They Accidentally Created a Million-Dollar Product!
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What's up, guys? Welcome back to another episode of Living the Red Life. Joining me today is Mike and Keith. We're going to chat about how they've taken their product nationwide. They're in big box stores, Home Depot, brands that you probably shop at, and they're always innovating. And I love this story, how they've constantly innovated. They've got this new product that is probably going to disrupt the industry. So yeah, and we're going to talk a lot about the entrepreneur journey too. My name's Rudy Moore, host of Living the Red Life podcast.

I'm here to change the way you see your life in your earpiece every single week. If you're ready to start living the red life, ditch the blue pill, take the red pill, join me in Wonderland and change your life. Guys, welcome to the show. All right. Thank you. Thank you. So let's talk about it. You know, you guys are obviously doing a lot of great things. You're innovating. You've got this new exciting product coming out. Do you want to just tell everyone a bit about how you got here and what you're up to? Sure. So we...

Obviously, we started, like we said, with a different technology. And I wouldn't say that it failed. A ton of hurdles to jump. And, you know, everything works out for a reason, right? So we stumbled across...

a different type of, uh, coating. Yeah. And, uh, we eventually started putting it on shingles. Well, let's, and let's just go big picture if someone's listening, cause you know, you're not the typical, uh, maybe supplement business that we might interview. Right. So, uh, do you want to explain big picture what your company does and the products too? Oh, well, big picture is, is that, uh, once we organized to do this, we started making a, uh,

um, uh, coatings in general for concrete for most anything that you will have at your home for home maintenance. Uh, the idea was to produce a, a product that was, um, environmentally friendly, easy to use, but performed at the highest level possible for the least amount of money without having to hire a professional. Yeah. The typical DIY, which is, which is what I've always been my entire life. So, um, that falls right into our niche right there. So we, we, uh,

created a very unique product that we feel performs close to the solvent epoxies without going into the solvent issues that you bring along with that. And so the homeowner, especially people in areas that have to deal with air quality standards, this is a perfect product.

Perfect solution. And so you took that product, obviously, you know, the latest one is, you know, really something you're kind of gung-ho on and you think it's going to change the industry, you know, take off. It actually, we actually started it on it in 2010. Yeah. It was a, uh,

a process to get to there. We noticed that we could use this to preserve shingles. And started it and got it into market in 2013. And it's a massive industry, right? Six billion a year. New tech. Billion. It's catching on. A lot of people are joining in on this and it's good for everybody actually. So this is going to extend roof life for how many years?

- It depends on the shape of your roof to begin with, but you can count on a good five year expansion for people that need it or just don't have the money to replace the roof. They can come in and

and extend it, do maintenance on it, helps protect it along the way so you can, it keeps your roof looking prettier. And tell us a little about the entrepreneur journey to get there, right? Because I heard the, you know, started in 2010, right? A bit further ahead than that now. Started a little long before that. As partners or best friends, we've been scrambling since 2010.

He was 15 and I was 19. So the partnership has always run smooth as you could probably imagine. But that's when it started and we've worked in the construction industries. He worked in wood preservation. I worked in heavy civil and

and work with coatings and concrete, a whole 30-year career just about. We kind of just bonded our experience, you know? I mean, not only being best friends, but then business partners. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We just kind of pivoted from our own company. And what was the moment you had this big idea? Like, was there one moment you remember? The dealer. Yeah. When the other failed and we had to clean up and what we produced was an incredibly –

beautiful coating on our floor that would have come up. - It was the wildest thing. The solution that we put into our other product leaked on the floor. - Okay. - And the car was pulled into the garage, the oil leaked on the concrete.

The next day went and wiped the concrete clean. The oil did not even penetrate. So we were like, oh, well, we have a concrete sealer now. There you go. That started from there. And then we went straight to some manufacturers and told manufacturers and worked out the chemistry and and.

They were impressed. Yeah. So he would call me and say, I have this wild idea. And I guess I'm kind of the loose wheel between the two of us. And I would just put it on anything and everything just to see if it would stick. Okay. So, you know, no chemistry background for me. But, you know, I was just kind of a trial and error guy. Yeah, yeah. And I put it on a, I had an old 40-year-old shingle outside of my barn. And I coated half of it.

And I just left it there for like two months. I didn't even tell him. And I came back to it and I just scratched on it with a knife. You know, you touch one side, the granules would come off. And when those come off, that's when your roof starts failing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The side that I sealed, I couldn't get the... That was ripping my fingernail off trying to get them off. And this is on a 40-year-old shingle. Wow. So...

It's like the accidental success, right? Started working to perfect that and make it a viable product. We didn't see there wasn't one then. Yeah, yeah.

Well, let's talk about that journey because I mean, entrepreneurship, you know, it's sometimes you fall into the next big idea, right? And then but then there's a big gap to making it reality and selling it. How's that journey been? It was tough to begin with. When we started doing it, no one really heard of that idea and thought it was kind of crazy.

