EPIC Convo with Toshi Sling Creators (NN Podcast EP 17)

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🎙️ Welcome to Episode 17 of the Nomads Nation Podcast!

In this episode, I chat with the co-founders of Rework Gear — the team behind the slick new Toshi Sling and a whole lot of carry creativity. We dive into their immigration story from Singapore to the U.S., their leap from the corporate world into bag design, and how they brought their Reset System to life on Kickstarter.

From prototyping challenges to balancing price, design, and materials, we get into the nitty-gritty of building a bag brand from scratch. We also chat about Singapore as a carry capital, how the Bay Area bag scene is evolving, and the real struggles of running a bag company—from cash flow to customer support and everything in between.

The duo also shares their thoughts on Facebook ads, working with reviewers, the importance of female voices in the carry community, and what’s coming next for Rework Gear. Oh, and there’s even a little detour into entrepreneurship in Hong Kong.

If you love bag stories, startup journeys, and hearing how gear comes to life, this one’s for you. 🧳🔥

00:00 - Intro to Rework Gear and the Toshi Sling
00:20 Meet the Co-founders of Rework Gear
01:39 Immigration Story: From Singapore to the US
02:47 - The Story Behind Rework Gear: From Corporate Aversion to Bag Design
04:05 - Launching the Reset System on Kickstarter
06:09 - Journey into Bag Industry
07:26 - Jia's Initial Thoughts on Starting a Bag Company
09:14 - Kickstarter Realities and the Transition to E-commerce
11:49 - Singapore as a Carry Capital
14:33 - Bag Scene in the Bay Area
16:56 - Inspiration Behind the Rework Toshi Sling
18:30 - Development & Prototyping Process
21:38 - Balancing Design, Materials and Price
24:55 - Marketing Strategies: Facebook Ads and Reviewers
27:44 - Expansion and Compression Design of the Toshi Sling
30:36 - Most challenging thing aside from the product development
33:17 - Cash Flow and Business Planning
35:03 - It's not easy to run a bag company
36:56 - Future Plans for Rework: New Products and Series
40:00 - Customer Support and Brand Connection
42:01 - Female Perspective in the Carry Community
46:55 - Aaron's Journey to Hong Kong and Entrepreneurship

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