The Engineer Who Turned Beer into a Water Company – Stephen Walker, Ground 2 Tap
In this episode of The Founder Files, we sit down with Stephen Walker, founder and CEO of Ground 2 Tap, the South African engineering company transforming how homes and industries access clean water.From brewing beer in his parents’ garage to building one of the country’s most trusted water-engineering brands, Stephen shares how he bootstrapped Ground 2 Tap from scratch, with no investors, no shortcuts, and a relentless focus on systems, people, and purpose.He opens up about early failures (and leaking pipes), designing his business to scale from day one, and why he believes real success isn’t measured by funding rounds but by freedom, faith, and impact.This conversation is a blueprint for founders who want to build something that lasts; intentionally, sustainably, and on their own terms.We dive into:• How a home-brewing experiment sparked Ground2Tap• Early failures and the lessons that built resilience• Designing scalable systems before scaling revenue• Using AI to personalize sales and build customer trust• Building a purpose-driven business that blesses others• Why freedom is worth more than fundingIt’s practical, honest, and proof that purpose-driven engineering can change lives, one drop at a time.---------- Book a curiosity call with Cameron: https://www.metavolve.co/curiosity-callThis episode is brought to you by Metavolve.Metavolve is a team of focused experts committed to helping entrepreneurs like you scale their businesses successfully. Reach out to our team to learn more: https://metavolve.co/---------- To support The Founder Files:🔔 Subscribe and turn post notifications on⭐ Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts🔗 Connect with Stephen:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-walker-g2t/🔗 Connect with Cameron:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefounderfilespodcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-metavolve/---------- Chapters00:00 Introduction01:00 Growing up with entrepreneurial parents03:30 From UCT engineer to Bain consultant06:00 The beer experiment that sparked Ground2Tap09:15 Simplifying complex engineering for everyday people14:30 The first leaking prototype & break-even beginnings18:50 Early clients, Day Zero, and the first wave of growth26:30 Building systems that scale from day one33:40 Why his second hire was a salesperson41:20 Cloning his voice with AI to personalize every proposal47:00 Qualifying clients through empathy and education59:40 Managing two markets, residential vs commercial1:08:45 Bootstrapping, control, and saying no to investors1:17:10 Defining success: freedom, faith, and purpose1:23:50 Building a business that’s a blessing to others1:42:30 Creating culture, trust, and people-first leadership
South Africa