But we kept pushing it, kept doing it, showing the results. People started seeing the benefits of it. It started picking up, picking up, and we eventually showcased it in Vegas in 2019, I believe, at the International Builder Show. Created a lot of buzz. And subsequently, we'd already been able to ship through big box stores prior to that, but then...

introduced that into the big box stores and it's just kind of exploded since then. And how was it getting going with the big box stores? Like, was that when you finally got on there? Were you like, this is a big moment for us? Yeah, that was a big moment for us because it's a lot of exposure, um,

And a lot of people would love to have that. And it's a great tool. So if someone's listening, they have a product and they're selling online direct to consumer and that's most of the audience, most of the entrepreneurs, they just...

best they maybe get it on Amazon, right? They sell on the website, get it on Amazon, right? Their products. How did, how'd you go about like, you know, even just the mindset of looking differently, looking like, Hey, I can do wholesale. I can do big box stores, right? What would you advise someone looking at that expansion? Well, I mean, just,

For us, that was really the only place that we thought a concrete sealer should be or a roof sealer is at a hardware store. That's where we targeted. At the time, Amazon really wasn't... They weren't a construction type of... Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so we just persisted on it and eventually...

met all the requirements for that they needed so we were able to get in so great and and what's next for you guys long term next few years five years ten years what's the vision uh well we're instead of being a provider for a home for the big bucks suppliers we've expanded the product line trying to work with individual contractors yeah uh develop uh uh

to give opportunities for other roofers, contractors to bring- - They can make money. - And add it to their portfolio. It's a great way for them to add money to their- - Yeah, easy upsell, right? - Yeah, you can actually help people with this product. It saves people a lot of money. - Well, roofs aren't cheap. - Roofs are not cheap. Shingles are not cheap. But the crazy thing is, we probably didn't mention this, you can put this down,

Get your five years, depending on what shape your roof is, and then you can do it again. So you just kind of keep going. Yeah. Yeah. Love that. It's absolutely time to replace it. Yeah. Or you sell the house. Or you sell the house. Yeah. Love it. So let's talk about the entrepreneur journey outside of that.

I always like to ask people on this podcast, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. So was there a time where you had a big failure or you doubted yourselves or you struggled that you remember and now you look back on? I think it happens every day. You know, you have to, if you're not getting it done, then you just have to work harder. Yes. So you have to be able to balance the highs and the lows. Yeah.

For me, that's kind of the way I see it. We scream at each other twice a week. But we always get it done. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, it's been rough. We started early as friends right out of high school. We had no idea what we were going to do. And we just started scrambling for anything. Hustling, yeah. We hung wallpaper.

For years. Lots of things. I mean, just did anything to make money. Yeah. Yeah. That's kind of how it's always been. Yeah. I guess it's probably struggling along the way, but it was just life really. And so we didn't let it trouble us. Well, people say that the only ship that doesn't sail is a partnership, right? But I think when you have a good buddy that you're doing, you've been doing it with forever and you have an understanding, like,

I'll have kids, so I'll have a rough day and not get any sleep one day. He's able to kind of pick up the slack. So if you have a partner, it's good to have somebody in business that can pick you up when you're... Well, I was going to ask that. How's the leadership dynamics with two of you? So you both have to be leaders. Yeah. So he kind of handles the inside stuff.

And I handle the operations and manufacturing side of everything. I handle everything else. And we don't cross the line. So you guys divide and conquer. Yeah. I mean, he does his thing. I do my thing. And, you know, sometimes that switches, you know, if he's on vacation or something. But, you know, when you're just...

getting going in the beginning, there were no vacations. Yeah, yeah. Your vacation was making product, you know. We put, we don't outsource a lot of stuff. Like, we still...

put the stickers on all the bottles, package everything. We do everything ourselves. It's completely made in the USA, in-house business, and that's kind of what we want to keep. Yeah, and that's rare these days, right? So last couple of questions I always like to ask people. You know, you've been doing business a long time, right? You've had ups and downs. You've got this product. Someone's starting out. What tips would you give them?

You just have to believe in what you're doing. Believe in yourself. Believe in yourself and believe in what you're doing. And you're going to make mistakes along the way. Just learn from that mistake. Keep going. I know it sounds so typical, but it's the truth. Keep it simple and keep going.

Always have a goal to reach at the end of the day, every day. Try to come up with something that you can complete. So, Mike, breaking it down, daily goals. Yeah, I love that. Yeah. Attainable goals. Daily goals are important. If you try to set a goal too far ahead with not having the steps in between, you get lost. So just...

A realistic goals. A realistic goals. Daily, realistic, achievable. Yeah, I think the goals people get so focused on the big ones and they don't do the small ones. And I'm always teaching it's the small everyday things that equal the big ones. Yeah, well, they get in their head. They're like, I'm going to be a millionaire. Well, there's a little bit you got to do. You got to lose some sleep before you get to that point. Yeah, I love that. My whole life, whatever I've done, anything always...

tackle the smaller things first to get a few wins. It makes you get the momentum going. Yeah, yeah. Small things add up all the time, whether it's athletes, they train three, four hours a day, right? Just train, train, train for one moment in a match or a hundred meter sprint in Olympics every four years. Good. Last question. People, maybe they have a roof and they know how much roofs cost and they don't want to replace it anytime soon. How do they find the product and learn more about the company?

The best way to learn about the product and the company is to look us up on our website or our Facebook or Instagram account. You see the different product lines. You can find the product that fits what you need, and we have a good portfolio there to handle many different things that you have at your house for protection, for beautification, for...

all the way from the roof to your sidewalk and driveway. Love it. And that's at vitalcoat.com. Vitalcoat.com. Guys, that's a wrap. Awesome duo story here. Great partnership. Obviously getting amazing products going in big box retail. Hopefully took a few lessons, not only on the business side, but also the entrepreneurial journey side. That's what this podcast is all about. As always, keep working hard and living the red life. I'll see you guys soon.