✅ Kyle Ewing, founder of Terra Slate, shares his entrepreneurial journey from previous failed ventures to the success of his waterproof paper and menus company.

✅ Kyle's first company, Gorilla Tags ID Systems, was acquired by a competitor, teaching him valuable lessons about business and the need for profitability.

✅ Kyle then started Test Line, a Tesla-only rideshare service, but failed due to underpricing rides and the high cost of maintaining Teslas.

✅ The idea of creating a waterproof and rip-proof backup copy of passports led Kyle to develop a material that eventually found a niche in oil and gas exploration for printing materials in trucks.

✅ The material, called Terra Slate Waterproof, found a significant market in the restaurant industry due to its durability, recyclability, and longevity compared to traditional lamination.

✅ Kyle emphasizes the importance of protecting intellectual property through trade secrets rather than patents to maintain a competitive advantage.

✅ Terra Slate's development process involved overcoming challenges and iterations to create a flexible, heat-resistant, and toner-friendly material.

✅ Kyle continually works on multiple inventions, seeking feedback and iterating on minimum viable products.

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Kyle Ewing, the founder of Terra Slate, shares his entrepreneurial journey, which includes failed ventures and eventual success with his waterproof paper and menus company. He recounts his experiences with previous companies, including Gorilla Tags ID Systems, and the lessons he learned about the importance of profitability. Kyle's foray into the rideshare industry with Test Line taught him the significance of proper pricing and sustainable business models. The idea of creating a waterproof backup copy of passports led Kyle to develop Terra Slate, a material that found applications in oil and gas exploration and, ultimately, the restaurant industry. Kyle emphasizes the value of trade secrets over patents for protecting intellectual property. He also discusses the challenging development process of Terra Slate and his constant pursuit of new inventions, seeking feedback on minimum viable products.

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:25 The Startups on the Path

00:02:15 Developing Waterproof Menus

00:04:44 Finding the Use Case

00:06:26 Patent vs Trade Secret

00:07:56 The Process of Development

00:09:54 The Serial Inventor

00:14:52 Contact Kyle