Riding the entrepreneurial roller coaster with Brent Firkser of GOSO Cookware

The KORE Outdoors podcast was created for outdoor founders like Brent Firkser. He's been the audience, and now he's the guest for episode 50. Brent built GOSO Cookware, a carbon steel pan with a fully removable handle, and turned it into a $166K Kickstarter and a growing business he runs solo from his home in Nelson, BC. He breaks down how the KORE Network shaped GOSO from idea to launch, why finding a manufacturer willing to work with a solo founder was harder than designing the product, and how he wrestled with pricing a premium product. It's a candid look at building a physical-product business alone and defining success on your own terms.

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Topics covered:

Grief as the catalyst — regret minimization as the real reason he started GOSOThe KORE Network as a zero-to-one engine — mentorship, manufacturer intros, community over siloWinning over a manufacturer as a small, unproven customerKickstarter mechanics — the $1 pre-sale filter, the accidental early launch, hitting funding goal in hoursPricing psychology — second-guessing your own value, "buy once, cry once"Brand as vehicle for community, not the product itself — GOSO's ethos and the Backcountry Table eventDefining entrepreneurial success — control of time, enjoying the process, decoupling self-worth from the business cycleSolo-founder resilience — patience, perseverance, self-compassion, "weathering the storms"Links

GOSO website

Backcountry Table event page

Chuk Outdoors

RUX

Wildelore

Launchboom

Barebones

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