I am a joker. I grew up imitating comedians. Adding humor to taboo subjects such as toilets removes the barriers and gets people talking.

A social entrepreneur in Thailand called Senator Mechai was sort of a mentor to me. He taught me that if you are sensitive you cannot do this job, and also that I am not important, the problem is.

Once I remove myself from the equation, I am no longer an obstacle to solving the problem. My self-image is not important. I am simply a vehicle to communicate a message.

Exactly. If humor is authentically comical and it is genuine, people will hear the message coming from your heart.

Humor is not universal. Humor is dependent on context. I was once on a discussion panel with two politicians. One was saying “toilet first,” the other, “temple first.” When it came to my turn, I just said, “use the temple to promote toilets.” They laughed and the conflict turned into harmony. In some countries they ask me not to use vulgarity. Of course, I can still be humorous without being vulgar, so yes, I adapt my humor to suit the context.

Whether we were dining out or doing business, I ensured my clients were always laughing. If you make people happy, they come back. And humor is therapeutic, especially in stressful business situations. So I used humor almost like a lubricant in these situations to make my business connect better with people and be more successful.

I would say my four children share a little bit of my humor, but are also very different. I would say that every child is humorous. But we teach them not to be. If I had some advice to give people, I would tell them to let their children be children and don’t make them adults. I never grew up. I am 64, but I behave like a little boy.

Ah yes. But this is the best way to live.

Well, I have been talking about toilets for 24 years and yet the subject is fresh every time. Why? Because it is never scripted and always natural.

I was filming a documentary on Hollywood Boulevard dressed as Mr.Toilet, taking pictures with other people dressed in superhero costumes. We noticed the dancers in the cafe window, and my director said, “Jack, go go! go inside and dance with them,” so I did. They were very welcoming. Sometimes humor can open doors, and in business, too, it can lead to new opportunities.

The pandemic is not a joke, but sometimes humor can be used to promote serious things. For example we use humor in the images in our social media posts teaching people to wash their hands.

Also, this year, we will make a t-shirt with a bare bottom printed at the back of it with the message “Bare Necessity.” 2 billion people still don’t have a toilet, so this is humor, but this is also serious. I discovered that messages that are shocking are memorable. People who remember your message become your advocate. This is how you grow advocates. What we are doing is humor as a disruptive technology.