On 5 Minute Salute, our host Chris Budihas talks to veterans making a difference in their communities. Today, Chris has the honor to speak with Kenny Hill.
Kenny Hill
Co-owner of Insandity
Website Address: theinsandity.com
What’s one thing we should know that makes your company unique?
Started by retired Navy SEAL.
What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome in your business?
Getting product to market.
How do you define success?
Happiness in what you do.
How did you get started in your field of work?
Picked up a pencil and started drawing.
Transcript:
Chris:
Welcome to the five minute salute. I’m your host, Chris Budihas. Today’s show is sponsored by the Military Affairs and Veterans Department of the City of Jacksonville. Harrison Conyers and his team are squaring our veterans with the benefits. They aren’t the military. Talking about veterans in the studio, I got Kenny Hill with Insandity. Kenny, how are you?
Kenny:
I’m good, Chris. Good to see you, man.
Chris:
So before we get into Insandity, a little bit of background on you, where are you originally from and what you do in the military?
Kenny:
Okay, so I grew up in Dallas, Texas. Yeah.
Chris:
Got a little bit of twang now.
Kenny:
I Yeah, I try to hide it, but, yeah. So I left for boot camp, Navy boot camp the day after I turned 18. Yeah. And then, I went to the fleet, did some time in the fleet, and I got orders to buds. Okay. And then after buds, I basically finished out my career as a Navy Seal.
Chris:
Okay, wonderful.
Kenny:
I was fortunate enough to retire in 20 years.
Chris:
Okay, well, thank you for your service. So can I ask what teams you’re in?
Kenny:
So I start off at 172. Okay. And then I went to trade it and then I went out to unit one. Guam. Yeah. Unit one. And then I went to a new team called Satu. Okay. I think it’s SR now. And then they changed.
Chris:
Into special reconnaissance.
Kenny:
Support. Okay.
Chris:
Oh, yeah. Gotcha. Yeah. So thank you for your service. When did you retire?
Kenny:
In 2012.
Chris:
Okay. Well, wonderful. You still look good. You should keep staying fit, because, of course, you don’t want to get in trouble with the Seal community. You only see fat seals out there, so that’s great. So, since you’ve gotten out, you created this company and this product. Insandity. Can you tell us more about it?
Kenny:
So the Insandity is it’s basically essentially, it’s a pressurized water system, okay? And it attaches, you know, to just regular drinking models. Okay. So that makes use of, like, what you might have laying around your car and your trunk. Yeah. And the idea behind it is, when you go to the beach and you come back from the beach and like, you go to the shower station to rinse off.
Chris:
Very familiar.
Kenny:
Yeah. It’s out of order. Yeah. Or there’s just a long line. Yeah. Or there’s not even one there because you’re, you know, a remote beach or something. Right. And so you can just pop one of these on to your to drink bottle water that you might have brought to the beach and pop it up and spray away and and you’re clean.
Chris:
It’s so funny because I, I carry a couple two core canteens, which you’re familiar with and then a couple of water bottles underneath the back, in the back of my truck, underneath the bench seats, and for just that purpose because, yeah, the sand gets in areas like, how the heck do I get the stuff out? But you’re right.
Like down in, you know, Saint Augustine Beach, for example, is a great example of like, hey, I need to spray this stuff off to get my vehicle or I’ll be dealing with it later. But there’s there’s other functions there where people can use this.
Kenny:
That’s awesome. Oh for sure. Like recently had an amusement park. You know, I was waiting in line for a ride and everything. And I looked down at the kids, and they’re covered in ice cream and cotton candy and just sticky and, like, I don’t want to leave the line because I was on wait for a half hour.
And so I, you know, it’s in the stroller. Just pop it out. Yeah. Pump it up and clean them up and they’re good to go. And yeah.
Chris:
An example that I’m thinking of right now that I could use last week is, my shed where my hose is at the house that sheds further away, and it doesn’t reach. And so the birds love me some gifts there on the window, on the shed. And I’m like, so I get the five gallon bucket out and get a sponge and then fill it up and go out there, I can just take a water bottle, go out there and clean it off within seconds rather than me out there scrubbing.
So that’s pretty huge.
Kenny:
And the beauty of it is the efficiency because it takes this water and like normally it might take like a whole jug, you know, just to clean off one, you know, like maybe your feet and your family’s feet or something like that. But I could clean my whole family with that one bottle.
Chris:
Wow. No kidding. So. So how long have you been in the market?
Kenny:
So I, let’s see. I started this about a year and a half ago. Okay? And it was a little slow getting started up. Just figuring out the kinks and, you know, figuring out the
Chris:
Gotta have a good product, right? I got so many friends, you know, especially you’re selling to the vegan community. But here we’re selling to everybody. You know, you want to make sure you get the five star reviews, you know, one star review, especially the veteran community here. And tell everybody else, right.
