, Oh if you put it in the afternoon you won't hit it. Right. You'll let life get in the way. But again, that's not having intention and speaking to your point. And so that was a great comment there because I, I feel like that really is a huge element to it. And I'm so glad you brought that up around intention because it does speak so much to those things when you're doing it, whether it's the work you're doing or it's the way that you're interacting in your day and engaging with yourself and separating the work, your work, your, your play and your downtime. I wanted to take that little tangent just for a second cause I just, I, I'm really fascinated in people's rituals and, and how they show how they find that activity.
Paul Hunter: 00:41:43 I had like one last one to throw in, I just remembered. But the big breakthrough for me was creating a separate log in on my computer for like my work so that when I like log in as me on my computer, it's like I can go to a Netflix page and like it's not, Oh I spreadsheets open for work or any, any of that. And that like when I'm ready to work I can just log in to my other user account and all of my windows from work are still up, but they're not like crowding my, my space on my, on my desktop kind of thing. So I recently did that and it is like that's one of my favorite things that I've recently done. For sure.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:42:19 That is awesome. So now in that login, do you have, are you doing any kind of productivity tools that are blocking you from things or how are you not engaging with in your work login? How are you out engaging with? So I have a Mac, so I have,
Paul Hunter: 00:42:35 I only hooked up, like for instance, like I only hooked up my work email on this login and I didn't hook up I iMessage so I'm not getting texts on my Mac. And when I log into Facebook, it's strictly the business profile that are, you know, like the business profiles that I'm working with and in that sort of stuff. So like the logins aren't even there. And as you know, none of us can remember our passwords. So there's no way that I could even like login if I, if I wanted to, realistically I probably will be could if I took the time, but that would be tainting the space. So I found like a lot of power in that and I'm like really enjoying that. Especially at night. Like when it, when it comes time to like wind down and maybe like watch a show on Netflix. Like I'm not minimizing all my work windows and like bringing up all of that like rehashing the day kind of thing. It's like I can just be there, I can just go to Netflix or Facebook or whatever it is that I want to use through wind down and that's it, you know, no sift and through the work stuff to get there.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:43:29 That's awesome. That's really great. Now, thank you for that. I mean those are some really great little little tips for people cause I know it's a big thing for a lot of us, whether we're creatives, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, you know, we're having to have a road gig working from home. You know, there's all kinds of us out there that can use tips like this. So thank you for that. I'm a, I'm always excited to have people share different methods. Speaking of how people show up in the world and you know, being intentional. I was wondering if you could share your thoughts around how people are beginning to increasingly care about their, where their products come from. We were talking about that with thrifting and how we show up you know, with, you know, selling things and that intentionality behind that same thing with how we're working in our day. Talking about like how, where products come from and how they're made and if there's any social good component involved.
Paul Hunter: 00:44:19 I think like to start, we live in this economy in the society, you know, as a capitalist economy where the way that we consume goods matters. And in, in so many generations before us, well not so many because America's so young, but in the generations before us, we, you know, there hasn't been much even like education around like goods and how they're produced and their effects on the environment or effects on the people producing them or anything like that. And I, I feel like the first time I remember having this conversation was about like sweatshops in China, right? Like when we get goods from China, a lot of the times like, like labor laws in China or loser or people aren't paid, like living wages and conditions are poor and all this. And like I feel like that's kind of this, it was a catalyst to this larger conversation and then you bring in climate change and everything else and all of a sudden people started asking themselves a question, not even like where did this good come from?
