Launching Oransi with Entrepreneur Peter Mann.
Launching Oransi with entrepreneur Peter Mann. Peter shares his entrepreneur journey, dealing with an autism diagnosis later in life and starting his business.
From serving in the military, to a later-in-life autism diagnosis, Peter shares his inspiring entrepreneur journey, including founding and growing Oransi – makers of the Best HEPA Air Purifiers.
Peter Mann is the CEO & Founder of Oransi, a leading air purification company known for its efficient, intuitive, and reliable products for consumers, schools, organizations and businesses. He also is the Chair of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers’ Air Cleaner Council.
In 2021, Oransi merged with Aviemore Technologies and is now a motor technology company with a clean energy mission. Oransi’s new manufacturing facility in Radford, Virginia is making products in the USA with advanced motor technologies.
Previously, Peter was the Founder & CEO of the Austin, Texas-based Alen Corp., an air purification company he built, and after 7 years had a successful exit.
He went to college on a Navy ROTC scholarship and then served 4 years, including a tour in the Red Sea during the First Gulf War. He was a communications officer and then a gunnery officer on the USS McCandless.
Peter autism diagnosis came in his 50s and he now advocates for autism awareness in the workplace.
Peter lives in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Peter Mann, CEO of Oransi:
” I first became interested in air purifiers when my son struggled with asthma as an infant and young child.
As a parent, I felt helpless and often the medicine prescribed by the doctors seemed worse than him not being able to breathe. I tried most of the air purifiers on the market and was not satisfied that they were properly cleaning the air.
So, for more than 14 years now we have been designing and making air purifiers to provide the cleanest air possible. We are in it for the long haul.
Our initial products focused on high quality and affordability especially as it relates to filter replacement costs. We have since added commercial air purifiers and make the best air purifiers.”
Launching Oransi with Entrepreneur Peter Mann:
- Why did you join the military?
- Please briefly share the story of your early career, including the challenges of being in a 50/50 business partnership.
- Let’s briefly discuss your recent Autism Diagnosis. Peter was diagnosed with autism when he was in his 50s.
- What advice would you offer to others with a similar diagnosis?
- What guidance do you offer your coworkers on how to best work with you?
- What led you to start your first small business?
- When did you know you wanted to be your own boss? Who were early entrepreneurial influences?
- Why did you launch Oransi, and what are the main products you manufacture?
- How did you determine there was a demand for this product?
- How long from idea to launch?
- How did you fund the launch? (Sale of Allen corp?)
- Manufacturing Model: How and where is the product manufactured?
- “Oransi recently bought a large manufacturing facility in Virginia and is hiring more than a hundred local workers to move the company’s entire manufacturing to the US from China.”
- Distribution Model: How do you currently sell/distribute the product? Direct-to-consumer only? Why?
- How did you initially market your product?
- What was one of the biggest challenges you faced with scaling the business? Peter also shares the opportunity and challenges created by the COVID pandemic for his small business.
- What advice do you share with someone who has an idea for a product? (starting at 36:30)
- In your observation, what keeps most people from moving forward with a business idea?
- Please share how you perceive and deal with business risk.
- What’s next for Oransi?
Episode Host: Henry Lopez is a serial entrepreneur, small business coach, and the host of this episode of The How of Business podcast show – dedicated to helping you start, run and grow your small business.
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