In this episode, Brock talks with Reagan Roberts. Reagan is the CEO of Mission Essential Gear, former infantry Marine as well. We talk about launching Mission Essential and printing T shirts from the back of his house to the warehouse that are distributing out of now. We talked about using relationships as fuel for business, being better than the Marines and having a hard problem to solve the need for custom units wagon how that gave him traction, super early on in his business. Reagan talks about prioritization, why your family is more important than your business, and why everyone is actually a firefighter.
Episode Resources:
Mission Essential Gear Website: https://megearco.com/
ME Gear Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionessentialgear/
Show Notes:
00:00 Episode Introduction
5:50 Digital vs. screen printing for small business
12:07 Transitioning from military to business ownership
18:55 Starting a T-shirt business while in the military and after
24:30 The woobie hoody that started it all
30:26 Business operations and forecasting for a print-on-demand merchandise company
37:09 Vendor relationships and print-on-demand services in the apparel industry
41:15 Selling merchandise through a platform, tax implications, and connecting with the military community
47:25 Part-time firefighting and business management
52:44 Finding passion and balance in firefighting career
59:25 Managing multiple responsibilities with calendars
1:03:47 Prioritizing family and business as a veteran entrepreneur
1:10:10 Community support for veterans and their families
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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/106-military-apparel-with-purpose-with-reagan-roberts/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/