The is astonishing story of how a top secret rocket formula morphed into the world's most powerful household cleaning product

Editor’s Note: If you’d like to read the full issue of the newsletter, just click on the link at the end of this post.

📄 Episode Show Notes:

In this episode, we explore the gripping and unexpectedly almost comical like backstory of one of the most underrated inventions of the 20th century: WD-40. From Cold War rocket labs to flooded pickup trucks, and from jungle war zones to guitar shops, this little blue-and-yellow can has had quite the journey.

And that journey began in a little lab in California … with just three employees. But they managed to create the perfect product for NASA without knowing it would morph into a household name.

You’ll hear how:

• A self-taught chemist named Norman Larsen failed 39 times before creating the 40th formula that changed everything

• The first users of WD-40 were rocket engineers who smuggled it home in their lunchboxes

• A hurricane, a jungle war, and a cow ointment all helped make WD-40 a household name

• The company survived fallouts, rivalries, and resisted every urge to diversify — by sticking to one can, one mission

• And why, to this day, the exact formula is locked in a literal vault. 🔒

🔍 What’s Else is Inside This Episode (and details you’ll read in the newsletter):

• 🚀 The Space Race’s unexpected effect on anti-rust innovation

• 🧪 The magic of Water Displacement #40

• 🔧 How WD-40 went from toolboxes to trenches (yes, even Vietnam!)

• 💼 The marketing masterstroke of not marketing

• 🌪️ The hurricane that made it go viral — before viral was even a thing

• 🐄 The cow udder cream side hustle you didn’t see coming

💡 Key Takeaways:

• Persistence wins. The WD-40 formula succeeded on the 40th try — because they kept going.

• Focus scales. The company made just one product for decades — and turned it into a $600M empire.

• Solve one real problem well. Rust was the enemy; everything else followed.

• Don’t over-brand. Simplicity and utility created organic word-of-mouth success.

• Your biggest success might come from a side project. WD-40 was never meant to go public — rocket scientists just wanted to keep their metal parts intact.

✨ Bonus Facts You’ll Hear When You Read the Newsletter:

• Why NASA couldn’t publicly endorse WD-40 (even though they loved it)

• The business naming decision that baffles MBAs to this day

• Why a formula designed for rockets is now in nearly 80% of U.S. homes

• And how a guy who hated rust ended up creating both a market leader and his own competitor

And remember… WD-40: it’s not just a can. It’s a character in the weirdest, rustiest sitcom you’ve never watched.

If you’d like to read the issue with all the rich details, just click below.