Paul Hunter: 00:45:16 But what kind of person am I if I buy this good, right? Like the goods that we buy and where we buy them and who they're made by. It says a lot about who we are and we're recognizing that. And that's kind of the ultimate tool of marketing, right? Like what does your product say about your consumer? Because that's ultimately what's gonna, what's going to drive a consumer to purchase or to stay or whatever it is. And so now that these questions are being asked, and there's a lot of research to suggest that these questions are being asked more frequently, especially by the millennial crowd, I think it's so important for, for companies to examine not only how they're marketing their product, how they're, how they're creating them and, and what, what sort of labor they're using and what products they're using. And so we're kind of seeing this balance back come back now that consumers are demanding things more specifically the generation that's up and coming, the way that consumers are demanding things is shifting the way that companies are creating things. And I think that is just like, it's one of the coolest times to be involved in this economy right now because we're seeing this interaction between corporations and consumers that hasn't really happened yet on this scale. Where consumers are demanding more from the companies that we get products from. So I think it's just one of the coolest things to be a part of.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:46:33 I'm fascinated by your stance and the recognition that you have for where we are in the society today. And this, this platform that you're speaking from because it's something I'm very interested in and I'm wanting to share more with, with, with others and just kinda keep this conversation going and, and looking at it through this lens of the manufacturers and the, and the brands as well as the consumers and how we're coming to this place of interacting together. I mean, it's the same thing in Hollywood, right? I mean, we're even seeing in this massive scale with media how there's, you know, you've got people actually now I've seen that there's something coming out soon that they're actually planning to have it be where a, I can't remember what the show is, but they were, I just read something about this show is going to let people actually post what they think should happen with the characters and they're going to shoot multiple aspects of the sh of the story.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:47:38 Oh, interesting. Yeah. So there's now this like writing of the story with the audience that used to be the big number of core, right? Like you would, you know, writers would write it, they would do it. And that was part of why TV shows would be weekly was because they could course correct as they need it. Whereas once the Netflix model happened, they, they wrote the story, they did it. And so now we're even going to the next level where it's getting, I mean, even Bandersnatch the [inaudible] I was going to say, right like that got into this site and that was something I saw with YouTube when I was in marketing. We were looking at how to do these, like choose your own adventure, YouTube kind of experiences. And now we're seeing it in, now that we have the, the app space occurring and stuff people who are progressive, like Netflix who are saying like, Hey, let's, let's give that, choose your own adventure and let people go on th the experience that they want to go on, we'll just provide them the parameters for it. So it's fascinating to me whether it's that or with products and like organizations that we want to interact with and support. And I just, I just think it's such a fantastic time. It really is. Yeah. To your point, right. It's like this fantastic time that we get to see. And I remember when commenting on product sites and brand sites started to appear and you know, people start adding it right and now we're in this place where people, some companies live and die by it. I mean it's exactly,
Paul Hunter: 00:49:08 Totally, we live in like a more instantaneous feedback loop for companies and being able to like secure and interpret feedback faster than ever before and not only for like product improvements but again about these things that consumers are asking for right now. And it brings questions into the room nowadays that like didn't exist before. Especially in the case of minorities and you know, people that didn't typically have a voice when it came to creating products. Like all the sudden these minority communities have have a say and like in where products come from and what they're made from and everything like that. And I think that is like one of the coolest parts about, about this is like the empowerment that's happening on the consumer side of things and, and on the like the environmental side of things. That sort of empowerment is happening. And I think it's really great.
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Paul Hunter: 00:51:30 I was wondering if you could tell us about the overview effect and what it is and how that plays a part into this conversation. Oh my gosh, yes. I also, this is so funny because I just listened to the second season of serial, I don't know if you're a cereal listener, but I just listened to the second season of it and on the like the, I won't give too much away, but they talk kind of about the overview effect from from medicinal. The whole season is kind of around this like overview effect of like zooming out. And I thought it was really interesting, but essentially the overview effect is what happens when astronauts view the earth from space. And it's this legitimate psychological shift that happens where when you see the earth from space, you recognize like, Hey, how small we are in the universe and also be that we're all on the same planet together.
Paul Hunter: 00:52:21 You know, whether we have these landmasses or these borders or whatever it is, you don't see that when you're seeing the earth from space obviously. And so there's this effect that happens that's more of like a humanitarian effect that when astronauts come back, they are like more pacifist and more, you know, more inclined to believe that humans are humans and and all this stuff. And, and so I think it's this really cool phenomenon that happens and it's going to be a really cool thing to study for, for somebody. Probably maybe my generation, maybe not. But it's going to be a really interesting thing to study for the generation that space travel is kind of a thing. You know, it's like a normal thing which is starting to happen with Elon Musk and in this shuttle and everything that's happening there. But once that starts happening, I'm going to be very, very curious to see what the psychological effects on humanity is and, and what happens because there is this profound affect that, that we are all just here on this one planet and, and I just, yeah, I don't know. There's some sort of magic there. I think it's part of what I was kind of laying
