004 - How to Interrupt an Industry

with Fred Koelling

Episode 004

In our conversation with Fred Koelling, one of the founding members behind the success of Lockdowel, he explains some of the failures and hardships the company has endured to date and what they are doing to remedy them.  

Fred has always been an inventor, looking for better ways to make or do something.  When his son Bryan Koelling, now President of Lockdowel, came to him with a problem he was experiencing attaching fins to a surfboard, Fred invented a snap-together fastener that made it easy to change or replace surfboard fins. Several years and prototypes later, the same technology was used to interrupt the woodworking industry and LockDowel was born.

But innovation is always met with push back.

“Getting shops to switch to Lockdowel has been challenging. Our product is more expensive than traditional fasteners when compared on a part cost basis", says Fred. For the past several years, Fred and LockDowel have proceeded to Push Thru the challenges of disrupting an industry. After countless improvements to the LockDowel product, the value of their technology is really catching on. Today there are more than 30 machines in distribution and by the end of 2018, LockDowel expects more than 150 machines will be in use in the US and Canada.

We hope you enjoy this episode of the Push Thru Podcast!

 

Quick Cuts

Best advice or quote

"If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you’d like to win, but think you can’t,
It’s almost a certain you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost.
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will:
It’s all in his state of mind.

If you think you’re outclassed, you are.
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You’ll ever win that prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can.

Personal habit/trait that makes you more successful

"Having a strong family is the base for success."

What does the future of outsourcing look like?

"Drip marketing, getting information to the qualified leads."

1 resource, app, or anything that makes you better

"Trello."

1 book that you consider to be your favorite

"Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill"

 

Show Notes

Fred Koelling, one of the founding members behind the success of Lockdowel, explains some of the failures and hardships the company has endured while interrupting the woodworking industry. Fred will be the first to tell you that innovation is always met with resistance. Listen in to our conversation with Fred to learn how to Push Thru the challenges of innovation.

Links:

For more on LockDowel: http://bit.ly/lockdowel

To get in contact with Fred Koelling: fred@lockdowel.com

To learn more about Trello: http://bit.ly/2pJp1FJ

For Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill: http://amzn.to/2Ep7Ews

For great articles on the Cabinet Industry: http://bit.ly/2lg7UpA

To learn more about Ultimate Cabinet Components: http://bit.ly/2lwT5Qw

To get in contact with Jeff Finney: http://bit.ly/2BZbzTZ