We Lost Money for 23 Years… Then Saved 40 Million Lives - Kurt Avery

2026-02-20

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What does it take to build a global company that loses money for 23 of its first 25 years and still impacts tens of millions of lives? In this episode of Insight Out, I sit down with Kurt Avery, founder of Sawyer Products, to explore the 40-year journey from a French snake bite kit to a global leader in water filtration and insect repellent. Sawyer has changed tens of millions of lives while giving away over 90% of its profits to communities worldwide. Kurt shares how persistence, product discipline, and listening to real customer problems created what many call...

What does it take to build a global company that loses money for 23 of its first 25 years and still impacts tens of millions of lives?

In this episode of Insight Out, I sit down with Kurt Avery, founder of Sawyer Products, to explore the 40-year journey from a French snake bite kit to a global leader in water filtration and insect repellent. Sawyer has changed tens of millions of lives while giving away over 90% of its profits to communities worldwide.

Kurt shares how persistence, product discipline, and listening to real customer problems created what many call an “overnight success.” He recalls a missionary in Uganda discovering that children aren’t named until age three because so many don’t survive, an insight that shaped Sawyer’s approach.

We dive into his marketing philosophy, early educator targeting, influencer strategies before they were mainstream, and his refusal to build “me too” products. He also explains frameworks like the decision matrix and creative destruction that guide pricing and long-term strategy.

From Haiti to rural Africa and now toward eliminating malaria in children, this conversation redefines what business success can mean.

Feeling like quitting because results aren’t coming fast enough? Kurt’s story will inspire you. Tune in to learn how to build something that lasts and leaves a legacy beyond profit.

In this episode, we discuss:

[00:00] Introduction
[02:26] Introduction to Kurt Avery
[05:26] Water filtration breakthroughs and growth
[08:10] Disaster response & 40M served
[15:03] Early marketing lessons
[17:39] Customer-centric product development
[20:01] Key milestones and the internet’s role
[23:19] The lens for deciding categories
[25:25] Best ways to educate early adopters
[31:36] Kurt’s pricing philosophy
[35:36] Outside-the-box thinking vs. business school
[42:44] Sawyer’s philanthropic model and foundation
[44:16] What business owners get wrong about philanthropy
[50:21] Kurt on his legacy
[56:24] Where to support Sawyer
[57:41] Kurt on advice for his younger self

Notable Quotes

[04:46] “We lost money 23 of the first 25 years till we became an overnight success.” – Kurt
[07:28] “Your hair is 170 microns. So we are that much. We're one 10th or 17 miles. We're like 170 times smaller than your hair is our largest hole.” – Kurt
[07:50] “Nothing biological can get through there to make you sick. They're all bigger than that.” – Kurt
[09:32] “We had one in Uganda. Missionary goes in, they, he finds out that the first week you don't name your kids till they're three years old. Why is that? Because we lose so many of 'em.” – Kurt
[10:03] “I think we're at 40 million people now have gotten clean water from our filters with it.” – Kurt
[10:11] “We can give somebody 10 years of water for as low as a one-time investment of 30 cents.” – Kurt
[29:21] “You spend your money on the casual fringe is lucky, hardcore, you don't need to spend money on them, but then you develop your products from them.” – Kurt
[30:25] “Any buyer's probably got four or five people looking for a piece of the action on everything he buys.” – Kurt
[43:01] “Our whole philosophy is we'd rather give the money away than the federal government. So we try to minimize our profit.” – Kurt
[50:33] “As long as I get to heaven and God says, well done. The good and faithful service.” – Kurt

Kurt Avery

Website: https://www.sawyer.com/
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sawyer-products/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Sawyer-Products
Book: Sawyer Think: How a Small Company Disrupts Markets and Changes the World

Billy Samoa Saleebey