From the river to the Flame.
A pontoon boat on the Milwaukee River, a fire pit for boats company that went out of business and a serial entrepreneur who couldn't let it go.
A pontoon and a fire pit
In 2016, I was in my mid 20’s living downtown Milwaukee, WI with a pontoon boat on the river… life didn’t get much better. Well, that was until I found one of my favorite purchases to date – a portable firepit that I could put on my pontoon and enjoy while I cruised the river with my friends. If you know anything about the Midwest, you know that we like to get the most out of our weather and this firepit took the chill out of the early Spring and late Fall days. And on those summer nights when the sun went down, everyone surrounded the firepit.
The lightbulb moment
15 years ago, I started a company called Spike Brewing Equipment. What started in a college basement as a side hustle to make some extra beer money, turned into the industry leader in home brewing equipment. However, being a serial entrepreneur, after 15 years I was looking for the next challenge. I wanted to see if I could make lightning strike twice and create another successful business. I didn’t know what that was going to be until I listed my boat for sale in 2022. I had pictures of the boat with the portable firepit on, and I received more inquiries about the firepit than the boat, lightbulb moment!
"I received more inquiries about the firepit than the boat"
Whiteboard sketch to real product
I knew the company I bought my portable firepit from went out of business many years ago and I had the idea to re-create this concept. My background is in engineering and over the last 15 years I’ve helped bring dozens of products from whiteboard sketch to international distribution. I don’t have many talents, but the one I do have is seeing a need in the market, being able to engineer a kick ass product and get that product out to the masses.
Sketch after sketch
Built-in handles, dynamic bends, controls moved up and a real grab point. Every round got a little closer to the Flame you can buy today.
One design, ready for anywhere
Years of sketches came down to one patented design: built for the water, light enough to carry and ready to go from the boat to the dock to the campsite.
The Floating Flame, re-introduced
Like I mentioned to start off, the portable propane firepit I bought in 2016 is still one of my favorite purchases of all time. It’s my pleasure and my excitement to re-introduce The Floating Flame! I hope you, your family, and friends enjoy it as much as I do!
Less complex.
More fun.
I’m a serial entrepreneur. I started in middle school selling wholesale t-shirts to friends and online. I started my last company from nothing and grew it to over $50m in lifetime sales. However, that left me burnt out. I took a step back to start a company that was more manageable, less complex and most importantly more enjoyable. That’s how Floating Flame was born!
Flame allows me to spend more time on my boat as well as traveling the country spending time on other boats. I’ve taken the Flame to football tailgates, countless nights spent with friends around the fire and scenic camping trips. I hope you enjoy using your Flame as much as I enjoy running it.