Gabe Ratliff: 00:53:25 A breadcrumb from earlier when I was talking about travel, you know, cause I feel like that's on the global scale. That's really what comes from travel here. And I totally connected that when when you were commenting about the overview effect in your questionnaire because I just was like, absolutely, I get it. And I've heard that as well. I am excited to see that too because getting to actually go far enough away, like not even travel on the planet. I mean I had this same experience I guess to, to prove my point. We got our scuba certification recently, a little while ago, and one of the things that I connected with on that level is that now we can visit the entire planet. Mentally, we were only thinking about experiencing the 30% that's not covered with water. Right? Which is already a lot. But then when you think like, Oh, we can now see the entire planet, at least to the certain degree, right.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:54:24 When I did it, part of the experience for me was very akin to what I think about when I think about the overview effect. Because you're essentially in this whole new universe that, you know, it's like the best, it's like the best zoo ever, right? Cause there's no, there's no fencing, there's no nothing. It's just you and you're interacting with these creatures in like this beautiful life and nature and yeah, like life itself. I mean, it's just like you're, you're, you're swimming in this environment that you're just getting to participate in and normally don't. And it's very similar to space where it's this, you know, we don't get to interact with it in the same way that we have become complacent. Right is is homo sapiens on Terra firma and you know, breathing air and driving our cars and walking and interacting and buying things and all of this stuff. But you get into this space like underwater or in a spaceship going somewhere else and you're like actually seeing this planet living thing that we're on. I love that whole concept around just being disconnected in a way that you're more connected. Yeah,
Paul Hunter: 00:55:33 It totally like gets this new like pulling back to that perspective piece of like it's kind of this ultimate perspective, right? Like like when we, when we live in our like small community and we never leave, you have like this, this perspective that's very guided and very specific and then like once you traveled to a big city, that perspective expands and then once you travel internationally that perspective expands and then you talk about traveling to space and it's like until we can like leave a galaxy kind of thing, like that is the ultimate piece of perspective that we can get as human beings at this point in our life. And it has this very now unique effect on people because nobody gets to experience that. Like there are very few people, and I like one, another very aspect of overview of factors. There are these really awesome like nonprofit organizations that are cropping up right now that are working on sending people to space on scholarship for free in a way, like as a way to address the privilege conversation. And so there are these incredible nonprofits that are raising money to send like underprivileged minorities to space for free. Like once it's available, it's not even available yet. And so there are these nonprofits that you, anybody can apply to them like you, the O interview, a video resume kind of thing and if you're selected you will be sent to space for free. It's this really, it's just a really neat way to get underprivileged people to face and to experience that overview.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:57:08 Yeah. So I th I think that's amazing, right? Like how enlightening that must be for these kids that get to go to space and actually see the plant. You know, there's no more of this like, and hopefully I'm not offending anyone listening, but you know, the world's not flat. And you know, kids getting to go to space to actually witness the planet that they live on and see beyond what they can see in like Google maps or Google earth or you know, what, what have you, but be able to actually literally see, Hey, I'm on this gigantic rock in space and just the freak out that will happen.
Paul Hunter: 00:57:52 Yeah. Like we're just floating together on this rock through space and we have all of these problems that our world is working through that really shouldn't be prob blimps you know, and they shouldn't exist. And we grow up in this, you know, we have an education system, especially here in the U S that emphasizes borders and emphasizes separation and everything that comes with that, especially war that comes from that. Like my generation growing up with nine 11 and the war on terrorism and Afghans, Afghanistan and the middle East and everything that comes from that, like all of the cycle ecological, the lasting psychological effects that come from that. And, and what sort of systematic racism that brings up in our, in our system. And, and it's just a very interesting, I mean, especially considering the time that we are in right now and where we are at right now, there's a lot of conversation around borders and racial differences and everything like that.
Paul Hunter: 00:58:53 And it's like with something like the overview effect, you realize that none of that matters, right? Like we're all just, we're all huge men's on this planet trying to do our best to survive and and there's so much that we can do for each other in creating community and doing some of those like in person interactions that we talk about and, and being intentional about like getting closer to each other and, and creating those bonds and peace is in, in that way that I think will come with this, this overview effect, hope fully. But yeah, it's an interesting theory and topic to consider.
Gabe Ratliff: 00:59:31 Absolutely. Yeah. I mean a, on episode 25 I interviewed Michael Akuna, who's also a known as IL seven he's a hip hop artist, but the work he's doing is working with police officers. And people of authority with and, and engaging in conversation with youth of color. Oh cool. Because he grew up dealing with racial profiling. And so he's doing this really amazing work around bridging that gap and, and letting people have a chance to sit together and realize that they're human. And you know, the police, you know, police officers aren't all the same and they're not like this one, this one entity. They're all humans and that they all have their own things that they're going through. Just like, you know, youth of color and letting them see, okay, yeah. Not all of these kids, whether they're of color and minority or not are also human and they are going through what they're going through and that they're, you know, they're not this all encompassing trying to steal stuff or sleep on this group.
Gabe Ratliff: 01:00:40 Exactly. Right. Right. And so that's the work he's doing. And I just, I, this conversation is happening, you know, these people are out there doing this work. And that's one of the things I love about the prospects of this, like you're talking about with the overview effect. And, you know, I wanted to also mention, you know, that's the thing I find so fascinating about like these doomsday movies is it's like it's going to take something just disastrous to bring people together. And I, I'm just like, why can't it be something amazing that maybe that says are amazing, right? Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, cause I'm, I'm obviously a optimist so I, I, you know, feel like I look towards the good in people as opposed to the bad and and, and keep hoping like, okay, maybe as we continue to get smarter and have these advances where people can actually witness something that they haven't been able to do.
Gabe Ratliff: 01:01:32 Like I'm talking about like with like scuba diving, like I recognize the privilege I had to be able to do it. And after doing it, I've now been sharing that with people who may be frightened or you know, had never really thought about doing it. I'm like, you have to understand this is like life changing because you are put into this whole new space that can allow you to grow. Speaking to all this, I want to kind of switch gears now to the work that you're doing and how this is all kind of coming together. And I was wondering if you could talk about, so you, you, you help socially responsible companies tell their why and I was wondering if you could kind of talk us through that and what that looks like.
