Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Steven Haynes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Steven thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Every once in a while, life presents us with moments that fundamentally change our path. For me, that moment came during a trip to Norway in 2015, when I first experienced the exhilarating rush and profound peace of immersing myself in the icy waters of a Norwegian fjord. It was a wake-up call that would eventually lead me to found Fjord and dedicate my life to sharing the transformative power of cold water therapy with others.

That day, I challenged myself to do an unforgettable 400m swim in the pristine fjords of Norway. That transformative experience not only changed my perspective on wellness but also planted the seed for what would become Fjord—a company born from personal experience and driven by a mission to make premium cold plunge therapy accessible to all, as a modality to improve physical and mental well-being.

Steven, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Fjord builds high-quality cold plunges designed for reliability, beauty, and convenience. A lot has changed with Fjord this year! We added to our product line-up expanding from our inflatable tubs launching our first acrylic cold plunge, the Fjord Lux, catering to our most aesthetically inclined customers, and grew our online community from a few hundred to a few thousand. As we enter a new chapter of development, I’m proud to say, we are one of the few companies in the market offering the level of quality craftmanship that comes only by sourcing the best American-made components for the chiller, pump, and key components. This supports our core mission and my personal journey behind the business, which is to provide our customers with the highest-quality cold water therapy experience at an honest price.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

As a first-time entrepreneur, I learned a lot in the early days of Fjord by trial-and-error. It started as an experiment with a minimum viable product, and has evolved into a sophisticated luxury brand in the cold plunge space. One mistake I made in the initial stages was the foolish decision to source our chiller machines from China. I literally went through 6 different Chinese suppliers for our machines, many of whom supply the big-name brands, and we had terrible maintenance issues and even failure issues with the chillers and pumps within a few months of use. While sourcing from China allowed us to have lower COGS and manufacturing costs, we quickly became convinced that the quality simply wasn’t acceptable for our customers. So about a year ago, I made the pivot to souring all our parts and key components domestically here in America from the most reputable manufacturers, and we have not had any quality issues since. That’s not something 95% of my competitors can say; so we are proud of our product offerings and stand behind them.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met my business partner Annalee through the Austin wellness community. She began as an early customer of Fjord, and we quickly became friends and realized we shared a vision for what Fjord could become. It’s been a great working relationship, as we push each other to focus on our customers and delivering the best cold plunge experience, while cultivating a vibrant and highly-engaged community of fans in Austin and beyond via the Fjord Wellness Days, events, and partnerships.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fjordcoldplunge.com
• Instagram: @fjordcoldplunge
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-c-haynes
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fjordcoldplunge
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fjordcoldplunge