Last year, we had about three Cleanstone projects that didn’t go well.
Like… they just went sideways.
And I’m not gonna lie — as a founder, it’s hard not to take that personally.
Like, I felt like I’d let people down.
Especially the early ones who believed in us from day one.
I don’t know — I think my biggest fear is disappointing people.
And when it reflects into the business… it hurts a bit more.
But I’ve been thinking about it — and I guess these are the growing pains, right?
Like when you’re trying to make something new exist in the world — something that hasn’t really been done before — you’re bound to hit a few walls.
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So here’s what I’ve learnt.
First one: in Aotearoa, we only recycle 4 out of 24 types of plastic.
So we tried to build the systems ourselves — source the waste, process it, turn it into panels.
But some of the feedstock was all over the place.
Different plastic types, different colours — changing week to week.
And I made the call to keep pushing ahead, thinking we could keep the quality consistent.
Turns out, we couldn’t.
Some panels looked beautiful — but some had weird textures, small holes.
When they got used for benchtops or walls… stuff got stuck.
Coffee grinds, dust. Not ideal.
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Second thing — we didn’t have enough instructions.
Like, clear-cut guides on how to install or finish the material.
I guess I thought the joiners would just figure it out.
But the truth is, they’re flat out.
And Cleanstone’s just one material out of dozens they use.
That’s on me.
One of the installs went wrong — we had to pull panels out, replace them.
And yeah, that one stung.
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But when I zoom out —
Last year, we had over 100 projects go out the door.
And only three had issues.
Still hurts, but maybe I need to give myself a bit more grace.
I think the main thing is this:
We’re still learning.
Still figuring things out.
Still doing everything we can to get better — for the people who back us and care about what we’re building.
So yeah — appreciate the love, appreciate your patience.
We’re not perfect.
But we’re working on it. Every day.