Paul Hunter: 01:02:10 Totally. I mean there is such a cool aspect, especially to new socially conscious companies that that doesn't exist with other corporations that have existed for a long time or even like non socially good companies. And that is the reason why, why socially conscious, why why'd you decide to make the good and the way that you do, why'd you decide to use the products that you do? And so, and a lot of times like this, this question of why comes down, like in my story, it comes down to this like singular moment surrounded by all of the circumstances. And so it's like I had this, I had this moment where I had this just like jolt of energy, right? And I went and I pursued the saying, but I also had all of these things informing the decisions that I made about like how I, how I structured the company and like the environmental activist piece that came into it and everything like that.
Paul Hunter: 01:03:02 And so helping companies like discover that and helping them speak. That is why I'm here. I want to kind of get focused here now about instream water. Yeah, totally. So in-stream is a company, they're hoping to change the way that people access high quality water. So right now, like in our society, especially in the U S like when we want to access higher quality water, like we go and buy single use plastic bottles of high quality water. If you don't like what comes out of a top or if you don't like what comes out of the chemically filtered bottle refill stations, then your only choice is to buy a single use plastic bottle of water. And as we know now look, that's creating this massive crisis around the globe that is just trashing our planet. And there's a, I mean, I don't know how in depth I should go, but especially since like China stopped accepting our recyclables, a lot of our recycling is getting dumped again in third world countries like Kenya for, for Kenyans to deal with.
Paul Hunter: 01:04:03 Like we're trying to pay Kenyans to deal with our recycling and what's ending up is that the infrastructure doesn't exist there yet for them to handle this. And so our plastic waste is ending up in Kenya's four as streams, rivers, everything like that. And so it's this global problem that that needs to be solved. Like we have this, we have this thing that we've all kind of been taught in that generation to reduce, reuse, recycle, and three ours. And, and for a lot of time, like we've really been focused on the recycling aspect, right? Like we've, we've driven out these campaigns to recycle all of your plastic and [inaudible] that sort of conversation that's happened around that. But what we're finding is that recycling is inefficient and people don't do it most of the time. And so what instream has decided to do is focus on the reduction portion.
Paul Hunter: 01:04:52 Like we can, we can make these choices to reduce our single use plastics and very first place so that we don't have to be faced with the decision to recycle them or trash them. And so in doing that, like we realized there aren't many places that you can access higher quality water a to put into your own bottle to be using and taken and everything like that. So our goal is to create this network of water refill stations that completely like they cut the price in some cases by 95% to access water and you can put it right into your own bottle. And we've done it in kind of a 21st century way. And you have these, these bands, a silicone band that you put around the base of your water bottle and it has a passive microchip in it that has your simple user information.
Paul Hunter: 01:05:37 It has like your, your nickname that you nicknamed the bottle and then any water preference that you have. So from our stations you can get ambient chill, chilled or sparkling water at the moment. So you can tell your water bottle, what kind of water you like, and then when you go up and you put your band next to the decal on the station, it greets you by name and it dispenses the type of water that you like into your bottle. And so it's this really 21st century way of like increasing access to higher quality water in a meaningful waste reduction sort of capacity. And, and yeah, that's my, that's my most recent venture and I'm super excited to be involved. Are you guys listening?
Gabe Ratliff: 01:06:16 If you, if you, if you need to hit the rewind button and hear that again, feel free to hit it right now because that's awesome man. That's awesome. I, that's so cool having the, the passive chip to be able to, you know, you can nickname your bottle and you can say, you know, this is the type of water I want and then have access to, you know, these three different choices. That's amazing.
Paul Hunter: 01:06:44 That's really cool. I mean, all this water is like [inaudible] triple filter that goes through a carbon, a charcoal and a UV filter. So there's no like chemical filtering process and most of the water refill stations that you see nowadays, it's, it's like a chlorinated filtering process and that's when you get that, that water that kind of tastes like chlorine. And it's not, it's not good for you. And it also doesn't filter out any of the physical contaminants, right? Like the, especially the physical contaminants that we're seeing today. Like we're seeing in some cities there's, there's led and other like physical contaminants from old pipes like this, this water station filters out all of it so that all you get is just pure water free from physical, chemical and biological contaminants and like you can really, really taste the difference. It's crazy. Like I didn't, I didn't use to be a water snob. Like two things have happened since I worked for instream. I became a water snob and now I know like what good water tastes like. And then also I'm the most hydrated I've ever been in my whole life.
