Meet Jayson Stolp | CEO of BW Sauna Co

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jayson Stolp and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jayson, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When we first starting looking into building saunas full time, we considered many different things. It wasn’t a race to the bottom for us, we didn’t want to be the cheapest sauna on the market. We wanted to be unique, to offer a product that nobody can go buy off a shelf. That means we strive for the best quality and craftsmanship in the market, and offering full customization to every sauna we build. After all, it’s a sauna for the customer, so we want to give them as much opportunity to make it feel like their own, and truly create a wellness retreat that fits their lifestyle. We wanted to offer quality products, and really put a lot of work into testing different products, testing different application methods, and truly making a sauna that is easy to clean, easy to maintain, timeless in style, and keeping it a bright and positive place to spend time in with family and friends. We are very passionate about what we do, and it shows in everything we do. Every sauna has been truly handmade, and we take so much pride in the work we do. Whether it’s mobile, stationary, or a sauna inside your home, we keep the exact same approach in everything we do. Quality comes first.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
There are a lot of sauna builders out there. There is a lot of ways you can build a sauna. When we set out to build saunas, we knew that we had to create a unique product in the marketplace. We found the weak spots in the market, and set out to achieve our goals. There are a few things that we do that set us apart from most builders/sauna suppliers.

– we offer full customization on every sauna we build, no matter how crazy of an idea you may have

– fully insulated saunas. A lot of people don’t insulate their floors, but we believe in having a truly sealed unit. It helps run the heater as efficiently as it can, and also prevents bugs/rodents/etc from making a home inside your space

– we install floor drains in every one of our saunas. This just helps so much for cleaning, and we also have a sloped floor option as well when needed.

– we build on the best foundation possible. We offer the best trailers in the market, and we build all of our stationary units on steel frames as well. Steel isn’t going to expand, contract, buckle, or decay. Most companies in the sauna market are using wood or aluminum frames. With a good steel frame, you’re never going to have to worry about your floor. Without a good foundation, nothing else matters.

– We don’t build our saunas to be as light as possible. By doing this, you have to give up something. We have seen people using 1/4-1/2” cedar in their saunas, not using furring strips, using aluminum trailers/frames, just to name a few. We believe in building a sauna that is a one time purchase, meaning you shouldn’t ever have to buy another one. Quality comes first.

– unmatched quality and craftsmanship. We are all creative minded individuals, that love to see a beautiful product going out the door. We want to be proud that our name is attached to the unit, and we only hire people that have the same mindset. We want them to be passionate about what they do, and offer a beautifully handmade product.

– We are human, and we accept that. We haven’t been perfect, there have been bumps in the road. We own up to our mistakes, and we will always be there for our customers.

– we have put together 3d designs to help you visualize your sauna, and put starting models and pricing on our website. Most people are visual minded, and they want to have an idea of what they will be purchasing. We offer 3d design on each of our builds, with as many edits as needed to ensure you are getting exactly what you want.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Duluth, MN is a special place to live. With deep Scandinavian heritage, and a culture and landscape similar to Finland/Norway, it only makes sense to have our Sauna headquarters located here. Focused on tourism, there are so many places to visit. One of our favorite things to do is to do a day trip up the North Shore, where there are endless activities and beautiful views to take in along the way. If you come here in the fall, its truly breathtaking! We have the iconic lift bridge, which leads you over to the popular beach destination, Park point. Downtown Duluth offers lots of different types of shopping, with many tourist shops and tasty restaurants nearby. Duluth, MN is home to the Grandmas Marathon, that is happening soon and attracts so many people from across the world to run the 26 mile marathon! If you have never been to the area, a trip along Skyline Parkway will be well worth it! There is lots of fishing on lake superior and the surrounding lakes nearby, hunting, hiking, biking, and camping nearby to stay active in the outdoors. So many things to do, I cant even pick my favorites. Its a trip worth taking!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
One thing that is so nice about the sauna community is everyone you talk to is so passionate about the same things you are, and it just gives you the passion to keep going. When people saw what we were offering, they encouraged us to keep going, through thick and thin, through hard times and good times. They believed that our values were true, they knew nobody was building saunas the way we were, and saw how much passion we have for saunas. My friends and family have been such amazing mentors for me! There have been others too, too many to count. It hasn’t been easy. We are a small, family owned business looking to grow, but grow slowly. I never want to turn saunas into a production line product, as that is not where the passion lies.

Website: https://www.bwsaunaco.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwsaunaco/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bw-sauna-co

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bwsaunaco/

Image Credits
BW Sauna Co