Most people say they believe in their idea.
Tom Akers actually bet on his.
Not casually.
Not with a little side money.
He took his retirement savings and put it into building something that did not really have a roadmap.
“I took my whole retirement and we kind of bought all the equipment.”
That is a different level of belief.
He had no manufacturing background
This is what made the story even crazier.
Tom was not some lifelong factory owner.
He had never run a manufacturing facility before.
“I’ve never worked in a factory.”
So when the equipment showed up, he thought it would be simple.
Plug it in.
Hit start.
Make the product.
Then reality showed up.
“There was no start button.”
That line made me laugh, but it also says a lot about entrepreneurship.
You think you are buying the solution.
Then you realize you bought a new set of problems.
The first smart move was hiring help
Tom admitted something a lot of owners do not always admit.
He needed someone who knew what he did not know.
“Our engineer was life saving once we hired him.”
That is a big lesson.
You do not need to know everything.
But you do need enough humility to bring in the right people.
Follow up changed everything
One of my favorite parts of the episode was Tom talking about follow up.
Not fancy marketing.
Not a complicated sales funnel.
Just following up when most people disappear.
“Every night before I go to bed, I follow up.”
That is simple.
But it is rare.
And it is probably one of the biggest reasons doors kept opening for him.
A no was not really a no
Tom also talked about how he views rejection.
Most people hear no and stop.
He treats it more like a puzzle.
“When you get a no, it’s not no, it’s kind of like a challenge on how do I get a yes.”
That mindset is huge.
Especially when you are building something new.
Because if the product is different, people need time.
They need education.
They need trust.
Relationships still matter
One of the coolest parts of the story was how a relationship from decades ago came back around.
Tom talked about a client from the 90s who eventually became an investor.
That does not happen from one transaction.
That happens from years of showing up, following up, and treating people right.
In a world obsessed with automation and AI…
That lesson still matters.
Final thought
This episode is not really about soap.
It is about betting on yourself.
Building something without a clear roadmap.
Learning what you do not know.
Solving problems every day.
And staying in the game long enough for doors to open.
A lot of people like the idea of entrepreneurship.
This conversation showed the real version.
Risk.
Pressure.
Persistence.
And a whole lot of figuring it out as you go.