Gabe Ratliff: 01:07:47 Of course. Yeah, it's awesome. Several years ago, several, I don't know. I can't even remember how long now. I started carrying a water bottle with me at all times, you know, on you know, when I'm traveling, when every day I even specifically got the messenger bag I use because it has a water bottle holders on either side and you know, and I like to bike and I'm just, when I'm running around, whether I'm walking or biking or, or driving, whatever, I love having my water with me cause I know I can, I mean we live in Colorado so totally, you know, staying hydrated is important and it's just reinforced here. But now how accessible are these stations? Like where are they, where can people support, support the cause?
Paul Hunter: 01:08:37 So we are just starting up where a Denver based startup and we have done a pilot and a beta test down in Colorado Springs and then we just launched on our first university campus at Regis university. So my homeschool and so we're doing kind of a, a secondary pilot test, working out some of the kinks and everything. And then we are working on getting them in the city of Colorado Springs over the next year or so. And then we are basically just working on contracts everywhere, like trying to create this really awesome like dense network so that when you like go to work, like if you take the bus to work, there's one at the bus station one when you get off the bus, one in your office building. So you can just access water everywhere. And the best part is like you have this app on your phone and you can track your hydration and you can track how many single use plastic bottles you are saving.
Paul Hunter: 01:09:26 Like so many of these stations have bottled counters on them. But what you don't realize is that like your individual impact matters. Like over the time that you use the station. Like you see, Oh my gosh, like I've, I've avoided using hundreds of single use plastic bottles, you know, just in, in less than a year. And that's like so important, especially considering that the average American uses 167 single use plastic bottles every single year. It's basically equivalent to one every other day or close to it. And, and it's just, I mean it's, it's insane how much plastic we use. And so it's, it's really rewarding to be able to like have access to your own metrics and see like what your, what impact do you are having by making the choices that you're making.
Gabe Ratliff: 01:10:06 Yeah, and I mean that's one of the things I find so beneficial to the access we have with social media. I mean, I just recently saw a photo pop up of, I want to say it was Brazil, but I saw this just grotesque mound of trash and recycling just coming up on the shore, you know? And that's one of those I find just so powerful about social media. One of the benefits that we have to this ax, it's global access to what's going on around the world is being able to see the impact that we have, whether that be good or bad. You know, I have friends that just traveled to they traveled to Southeast Asia earlier this year and they were actually talking about, you know, having to, they actually jumped in and supported locals with digging up trash and recycling that was buried in the beach cause they didn't have anywhere to put it. And like that was where people would put it and you know, they're hanging out on the, this gorgeous beach in Southeast Asia and picking up trash, trash. Yeah. Yeah.
Paul Hunter: 01:11:14 It's just like, Oh my gosh, it's alarming. And we do now have like access to this information about like, like your choice to use single use plastic bottle today affects the life of somebody in the world. Like not even just here in the U S as like we have this vision of the recycling system at like once you put a bottle in there, it's just going to like be recycled and made into another bottle. And that's not how it works. Like most of the time, most of the time that stuff ends up in landfills or ends up on a container ship to somewhere in Africa. Now. It used to be China, but even when we were shipping them to China, all of this plastic was being burned for the most part. Like people are finding out that most of this plastic was just being burned and all of those toxins are just being released into the atmosphere.
Paul Hunter: 01:11:59 And so you just, you start to realize that, you know, as you make these decisions and as you use like single use plastic bottles, it's not just like throw it in the recycling bin and it's gone. Like that plastic bottle has a life after you and it typically lasts like over the, I think the current estimate right now is 460 years. That plastic bottle will last. So you could go and you can lose a bottle in the forest and 460 years later given the fact that you are still alive, you could go and you could pick up that same exact bottle over 400 years later. And it's just, I mean, it's insane. And to know that a lot of these bottles are, are ending up in waterways and going and you know, ending up in the ocean and the Pacific garbage patch and, and all this stuff. Like that bottle that you threw away, like only a certain low percentage of those actually are recycled. And that's, I mean it's just the crazy reality that is today. So the best thing that people can do is, is reduce on the front end here, here.
Gabe Ratliff: 01:12:58 Well I want to ask then, you know, what, with you still being in this launching phase and getting the message out, which is exactly why you're on the show, I'm just curious like how can people support, what can they do today?
Paul Hunter: 01:13:15 I mean, the biggest thing, I know this is so cliche, but like follow us, follow us on social media. I mean in the startup world you're growing and changing so fast. Like that really is the best way to like see updates and see where we're at and see the work that we're doing. And so again, I hate that it's cliche, but in stream water on Facebook or Instagram, it's just the best way to stay updated. We also like we keep our followers updated with articles around like the current, I mean there's so much somebody's politics around single use plastics right now. Like there are countries, entire countries that are banning the use of single use plastics right now. And so we do a really good job of like filtering through articles and sharing like some really like prominent ones and really important ones that we think are, are worthy of sharing.
