Some stories remind you why you fell in love with building things in the first place.
When I sat down with Christian Reed, founder and CEO of REEKON Tools, I expected to talk about gadgets, growth, and product innovation. But what I got was something much more human — a conversation about craftsmanship, curiosity, and the discipline it takes to build something that actually matters.
Christian’s one of those rare people who can live comfortably between two worlds.
He’s both an engineer and a maker. A dreamer and a doer.
He graduated from MIT with a degree in mechanical engineering, served as an Army engineer officer, helped develop next-generation 3D printers at Formlabs — and then did what so many of us only dream of doing: he struck out on his own.
In 2020, he co-founded Reekon Tools out of Boston — a company that’s reimagining what jobsite tools can be. Their first big innovation? A digital tape measure that connects to your phone or laptop, capturing precise measurements in real time. No more scribbles on a 2×4. No more guessing. No more “wait, was that inches or feet?” moments.
On the surface, it’s a clever piece of hardware. But under the hood, it’s a completely new way of thinking about how builders and contractors work.
The Sweet Spot Between DeWalt and Apple
Christian said something during our talk that stopped me:
“Every product we build has to be both DeWalt and Apple — tough enough for the job site, but smart enough for the future.”
That one line says everything you need to know about how he leads.
Too many founders build things that look good but can’t survive the real world.
Others build things that work well but never evolve past function.
Christian insists on both.
His tools have to be durable enough to take a beating, but designed enough to inspire confidence. He and his team spend months obsessing over every tiny detail — the feel of the grip, the tension in the spring, the coating on the blade — the kind of details most people never even notice.
That level of care isn’t about perfectionism. It’s about respect.
Respect for the craft. Respect for the trades. Respect for the people out there on roofs, ladders, and job sites trying to do great work.
Bootstrapped and Battle-Tested
REEKON Tools isn’t backed by Silicon Valley. There are no investors, no venture capital, no glossy hype.
Christian and his co-founder built this thing from scratch — funded by product sales and driven by discipline.
He told me about the early days: the prototypes that broke, the supply chain fires, the sleepless nights managing production and payroll at the same time. But through all of it, he never wavered.
“I don’t really get stressed,” he said. “I love what I do. Even if it all disappeared tomorrow, I’d start over again.”
That kind of clarity comes from doing something for the right reasons. Christian doesn’t just love entrepreneurship — he loves building. He loves solving problems with his hands, and he’s turned that obsession into a company that’s reshaping an industry.
When Innovation Looks Familiar
What I love about Christian’s story is that he didn’t set out to make something brand new. He just made something better.
It’s easy to chase the next big idea — the shiny app, the trending platform, the world-changing disruption. But sometimes, the real opportunity is sitting right in front of you.
Christian took one of the simplest tools ever invented — a tape measure — and gave it new life.
That’s innovation in its purest form: improving something we already use every day.
He’s proof that you don’t have to invent the next iPhone to make an impact.
You just have to care enough to ask, “What if this could work better?”
The Takeaway
After the microphones were off, I sat there thinking about something Christian said almost in passing:
“If you love what you’re building, there’s no such thing as stress — just the next challenge.”
That’s what separates great entrepreneurs from everyone else.
They’re not chasing exits or applause. They’re chasing the satisfaction of building something real.
Whether you’re making tools, building software, or leading a team, the lesson is the same:
Respect the craft. Sweat the details. Build things that last.
Because the truth is innovation isn’t always about doing something new. Sometimes, it’s about doing something old in a brand-new way. He’s not just redefining tools, he’s redefining what it means to be a builder.
🎧 You can catch my full conversation with Christian Reed on The Entrepreneurial Journey Podcast here:
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