In this episode, Brock talks with Deed Zieglar. Deed is a former Marine Corps infantry and intelligence officer and now, in addition to working in business development at Anduril, is the founder of Recpak, an ultralight meal replacement drink for harsh and austere environments. Deed discusses how the idea for Recpak originated from long time spent leading a sniper platoon in the Marines where movement and conditions often prevent the use of MREs. We discuss the importance of social mission and how to guage whether you're doing your life's work or not. Deed also talks about the benefits of Kickstarter to launch a business, how to grow a team in pace with the business, and why product development is much harder and expensive than most people think.
Episode Resources:
Deed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deed-ziegler-bba39a6/
Recpak: https://www.recpak.co/
Show Notes:
00:00 Episode Introduction
0:23 Starting a CPG brand for military personnel
6:09 Finding problems and finding motivation to do something about it
14:11 Life's work and the importance of staying committed to one's passions
17:54 Product validation and market fit for a physical product
22:29 Product development, validation, and funding challenges
29:06 Kickstarter success and product launch strategies
34:14 Marketing strategies for a new product
40:43 Ecommerce channels and customer mix
46:44 Entrepreneurship, product development, and sales
50:32 Hiring and managing employees in a new business venture
57:30 Entrepreneurship, mission, and giving back
1:00:47 Charitable giving and outdoor conservation efforts
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/97-meal-replacement-for-tough-people-in-tough-environments-with-deed-zieglar-recpak/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/