Episode Details

Journey from reluctant entrepreneur to industry authority through authentic marketing, resilience, and a mission-driven approach to business. 

Mike Konrad is the founder and CEO of Aqueous Technologies, a leading provider of post-reflow cleaning and reliability solutions for the electronics manufacturing industry launched in 1992. He is also an international speaker, college lecturer, and the host of two podcasts, Reliability Matters and The Reluctant Entrepreneur, where he shares insights on engineering reliability, educational selling, and the unfiltered realities of business ownership. 

Conversation Highlights

•  The origin story of Mike Konrad and Aqueous Technologies
• The shift from traditional marketing to conscious, value-driven marketing
• Moving away from transactional sales to problem-solving frameworks that naturally attract higher-quality, long-term clients. 
• Framing technical manufacturing tasks around a higher purpose to drive employee retention and engagement. 
• Recognizing when founder ego becomes the primary business bottleneck and adapting leadership styles to support new stages of organizational growth. 
• Lessons learned from failures and turning points in business
• The importance of staying curious and adaptable in entrepreneurship

Full Episode Details: https://www.clearauthenticbrands.com/podcast/ep67-building-b2b-brand-authority-mike-konrad

Links & Resources 

• Website: mikekonrad.com
• Podcasts Mentioned: Reliability Matters & The Reluctant Entrepreneur
• ClearAuthenticBrands.com

Timestamps

• 00:10 - Introduction: Amy Dardis introduces Mike Konrad
• 01:10 - The accidental flight delay that launched an electronics manufacturing career
• 06:31 - Bringing an unconventional, green cleaning technology to a conservative industry
• 08:28 - Pre-internet B2B marketing realities and early print ad costs
• 11:28 - The $70,000 waterfall moment that ended traditional trade show marketing
• 16:35 - Transitioning to educational selling, technical webinars, and thought leadership
• 27:25 - The business ROI of conscious marketing and authority-based lead generation
• 30:28 - Defining core values and purpose-driven messaging in technical industries
• 36:51 - Connecting everyday employee tasks to life-saving end products
• 44:20 - Launching the Reliability Matters and The Reluctant Entrepreneur podcasts
• 50:05 - De-romanticizing startup life, overcoming costly mistakes, and founder persistence
• 58:46 - Why founders must scale themselves to prevent business failure
• 1:03:10 - Final advice: Steve Jobs’ curiosity principle and never giving up