In Episode 358 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy welcomes Mitch Jacobsen, Founder and CEO of Rviita Inc., back to the show for a powerful conversation about entrepreneurship, faith, and the resilience required to build something from nothing. Mitch shares his journey from petroleum engineer to beverage entrepreneur, risking his student line of credit, spending two years developing a product that initially finished dead last in a blind taste test, and ultimately growing Rviita Energy Tea into a nationally recognized Canadian brand.
Kelly and Mitch explore the realities behind the entrepreneurial highlight reel, the rollercoaster of building a company, and why perseverance may be more important than intelligence. From burnout and failure to scaling with strong core values and refusing to quit when the path forward feels impossible, this episode is an honest conversation about the years of work behind meaningful success and the faith required to begin before you know exactly how the story will end.
Key Takeaways:
1. Perseverance may be the most important skill an entrepreneur can develop.
2. You do not need to know every step before you start, you just need to take the first one.
3. Small actions repeated consistently can compound into extraordinary progress.
4. Failure only becomes final when you decide to quit.
5. Entrepreneurship is a long game, not a shortcut to overnight success.
6. The greatest reward of building a business is often the impact you have on others.
7. Constant one, two, and three percent improvements can completely transform a product over time.
8. Core values become increasingly important as a company grows and scales.
9. You will likely overestimate what you can accomplish in a year and underestimate what you can accomplish in a decade.
10. Faith may give you the courage to begin, but resilience is what keeps you moving when the journey gets hard.
Get in Touch with Mitch Jacobsen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitch-jacobsen-p-eng-89277649/ (https://ca.linkedin.com/in/mitch-jacobsen-p-eng-89277649?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
Rviita Contact: https://rviitalize.com/pages/contact-us (https://rviitalize.com/pages/contact-us?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
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🔹 Hypervac Technologies: North America’s leader in vacuum truck manufacturing, building high performance hydrovac and industrial vacuum trucks designed for the toughest field conditions. www.hypervac.com (http://www.hypervac.com)
🔹 Hyperfab: The custom fabrication division of Hypervac, delivering engineered solutions and specialized builds tailored to demanding industrial applications. www.hyperfab.ca (http://www.hyperfab.ca)
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Mentioned in this episode:
Hypervac - Revolution Vacuums