W : Mr. Johnson, when did you know you wanted to start your business?
M: My family settled down in Canada in 1986 where a lot of friends'parents have successful businesses. It seemed so cool, so when in high school, I became interested in business.
W: How did you finance your company?
M: We've raised our money from some friends. We are finally profit-able. I own 6% of the company. All employees can get stock op-tions.
W: What aspects of your life are green?
M: I am only mildly green. I don' t drive. I' m a huge biker. I crossed Canada on my bike.
W: What's the biggest mistake you' ve made?
M: We are always doing something wrong, but that will allow us to learn and grow. When we first started out, we did all the manufac-turing ourselves. But that was a mistake. Now we work with con-tract manufactures. We provide the raw materials, the product devel-opment and the design. They provide the manufacturing skills and pay us a licensing fee.
W: Was it tough to negotiate partnerships with large companies?
M: It was easy, because it' s such a great win for them. With big com-panies if you create something that solves the problem like what to do with tons of garbage, they will make it happen.