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The Futur with Chris Do

The Art of Everyday Innovation w/ Paul Rowan | Ep 396

The Futur with Chris Do

The Futur

Arts, Education, Marketing, Design, Business, Self-improvement

4.9 • 998 Ratings

🗓️ 8 November 2025

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Chris Do sits down with Paul Rowan, co-founder of Umbra, to explore the evolution of creativity, design, and entrepreneurial resilience. Paul shares how curiosity from his father’s hardware store shaped his early design instincts, how a simple DIY idea turned into a global brand, and why imagination remains the ultimate business tool. Together, they uncover lessons from Umbra’s iconic Garbo trash can, how to turn setbacks into strategy, and the courage it takes to pivot in an unpredictable market. Timestamps (00:00) - Intro (01:15) - Meet Paul Rowan (03:02) - First product and startup story (05:42) - Lessons from the hardware store (08:13) - Finding purpose in imperfection (10:27) - From typography to entrepreneurship (15:04) - Staying young through collaboration (17:52) - Partnering with design schools (19:36) - Building a culture of creativity (22:17) - Overcoming shyness to sell ideas (25:41) - Making the first retail sale (30:18) - Turning prototypes into production (33:29) - Protecting innovation through relationships (37:22) - Innovating during recession times(39:11) - Designing the Garbo trash can (42:33) - Scaling design to global success (47:28) - Learning from failed products (56:42) - The future of creativity and AI Check out today's guest, Paul Rowan: LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ca.linkedin.com/in/paul-rowan-976927b Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://paulrowan.ca/ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/paulrowan/?hl=en Check out The Futur: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thefutur.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Courses: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thefutur.com/shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Linkedin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-futur/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thefutur.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefuturishere/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/theFuturisHere/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/thefuturishere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@thefuturishere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/thefuturishere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out Chris Do: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://zaap.bio/thechrisdo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thechrisdo/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BizOfDesign⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thechrisdo/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/thechrisdo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@thechrisdo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Threads:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@thechrisdo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zaap: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://zaap.bio/thechrisdo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Clubhouse:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.clubhouse.com/@thechrisdo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Behance: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.behance.net/chrisdo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Even though you're confident about what you're doing and you're moving forward in a great way,

0:04.5

you don't know what you don't know about like going to happen in the marketplace.

0:08.7

But to have the courage to pivot and to reinvest to figure it out because you know you have something.

0:15.3

But it's just not there yet.

0:17.3

I mean, that was a huge turning point.

0:19.2

You can imagine how financially sustainable we came

0:22.1

after that. Hi, I'm Paul Rowan. Literally, you are listening to the future. I'd say imagination

0:28.5

is the way to face the future.

0:34.1

Can you, Paul, can you introduce yourself and tell us who you are so that we have some

0:38.3

context here? Yeah, hi, I'm Paul Rowan, co-founder of Umbra. I did retire from Umbra a few years

0:45.0

ago and now I'm working on speaking engagements. I do a lot of outreach to colleges around the

0:51.2

world. I'm lecturing and it's for me, my next phase of my career is

0:55.4

really about knowledge sharing. Look, I don't know much about you, but I do know your company. I know

1:00.4

the products that you've designed. And when I was looking it up, I was thinking, I think at some

1:05.3

point, like very shortly after college, I was probably at a container store buying one of your

1:10.7

famous iconic trash cans.

1:13.1

And of course, I don't know it's you guys, but I just, I know the brand.

1:16.1

I'm like, this is cool.

1:17.6

And then as I look into the other iconic things you've done, there's a kind of simplicity

1:22.2

and humanity into the shapes and the forms of the things.

1:25.4

Now, I'm curious, is Umbra a firm? Do you guys make products

1:29.9

or you design them and then somebody manufactures them? What's going on? We're quite vertical.

...

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