Kenny:
Well, we’re sponsoring the Mayport Mud Run this year, so I’m trying to get the word out there and have people see the uses. Yeah, especially the mud run.
Chris:
So, is it right now online sales? Is that how you’re getting out in the market?
Kenny:
No, actually, it is in two stores, at the beach right now. Jack surf and paddle and, and then there’s, Atlantic pro divers on, and Atlantic
Chris:
Beach. Okay. And you’re looking for other stores here locally. They want to carry it and to reach out to you.
Kenny:
Yes. There’s a lot of red, red tape. They always want these, you know, requirements and everything. So I’m working through those right now. No. I’m sorry.
Chris:
Oh. Would you mind doing a quick demonstration? I’m sure if you give me the bucket, I’ll hold it.
Kenny:
Okay.
Chris:
I’m gonna put my life in the hands of a seal here.
Kenny:
So you just pump it up? Yeah, you’ll feel that. I don’t get a lot of pressure. Yeah, and then you just open this up to what you want, okay?
Chris:
Spray away.
Kenny:
Sometimes. Oh, you can, make it, a gentle spray. Yeah. That’s great for your kids’ faces and whatnot.
Chris:
They’re doing, I don’t know, football practice, soccer practice, baseball, whatever. You got a little bit of a mestre there. So that’s interesting. So you were spraying and it sounded, you know, like almost 10s of spraying and the loss of water, the efficiency coming out of the nozzles was very high. That’s huge.
Kenny:
And that’s why efficiency comes in. And it will, you know, like if you have a regular Coke bottle, like you could fill up with water that would last you a long time.
Chris:
So what was the inspiration to create this?
Kenny:
Well, sand has always been my nemesis.
Chris:
You’re going to say if you’re. I’m sure you’re experiencing buds.
Kenny:
After doing sugar cookies where they, you know, go out in the water and then they roll around in the sand and everything and, and and then even being overseas, you know, in, like in Iraq, there’s sand everywhere. And so it’s always been my nemesis. And then when I moved to Florida, you know, you come to the beach and just, I just had to find a better way than dumping a whole water bottle, you know, trying to clean up.
Chris:
Yeah. And right now, you are kind of in growth mode. Looking to expand. Get some more companies to pick this up. Are you looking for online sales? Eventually you think you’ll go that way.
Kenny:
Oh, I, I do have online sales. Okay. We have a website up so you can get it there.
Chris:
So what is the website?
Kenny:
The website is www.TheInsandity.com.
Chris:
Okay. We’ll put that on our show notes. So make sure folks encourage them to go check you out, see what you know, see the product and get on some online sales. Can I ask for a price per unit that you’re selling this at?
Kenny:
Right now it’s $12.99.
Chris:
That’s in your cheap date. That’s good. Yeah. And a great tool, of course, if you want the kids to have fun. I mean, I’m personally, at first thing I thought, I like water, water bottle flight
Kenny:
And I’ve seen that savvy and
Chris:
Where I protect kids. So. So, you know, you’ve been out for a while as a retiree and, you know, you’re an entrepreneur in this space right now. What’s your one bit of advice? Because we have almost, you know, anywhere between 4 to 900, you know, service members being discharged at a local community between us, Jax, Mayport and Kings Bay.
And then the National Guard is a huge presence at her camp landing. Any one bit of advice as they transition out that you would give them to have a successful transition?
Kenny:
Well, my experience was to get your medical stuff. Yeah, right. It’s a big deal because if you don’t have any on your record. Yeah, VA just kind of doesn’t even act like it exists.
Chris:
Yeah. No, that’s great advice. I find folks, they don’t get themselves squared away medically. It’s exponentially harder once they. Yeah. Not impossible, just very much harder.
Kenny:
Right.
Chris:
That’s great. So, Kenny, it’s good to see you one more time. How do they find the website?
Kenny:
So it’s www.TheInsandity.com.
Chris:
Oh that’s great. Well, thank you for your service. And thank you for having me. For what you put out there. And, man, what a great story and what a cool tool. That toy, a cool tool to have in your repertoire, to break out.
And, I’m going to. I know I’m going to use mine at the beach, you know, because we love going out there all the time. And yeah, the last thing I like doing is breaking open the, breaking the, the shop vac when I get back, because that stuff just gets worse over time. Right.
So thanks a lot. Yeah. I connect with Kenny and myself on LinkedIn, take a look at TheInsandity.com. If you are not getting that take a look at our show notes are right there below you. And check out the product. We love you and continue to have you share this segment. So Kenny can, get this great product out in the hands of more people is here next segment and live gratitude.
