One really important — and often overlooked — thing about coming up with a new product idea is finding a way to make it. That's what Cirkul co-founders Garrett Waggoner and Andy Gay discovered when they came up with a concept for a water-enhancing flavor cartridge system back in 2015. "We just had to start doing it ourselves," Waggoner told BI. Waggoner and Gay had "no formal background in manufacturing or operations, but back in 2018 we leased a little warehouse and started filling cartridges by hand at night." Bit by bit, the Tampa-based brand gained a following on social media, linked up with Walmart, and announced a $1 billon valuation in 2022. Click the link in our bio to read more about how Cirkul transitioned from a hand-made operation to a million feet of production space in two US states. Story by Dominick Reuter (Credit: Cirkul) #cirkul #manufacturing #americanmade