Built on a Mission, Not a Map

Pushing through doubt, this military spouse built a business that’s both mobile and meaningful after a beachside aha moment.

By Kate Reimann

I was recently invited to speak to a roomful of first graders about innovation—trying to explain to them how I went from an idea to a fully formed product. 

“Are you a scientist?” one of them asked. 

This question got at the heart of every budding entrepreneur’s biggest fear: that little voice that whispers, I’m a fraud, or someone must have done this already.

As I took my idea of replacing conventional plastic with a compostable, plant-based alternative and turned it into a real product, I’ve faced extreme challenges, including imposter syndrome and self doubt. Entrepreneurship can feel like challenges at every turn—the key is to keep going, despite the doubt and unknowns. As a result, I’m constantly asked: How did you keep going? 

The answer? My mission.

Eight years ago, at the beach with my kids, a rogue wave almost swept their conventional plastic beach toys out with the tide. It hit me: I didn’t want to contribute to the massive plastic crisis facing our ocean and planet—I wanted to solve it. 

That evening, our boys tucked into bed, I sleuthed the internet, determined to find better toys for our kids. Surely someone else must have thought of this already, I thought. When I realized no other businesses were making beach toys from compostable plastic, because there was no readily available plastic like that, I knew I had to try. And it wasn’t because I was a scientist. It was because I believed so strongly that our plastic pollution problem had to be solved—and I had to be part of it.

Despite obstacles, I’ve been surrounded by support—the military spouse entrepreneurship community is loyal and fiercely supportive; they have kept me afloat in some of the business’s darkest days. Additionally, there are numerous resources available to veterans and military spouses, including the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC), which was an extraordinary support as I transitioned from the prototyping to manufacturing phase and needed funding. 

Entrepreneurship is fraught with hardship, doubts, and unknowns. But it is the most rewarding, exhilarating career I’ve had— one that I have been able to shape with my own two hands. And, one you can take with you, regardless of orders, station or overseas deployments.

“I’m not a scientist,” I tell the first graders. I ask what else they think I am before I say goodbye to them.

“An inventor!” they shout, “A business owner! A problem-solver!”

Yes, I agree, and also a mom. A military spouse. A teacher, a writer. A dog-lover, an advocate. An inventor, a friend, a sister, an aunt. I outline the shape of a person I hope looks like someone they know, so they see that anyone can build whatever they can dream up. 

But mostly, I am a person who believes deeply in my mission—one that drives me to keep showing up for this business, every day. 

And if I can do it, so can you.

Kate Reimann is the founder of Rogue Wave compostable beach toys. When not reducing plastic, Kate boogie boards with her two (now teenage) boys, surfs with friends, teaches spin classes, writes, and chases her three rescue dogs with her husband, a retired Air Force F-16 pilot-turned-entrepreneur, on windward Oahu. You can find her on LinkedIn, Substack, and Instagram at @roguewavetoys or @Kate_keeps_climbing

This article appears in the Spring 2025 issue of Military Spouse magazine.