Most people don’t think twice about doing laundry. Turns out, it’s one of the biggest sources of microplastic pollution on the planet.

In this episode, Steve Cross sits down with Max Pennington, co-founder and CEO of CLEANR, to break down how a random discovery turned into a real company solving a real problem. They get into what it actually looks like to build a physical product from scratch: prototypes, patents, manufacturing headaches, investor dynamics, and the kind of failures you don’t see on LinkedIn. This is a conversation about figuring it out as you go, and why “good enough” usually isn’t.

About Our Guest

Max Pennington is the co-founder and CEO of CLEANR, a company focused on removing microplastics from everyday water systems. With a background in chemical engineering from Case Western, he helped develop a patented vortex filtration system that captures over 90% of microplastics from laundry.

CLEANR has already launched its first product and is pushing toward a bigger goal: getting this tech built directly into washing machines and expanding into whole-home water filtration. Max is in the middle of building it, figuring out product, market, and scale in real time.

About Success Stories

Welcome to Success Stories, the podcast where Steve Cross sits down with the sharpest minds in business to unpack what it really takes to grow.

From scrappy upstarts to category leaders, each conversation reveals the mindset, strategies, and personal stories behind bold decisions and breakthrough moments. No fluff. No gurus. Just real founders, real operators, and real results.

If you're a growth-obsessed entrepreneur, marketing leader, or future founder, this playlist is your shortcut to hard-earned wisdom from those who've built it, scaled it, and lived to tell the tale.

👉 Subscribe to the channel and hit the bell so you never miss an episode.

👉If you think you can hang, this link is for you. https://stevecross.wtf

👉 For more about iSynergy and how we help brands grow through strategic digital marketing, visit https://isynergy.io/connect/.

#SuccessStories #Startup #BuildInPublic #FounderJourney #HardTech #ProductDevelopment #Entrepreneurship #StartupLessons #CleanTech #Microplastics #WaterInnovation #Sustainability #FutureOfTech #Manufacturing #Startups #BusinessGrowth #Innovation #RealConversations #NoBS

This episode flips the typical “success story” on its head. Sean Hackett didn’t follow a clean, linear path. He went from competitive academics to acting, got knocked off course, learned business the hard way in the Chicago Board of Trade, and eventually found his way into the plumbing and construction world. What you get here isn’t theory; it’s decades of real-world experience around pressure, money, leadership, and what actually builds trust in business. The conversation centers on responsiveness, accountability, and why most people lose opportunities simply by not doing the basics consistently. It’s a grounded, no-BS look at how success is really built over time.

About Our Guest

Sean Hackett is the job coordinator at R. Carrozza Plumbing in the Chicago market, where he manages bids, proposals, and project coordination across a wide range of construction work. Before that, he spent years at the Chicago Board of Trade, working his way up from runner to broker and eventually leading a team through some of the most high-pressure financial environments imaginable, including trading during 9/11. That experience shaped how he approaches business today: know your customers, respond fast, stay accountable, and don’t cut corners with other people’s money. His background blends blue-collar industry knowledge, financial market discipline, and a strong belief that relationships (and reputation) are everything.

About Success Stories

Welcome to Success Stories, the podcast where Steve Cross sits down with the sharpest minds in business to unpack what it really takes to grow.

From scrappy upstarts to category leaders, each conversation reveals the mindset, strategies, and personal stories behind bold decisions and breakthrough moments. No fluff. No gurus. Just real founders, real operators, and real results.

If you're a growth-obsessed entrepreneur, marketing leader, or future founder, this playlist is your shortcut to hard-earned wisdom from those who've built it, scaled it, and lived to tell the tale.

👉 Subscribe to the channel and hit the bell so you never miss an episode.

👉If you think you can hang, this link is for you. https://stevecross.wtf

👉 For more about iSynergy and how we help brands grow through strategic digital marketing, visit https://isynergy.io/connect/.

#Entrepreneurship #StartupStory #BusinessGrowth #FounderLife #WomenInBusiness #SuccessStories #Leadership #BuildInPublic #Hustle #Mindset #StartupJourney #BusinessPodcast #ScaleUp #NoExcuses

This episode with Tom Berka, owner of Badlands Distribution, is a real look at what it actually takes to build something from nothing; no polished startup story, just hard work, risk, and figuring it out as you go. Tom walks through his journey from running delivery routes in the middle of the night to scaling a multi-state distribution business with hundreds of accounts. The conversation dives into the realities of growth: why most obstacles are worse in your head, how saying yes too often can hurt you, and the hard shift from employee to owner. It’s a blunt, practical breakdown of risk, execution, and what it really means to build a business that survives.

About Our Guest

Tom Berka is the owner of Badlands Distribution, a logistics and distribution company operating across Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, the Dakotas, and beyond. He built the business from the ground up after years in delivery and commercial distribution, turning a small opportunity with just a few dozen accounts into a company with hundreds of delivery points and a growing team. Tom specializes in scaling distribution in underserved markets (which most companies avoid) and has built his business on execution, reliability, and long-term partnerships with major brands like Nestlé and Unilever.

About Success Stories

Welcome to Success Stories, the podcast where Steve Cross sits down with the sharpest minds in business to unpack what it really takes to grow.

From scrappy upstarts to category leaders, each conversation reveals the mindset, strategies, and personal stories behind bold decisions and breakthrough moments. No fluff. No gurus. Just real founders, real operators, and real results.

If you're a growth-obsessed entrepreneur, marketing leader, or future founder, this playlist is your shortcut to hard-earned wisdom from those who've built it, scaled it, and lived to tell the tale.

👉 Subscribe to the channel and hit the bell so you never miss an episode.

👉If you think you can hang, this link is for you. https://stevecross.wtf

👉 For more about iSynergy and how we help brands grow through strategic digital marketing, visit https://isynergy.io/connect/.

#entrepreneurship #businessgrowth #smallbusiness #logistics #distribution #leadership #founderstory #startupjourney #riskandreward #businessowner #growthmindset #successstories #scalingbusiness #operations #realbusiness