Paul Hunter: 01:13:58 And so there's a lot of good news to be had there to on top of updates about the company. So that's like one of the greatest ways that people can support us. We are a startup and we will be seeking funding. I'm not sure if we're actively funding right now, but it is in the conversation. So if there are any listeners who are interested in investing in a startup, specifically a Denver based startup, that's another way, another, a very tangible way of course that anybody could help us. But I'd say those are the two most immediate for sure. Fantastic. I'm curious, are there any, you were talking about the the band with the passive chip. Are there any thoughts around a bottle for industry that you could also purchase from instream water that would just already have that? Yeah. Yeah, we do. We actually do have those for sale.
Paul Hunter: 01:14:44 On our website we partnered with a company called Mir, M I, R R and this company may X water bottles and on on the bottom of every single water bottle is what's called a gift code and basically what you do is after you, after you buy the water bottle, you go onto mere.com and you can choose a social enterprise somewhere in the world to donate money to and you have like an allowance associated with each of our bottles. I don't know if it's one or $5, I should know that, but there's, there's some money associated with each bottle that when you go onto [inaudible] dot com and you enter in your gift code, you can choose where that money goes and what charity it goes to you. And you can actually like measure the impact of your specific dollars and see where they go and what work they're doing.
Paul Hunter: 01:15:25 So that's another cool like social good impact. But yeah, those bottles have microchips built into, it's like a rubberized boot on the bottom, just kind of like what you'd see on like a Hydroflask or something like that. It's a double wall, insulated aluminum stainless steel bottle and so it's a really nice, nice thing that keeps your water cold or sparkling or whatever it is that you get out of the station and keeps it nice and fresh. That's great. Yeah, I'm familiar with mirror. There's super cool. Yeah, it's a really awesome company. We were really excited and thankful to partner with them and I mean the bottles really are beautiful. Like they, we did a photography segment with a photographer and I mean you literally can't take a bad picture of this water bottle. I was like jealous of the water bottle. I was like, dang.
Paul Hunter: 01:16:06 Like they are beautiful. They really are so huge plug to check it out on our social media, but for real, they're beautiful. That's awesome. No, that's great. I mean it's, it's all about those partnerships like that. And then just the, the alignment is also really great too. So that's awesome. Yeah. So I was wondering about, because this seems like also a great time to segue to week without.com yeah. As we are talking about single single use plastic bottles. So I was wondering if you could explain what week without is and, and what that looks like and, and how people can support that and yeah, so in string recently sponsored a community campaign that is trying to create a collective action, like a group that does collective action one week at a time. So a lot of the times, like when we have this conversation about reducing our waste or making other other changes to our routine, a lot of the times like that conversation is overwhelming.
Paul Hunter: 01:17:01 You know, we think about like a lifetime of making these changes and everything. But what we kind of want to set out to do is, is look at people who are trying to make a difference and maybe like dip their toe in the water and, and figure out how they can, how they can make changes in their life. So we started what's called a week without, and you can visit week without.com. Our first week without actually was the first of this month, the first through the eighth of this month. And we did a week without single use plastic bottles. So we had a couple of hundred people pledge their participation. We diverted like over a thousand single use plastic bottles, which was really awesome. But most importantly it's just this really cool way to introduce people to sustainability and just by, by deciding to take action. And it also is this thing like we were talking about earlier, using technology to create community and all of these people in this online community, there's like an online forum that you can post and talk about ways that you're being sustainable but creating community around the idea of sustainability.
Paul Hunter: 01:18:00 Cause ultimately I believe that's what's going to fuel the sustainability mission is this aspect of community in humanity and in everything that we've been talking about today. So that's why we created it. And you can log on, you can make your pledge. We don't have a current week without scheduled yet again, but we are working on scheduling another one. We're going to come up with a fun quirky thing to do for seven days. And yeah, we're hoping that to get more and more people to join us and eventually have a community of thousands to, to make a really big impact. So
Gabe Ratliff: 01:18:31 That's so great. I actually supported, I pledged and didn't use any a whole week and I, I'm, I'm already, it's already in my way of life. But I wanted to make that acknowledgement in the pledge. Just to support the cause.
Paul Hunter: 01:18:45 I really appreciate it. And I actually, I have a really funny confession because like I spent like a month organizing this thing, right? And I was like going out hanging posters and, and like doing all this stuff, like engaging with people in the community to get them to make this pledge. And on the third day I use this single use plastic bottle, like just an unknowingly, like even in my space where like I talk about it every single day. Like I accidentally bought a protein shake that was in a single use plastic bottle. Like just cause I was like, well, I'm hungry. Like that sounds good. And it totally, I just like face Palm to myself so hard. I was like, Oh my gosh. Like, and but that really goes to speak about like how easy it is even when when you're educated and when it's like ingrained, you still make these slip ups every once in awhile. And back to the piece on intentionality, it's just like so important to be intentional and, and educated about it. So, so that's why we did it. But for people like me.
