We had the pleasure of sitting down with Greg Hegger, co-founder of Fox Fold, a pioneering brand of sustainable toilet paper for hotels, and a proud alumni of our sister company, Smak Impact Agency. After two decades of navigating the corporate world, Greg took the bold leap into entrepreneurship, building a company that aligns his passion for sustainability with his business acumen. His journey stands as a testament to the power of resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving to drive innovation and change.

i&a: Greg, congratulations on your journey. Let’s dive right in—what led you to this moment?

Greg: Smak took a chance on me when I was fresh out of school and a bit of a punk rocker. I worked there for years, gaining incredible experience. After Smak, I sold sponsorships in event production, then moved into the wireless world at Virgin Mobile. That led me to an opportunity to work for Sprint in the U.S., managing brand partnerships and building a successful loyalty program.

i&a: Tell us more about Fox Fold.

Greg: It started with a simple question: What happens to the half-used rolls of toilet paper in hotels? We found out most of them go straight to the trash—hotels throw out about 50% of their toilet paper inventory. We saw this as an opportunity to tackle a sustainability issue, and that’s how Fox Fold was born.

We were introduced to, and eventually partnered with, Box Clever, this incredible product design firm, to create a dispenser for folded toilet paper that reduces waste. General managers and hotel owners said, “Great, you solved my toilet paper problem. Can you help with facial tissue?” It turns our when you pull out a yellow sheet it means you have 10-15 sheets left. All that cardboard, plastic in there, unfortunately, goes in the garbage as well. So, we built the world’s first refillable tissue dispenser. It’s rewarding to solve such a tangible problem and help hotels save money, space and labour.

i&a: Your shift from a stable career to entrepreneurship is huge. What role has resilience played in that?

Greg:  Resilience is everything. Every week brings obstacles—whether it’s bad news about production delays or a deal falling through. Early on, I’d get frustrated, thinking, "How does anyone start a business?" But my business partner, Ludovic Siouffi (and my cousin!) helped me adopt a different mindset: "Okay, this is tough, but now what?" That’s how you survive and move forward. It's about learning to accept setbacks and focus on finding solutions.

i&a: How do you balance the demands of family and building a business?

Greg: It's tough, but working from home allows me to spend more time with my kids. I can take them to school, I can be there for special appointments. I can be present in ways I couldn’t before. Of course, there are trade-offs—I'm often working late into the night, but my family is a huge motivator. My dad once said he’s proud of this generation of men for being more involved with their kids. That’s really important to me. 

And my wife sacrifices a lot so that we could start this. We ha a very good salary and life in the Midwest, and things were awesome. She definitely bears the burden for me to do this and I want to make her proud.

i&a: What surprised you most about starting a business?

Greg: The amount of hurdles and bad news. You’ll face adversity every step of the way, and it’s not for the faint-hearted. But resilience kicks in…this can’t fail. That’s where Ludo’s guiding light of, “Ok, great, now what?” Kicks in. The only way this succeeds is if we find solutions for all the adversity we face.

i&a: How does your vision of legacy impact your work?

Greg: Legacy is something I think about a lot. My family, especially my wife, made sacrifices for me to pursue this. I want to make them proud. Beyond that, I hope to teach my kids the value of taking calculated risks and believing in themselves. If they can see that through my journey, then I feel I’ve left a meaningful legacy.

i&a: Any advice for those considering a similar leap?

Greg: Have a plan. Don’t romanticize entrepreneurship—it’s tough. Do your research, talk to stakeholders, and take calculated risks. It took us two years of groundwork before we fully jumped in. If you have the resilience to weather the challenges and the drive to solve real problems, it’s worth the leap.

i&a: What keeps you motivated through the challenges?

Greg: The validation we get from customers, and knowing that we’re building something real and impactful. That, and the unwavering support from my family and business partners, keeps me focused. When you believe in your mission, resilience comes naturally.

i&a: What’s currently on your nightstand? What motivates you?

Greg: I don’t have a lot of time. I should be reading books, but right now, everything is audiobooks or podcasts while I multitask.  I try to stay in the know with podcasts like The Journal, The Daily Today, Explain The Vox. I just finished an audiobook Down with the system by Serj Tankian about his life and the importance of using your platform, your power and your life to amount for change and to fight for the things you believe in.

i&a: If there was one thing you could ask a coach, what would it be?

Greg: How to think one step ahead. This is something that I'm learning and that Ludo is very good at. How do you pull yourself out of the weeds of right now look at it from the top, or in six months this is going to be an issue or it's going to be an opportunity? How do you set yourself up now to be able to succeed then. That’s what I’d ask.

i&a: Love that. Cheers to you and Ludo. We wish you so much success in work, family and making an impact.

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