The Chimney Snake Story

We knew it was time to clean the chimney on our wood stove, but with temperatures still in the single digits, Brad wasn’t about to risk climbing up onto an icy roof. So, he got to thinking. And from that thinking came the first rendition of what would become the Chimney Snake—an automatic chimney-cleaning device.

This all happened during the early, uncertain days of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, I was the global marketing and reservations manager for a tropical resort in Fiji. But when the resort shut down with no reopening date in sight, the financial tap was turned off. We had to shift gears—and fast.

Brad kept sketching ideas for the Chimney Snake while I started making goat milk soaps and lotions to sell online. Reinvention was the name of the game.

As the design evolved, Brad began the long process of sourcing manufacturers for the parts. The original plans were revised to match what was actually available, and there were more sketches, more calls, and yes—more soaps.

By early 2022, we started talking about expanding our two-person team. First, we reached out to our youngest son, Jordan—a bit of an IT genius—to see what he thought. He was excited. Then we called son #5, James, an expert in procurement for the military, and got the same enthusiastic response. A year later, in April 2023, Chimney Snake LLC was officially born: Brad at the helm, me handling business and marketing, Jordan managing IT, and James taking on sales, business management and procurement.

By January 2023, we had a working prototype. We ran it nonstop—testing its durability, efficiency, and performance. It worked. After a few refinements, we were ready to move into production.

But the road wasn’t smooth. Brad had to fabricate every piece of the Chimney Snake by hand after a machinist we’d hoped to work with backed out due to family and work issues—taking our access to a shop with him. Then Brad fell off our deck and broke his tibia, putting production on hold for five months. Still, he kept us moving forward through texts, emails, and Zoom calls. With Brad in Montana, James in California, and Jordan in Washington, we stayed connected—planning release dates, sorting out marketing, and researching everything from steel suppliers to fabrication tools to a permanent workspace.

Today, we’re no longer staring at a light at the end of the tunnel—we’re standing in it. We’ve built a solid team full of energy, determination, and passion. We’ve created a product we believe in—something that can truly help people by making chimney care safer, easier, and more reliable.

We’re proud of where we’ve come from. And even prouder of where we’re headed.