Gabe Ratliff: 01:19:44 Well, and you know, I mean it, it also goes to say what our society has established, right? Like, so we have all these things where we become complacent because it's the access and the convenience and what is the norm. And it's, it's what's been established. And that's the thing that you and many of us are trying to, to counter, right? Is right. It's to try to, to, to counteract these things that we've put in place. And that's one of the things I think is so great about evolving and innovating is that we have hindsight and we can see like what were the, you know, that's one of the things I really love about the startup environment after I worked at several startups. And, and that's one of the things I really love about that environment is that you're feeding into this, you know, continuing to test and reassess and to get more and more optimal. And I think that's the benefits of your generation and younger is that it's really coming from innovation. Right? Right. And, and, and the, the access to information and sharing and being able to be transparent. Thank you for being transparent about that. And, and saying, Hey, I accidentally slipped up. I acknowledge it and I'm sharing that with the audience because that's really awesome to do that. You didn't have to share that. And just even that transparency is also powerful because you're acknowledging, Hey, even we can slip up.
Paul Hunter: 01:21:04 Oh my gosh, of course like imperfection is such a, it's such a big part of the journey, right? Like we can not, we can never ever, ever expect perfection. And that's one thing I've learned in the startup world. Like there are, I am a perfectionist and there are so, so many things that we can nitpick, especially in the startup world, you know, like little quirks with your product and all this stuff. But it's like, realistically we all need to do is we need to hop on this like imperfect train and we need to start, you know, whether it means slipping up less often or it means not slipping up at all if you're like super pro. But it really like that's what it is. And we need to be forgiving about these imperfect moments and these mistakes that we make because we can only make this a journey with, I think compassion and forgiveness. So I think it's the best way to approach it for sure.
Gabe Ratliff: 01:21:56 I love how wise you are to be, to, to be cause I, cause I know that, I know that you are, I just want to acknowledge that you know, to, to be, you know, still coming up younger entrepreneur and activists to be so thoughtful. You know, that's one of the things I think is really a blessing about your generation is that there is this new consciousness that is, is coming out and this is what happened when you were having the talk with Nate that I referenced at the top of the show. I just could hear this, this, you know, and I'm not saying you know, you're the wise old wizard, right? I'm not trying to like blow smoke up your ass. I'm just saying like I appreciate to be coming from this space with this passion and fervor, but also having this, an understanding around what you just said is really something that some people never find that was done right. To speak from that space and to, to be able to say to yourself like, we need to, to acknowledge our mistakes and not come from perfectionism and to, you know, to appreciate the, you know, the, the, the flexibility that we need to have to be able to move forward and to acknowledge that, you know, some people don't ever recognize that even at their deathbed.
Paul Hunter: 01:23:18 Totally. I mean, we see it so much. I mean, first off, I want to say thank you. Like I really appreciate those words. We see it so much in politics today, especially like, you know, we argue back and forth about like climate solutions and it's like, realistically we are never ever going to arrive at a perfect plan ever. And even if we had all the brains in the world working towards a plan, like it's never gonna be perfect. It's never going to be perfect for everybody. More specifically. And what we need to do is just start and we need to recognize that our plan can be plastic, like our plant. Well, that's kind of a nasty pun, but plastic in the sense of being able to be molded and changed and all of that, like that is really important. And so I think like that is that's the goal there I think is just we need to be gentle with ourselves in this journey.
Gabe Ratliff: 01:24:12 Yeah. Again, I think that's one thing that's really great about where the startup generation or the startup environment and your generation has really helped to unpack is that kind of mentality. Right? And I think that's, that's why I want to give that acknowledgement and praise because I think that's something that previous generations have helped to get us here, but I think that's something that's really being enforced currently. Yeah,
Paul Hunter: 01:24:38 I think so too. And that's so good. That's so great. I always say like if you ask anybody what my coin phrase is, I always say what a time to be alive. And that is what that encompasses. It encompasses all of that. Like it really is this like crazy time to be alive right now in having and being able to have these conversations and be a part of this generation and everything. It really is just this incredible time to be alive.
Gabe Ratliff: 01:25:01 It is. I agree. I agree. I mean it's seeing analogs, transition to digital, seeing, you know, this, this interconnectivity across the planet and beyond into space travel and this, these like magnificent advances in technology and medicine. I mean, yeah, it's just crazy town. It's crazy talented. It is. For sure. So I got some fun wrapup questions I thought I'd ask you to, to kind of, I always like to end on a fun note. Favorite movie documentary at the moment.
