“You have to be a certain kind of crazy to be a founder, especially in physical products.”

Most people want to build something.

Kenny Perkins actually did.

After nearly dying in a car accident his senior year, Kenny clawed his way into the design world; starting at Fossil, shifting to helmets, and eventually co-founding Osmo, the first kids’ helmet to meet the e-bike safety standard.

In this episode of Why Design, Kenny shares the journey from rebuilding a Mustang with his dad at 15 to building Impact Lab, a startup studio funding its own consumer brand, Osmo, by designing life-saving protection for others.

Don’t just listen. Go beyond the podcast. Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events

What You’ll Learn 👇

💥 How a near-death experience reshaped his entire outlook on work

🚲 The overlooked safety gap for kids in the e-bike revolution

🛠️ Why physical product founders need grit, guts, and patience

📐 How Osmo designed with parents and kids, not just for them

📈 The smart way Kenny self-funded a startup without outside capital

Memorable Quotes

💬 “I saw a dad wearing a helmet I designed… and two kids wearing ones I also designed but not for e-bikes. That stuck with me.”

💬 “We didn’t just design for families. We designed with them.”

💬 “This changed my relationship with work entirely.”

Resources & Links

🌍 Connect with Kenny Perkins on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethjperkinsdesign/

🛡️ Explore Osmo Helmets: https://www.ozmohelmets.com/

🏢 Learn more about impctLAB https://www.impctlab.com/

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube → http://www.youtube.com/@whydesignpod

📸 Follow on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/whydesignxkodu/

🎵 TikTok → @_whydesign

👥 Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events

🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn → https://linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & Amazon → www.whydesign.club

👉 Keep the conversation going. Join the Why Design community → teamkodu.com/events

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👥 If this resonated, share it with a friend or colleague navigating their own founder or design journey.

About Kodu

Why Design is produced by Kodu, a recruitment partner to ambitious hardware brands, design consultancies, and product start-ups. We help founders and teams hire top talent across industrial design, mechanical engineering, and product leadership.

🔗 Learn more → teamkodu.com