# Growing a Profitable Manufacturing Business Without Outside Investors w/ Kyle Ewing

- Show: [The Manufacturing Executive](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive)
- Published: 2025-10-14
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-10-14-growing-a-profitable-manufacturing-business-without-outside-investors-w-kyle-ewi
- Listen: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-manufacturing-executive#episode-4f09605f-1e9b-4f2b-8e1c-fbf5a96c4134

## Summary

Kyle Ewing, founder and CEO of TerraSlate, explains how he bootstrapped the waterproof paper company to over $40 million in revenue without outside investors by enforcing strict prepayment policies and mastering cold calling. He details the operational discipline of holding two months of core capital to survive disruptions and paying vendors early to secure favorable treatment during supply chain crises. Ewing also describes his intentional culture-building strategy, including comprehensive onboarding and life insurance benefits, to attract and retain high-performing employees in a non-glamorous industry.

## Chapters

- [0:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-10-14-growing-a-profitable-manufacturing-business-without-outside-investors-w-kyle-ewi#t=35) Introduction: Kyle Ewing and TerraSlate
- [6:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-10-14-growing-a-profitable-manufacturing-business-without-outside-investors-w-kyle-ewi#t=407) Bootstrapping TerraSlate and the First Production Run
- [9:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-10-14-growing-a-profitable-manufacturing-business-without-outside-investors-w-kyle-ewi#t=540) Cold Calling Strategy and Customer Acquisition
- [15:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-10-14-growing-a-profitable-manufacturing-business-without-outside-investors-w-kyle-ewi#t=944) Enforcing Prepayment Policies and Cash Flow
- [26:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-10-14-growing-a-profitable-manufacturing-business-without-outside-investors-w-kyle-ewi#t=1573) Vendor Relationships and Core Capital Reserves
- [31:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-10-14-growing-a-profitable-manufacturing-business-without-outside-investors-w-kyle-ewi#t=1885) Intentional Culture and Employee Retention
- [38:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-10-14-growing-a-profitable-manufacturing-business-without-outside-investors-w-kyle-ewi#t=2320) Parting Advice on Public Speaking and Content

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- TerraSlate (company)
- Guerrilla 76 (company)
- Ink 5000 (other)
- MIT (other)
- Shark Tank (other)

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- [044: Turning customizable jackets into a multi-million dollar business, Elyse Daniels of Exodus Wear](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani) (Product Startup)
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- [S3 E7: Building Bootstrapped Hardware That Sells with Christian Reed](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2026-01-13-s3-e7-building-bootstrapped-hardware-that-sells-with-christian-reed) (The Builder Circle)

## Citing this page

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