Paul Hunter: 01:25:37 Favorite movie is definitely avatar. James Cannon run a that like from a, from an activist side and from a spiritual side. Like I just really identify with that, that movie. And it was so current I almost even a little bit before its time, but it was such a, such an incredible movie. So yeah, quick answer, avatar,
Gabe Ratliff: 01:25:55 Love it. Well, and it would have been even quicker ahead of his time if he didn't have to develop the technology to actually do the movie. I know, honestly, honestly, which she also did. He's been such a major part in underwater advances in technology and you have searched as well. I mean, just amazing. I love him. I'm a huge fan to the abyss aliens. Yeah. They're big ones for me as well. Yeah. What is the best or most worthwhile investment that you would say that you've made? And it could be, it doesn't matter what kind of investment, whether it's time, energy, or, or money.
Paul Hunter: 01:26:32 Ooh, I think, I mean, not even, just to go back to what we talked about today, but the time that I spent setting intentions is probably the most valuable investment that I can make in my own life, but also in the life of lives of people around me and just being intentional about my time and everything and making sure that I do invest that time in making those intentions. Because what it does is it increases the value of your time for the rest of your day or your month or your year or whatever it is. So I would say a time for intentions. Yeah.
Gabe Ratliff: 01:27:04 Well and that, that really is the currency, right? Surely is our currency is the ultimate currency. So what have you changed your mind about in the last few years that you may have believed before and why?
Paul Hunter: 01:27:21 Dang, that's a good one. And I've done a lot of self exploration around politics the past couple of years and what it means about the relationships in my life more specifically like, like re-examining this tribalism that's happening and, and the positive feedback loop that we live in today and that it doesn't like somebody, political views don't necessarily matter. Like there are a lot of other things about a person that you can know before, you know, their political views and a lot of things that can affect your relationships with people. And so that's something that I've learned and changed on is that like before it was very much like, you know, we've all done it and see like on Facebook somebody posts to a super like a post that's anti your view and you're just like, Oh I'm going to unfriend that person. Right. But that really just contributes to this positive feedback loop where you only see things that you agree with.
Paul Hunter: 01:28:14 And so that's something that I've really been intentional about is like engaging with those opposing viewpoints and making sure to like be friends with people and go out of my way to spend time with people who have opposite viewpoints as me because it is possible to have relationships with people who don't see the same way that you do. And I think that that's something that's missing and something that I've learned the past a couple of years. You really are wise wizard. I take it back. You are a wise wizard. You are, I was going to say, I think the term today is like woke. I don't know. Like, I'm not, I'm not like super in tune with the lingo or anything. I'm, I always say I'm like a 70 year old, 24 year old. I think that that is is definitely, Oh yeah, true. Huh? Intentionally man. Yeah, I totally think the term is woke. It's like it's not wise. It's woke like you're just educated. You are woke. Yeah. But I don't know where that came from. I just was like, I don't know. I had this kind of vision of this like really brilliant was wizard. Oh my gosh, this has been such a flattering experience. I can't even, I'm gonna tell you I wasn't expecting this.
Paul Hunter: 01:29:24 So Paul, I'm just curious to, you know, anything else that you'd like to say or any kind of last parting words or, gosh, I always like to close things out by telling people whoever's listening to keep asking questions. One of my favorite sayings is question everything because those questions are important. Like whether or not they have answers is another thing. But just asking the questions and getting to think about these answers is so important. So I always tell people, keep asking the questions like even when it's like sketchy or it doesn't feel like the right time, like ask the questions and ask the hard ones because that's how, that's how we're going to get there. Here, here, here, here.
Gabe Ratliff: 01:30:02 So you mentioned this earlier, but I wanted to, I'd love for you to reiterate where people can find you and instream water and any of the other things that you mentioned on the interwebs.
Paul Hunter: 01:30:14 Yeah, totally. The easiest way I just say in stream water at instream, I N S T R E a M water. I'm on either Facebook or Instagram. You can find more information on our website at [inaudible] dot com if you're interested in finding my personal social media, you can find me on most platforms at Paul dot. And dot. Hunter and Alan is spelled a L a N. Fantastic. Well, Paul,
Gabe Ratliff: 01:30:39 Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for all the work you're doing and everything you're putting out into the, into the world and, and the support you're giving to these organizations like instream water and the a week without.com. Campaigns that you're doing and yeah, just keep up the great work brother. Love it.
Paul Hunter: 01:30:57 Likewise guys. I so appreciate it. I mean, you're giving people a voice and, and putting it out there and in a way that's like creative and meaningful and that's just so amazing today. So I want to, I just want to tell you that I have so much gratitude and I'm so thankful. So thank you.
Gabe Ratliff: 01:31:13 Well, that's it for this episode. If this is your first time listening, thank you so much for being here. I really hope you enjoyed the show. The Artful Entrepreneur podcast comes out bi-weekly and is available every other Thursday for your enjoyment. And all links and show notes for this episode can be found at theartful.co. If you haven't yet, please subscribe to the show and leave a rating or review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you'd like to be a guest or know someone that would be a great fit, please go to the artful dot co slash guest and thanks again for listening. Until next time.
