Security Halt!
Welcome to Security Halt! Podcast, the show dedicated to Veterans, Active Duty Service Members, and First Responders. Hosted by retired Green Beret Deny Caballero, this podcast dives deep into the stories of resilience, triumph, and the unique challenges faced by those who serve.
Through powerful interviews and candid discussions, Security Halt! Podcast highlights vital resources, celebrates success stories, and offers actionable tools to navigate mental health, career transitions, and personal growth.
Join us as we stand shoulder-to-shoulder, proving that even after the mission changes, the call to serve and thrive never ends.
Security Halt!
From Military to Entrepreneur: Building Team Easties
In this episode of Security Halt!, host Deny Caballero sits down with Jason Marks, a Special Operations veteran and founder of Team Easties an outdoors gear company, together they explore the intersection of entrepreneurship, military resilience, and innovation.
Jason shares his journey from combat zones to product design labs, diving deep into the realities of starting a veteran-owned business, developing high-performance outdoor gear, and overcoming the personal and financial challenges of the startup world.
Together, they unpack:
How boredom sparked a breakthrough in gear innovation
The entrepreneurial edge veterans bring to the outdoor industry
The power of branding, marketing, and authenticity in business
Why affordable, reliable equipment matters for veteran adventurers
The importance of community, collaboration, and perseverance
Whether you're a veteran looking to launch your own business, a gear enthusiast, or someone passionate about purpose-driven innovation, this conversation is filled with tactical insights and inspiring lessons.
👉 Follow, like, subscribe, and share Security Halt! on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts for more authentic, veteran-led conversations on mental health, mission, and transformation.
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Looking for hand crafted, custom work, military memorabilia or need something laser engraved? Connect with my good friend Eric Gilgenast.
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Chapters
00:00 From Amateur to Pro: The Journey of Entrepreneurship
02:53 The Importance of Quality Gear in Outdoor Activities
05:57 Innovating for the Modern Outdoorsman
09:05 Navigating the Business Landscape: Contracts and Compliance
11:57 The Role of Branding and Marketing in Equipment Choices
14:49 Tinkering and Innovation: The Creative Process Behind Gear
18:03 Boredom as a Catalyst for Creativity and Entrepreneurship
22:37 The Power of Community Support
25:43 Building Connections in the Industry
28:15 Overcoming Financial Hurdles
30:36 The Entrepreneurial Spirit
35:55 Innovating in Manufacturing
40:57 The Grind of Entrepreneurship
Instagram: @securityhalt
Tik Tok: @security.halt.pod
LinkedIn: Deny Caballero
Follow Jason on LinkedIn and Instagram today!
LinkedIn: Jason Marks
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-marks-704a29338/
Instagram: team_easties_llc
https://www.instagram.com/team_easties_llc/
Website: TeamEasties
Produced by Security Halt Media
Security Odd Podcast. Let's go. The only podcast that's purpose-built from the ground up to support you Not just you, but the wider audience, everybody. Authentic, impactful and insightful conversations that serve a purpose to help you. And the quality has gone up. It's decent, it's hosted by me, danny Caballero. Dude early onallero, but dude early on, I met this phenomenal dude, ruben Ayala. Guy owns a triple nickel frigging clothing company. They make amazing stuff.
Speaker 1:Another SF brother and I remember him seeing him and his team Like he's. It's like you're at the amateur or like the amateur of amateurs level's, like you're at the amateur or like the amateur of amateurs level and they're at the pro level and you hear them talk about how and what it took for them to get to where they're at and it it's profound dude and it's like dude. We struggled, covid hit, we were thinking about doing X, y and Z. We lean into this and we got our first order. I think their first big customer or the first big vendor was Kohl's and him and his team were out there. They're loading up the trucks. They don't have like this fucking like giant logistical support machines, just them, literally an ODA minus, and they're having the worst fucking day ever having to load this fucking truck by themselves. And this friend reminded him. He's like hey, you prayed for this, you wanted this. Yeah, like good, yeah, be grateful for this moment.
Speaker 2:So yeah, when shit sucks, just remember you prayed for it yeah, there's been plenty of days right since I started this business, so I'm like should I have prayed for it?
Speaker 2:I started team easties man, and it was like all right, this would be kind of a cool side gig. And then it got a little bit more than a side gig and I, I mean I, I was like wow, did I bite off more than I could chew? I was like hell, no, I'm gonna keep doing this shit, you know, and I kept grinding, kept grinding and I mean it's, it's a lot for me, but it's just me, you know. Know, I got, I've got a couple of guys that helped me like test products and stuff, like literally like nationwide, not not even nation. I got guys in Canada testing for me, alaska, all kinds of places, um, all the way down to dozens of New Mexico and Texas.
Speaker 2:But uh, there there's, I've got a trusted crew and I mean they beat the crap out of the stuff before it hits our store. I mean they report back and go, dude, it's worthy or it's not. And if they say it's not, it's probably something somebody else might sell. But I can't do it. So, yeah, I'm like, after all, like other than that, I am marketing, I am sales, I am shipping. I am like, after all, like other than that, I am marketing, I am sales, I am shipping. I am like I just packaged up a bunch of crap sitting behind me.
Speaker 1:As soon as we're done.
Speaker 2:I got to run to the post office and drop a bunch of crap on which I mean it's good, yeah, but I'm tired, man, Dude, yeah. Well, I'm not quite big enough to where I can hire help man. Where I can hire help man, you know I'm like that scaling piece. I can't even get my wife to come help me. She's like how much you paying? None, Okay, bye.
Speaker 1:But, dude, you're so right on the durability of products and before we even kick it off, dude, like going back to SIFSIC, going back to all those days, like you're doing stocks. You're in the fucking running around the woods in North Carolina trying to get your fucking shot off and your cat sticks fucking break because you bought shitty equipment from fucking Walmart. You're like, hmm, this fucking sucks. Well, I guess I'm failing this shot. Yeah, yeah, fuck that. Like, yeah, I'm glad to see that you're. You're approaching this from a perspective of somebody who needs to utilize this in the worst possible situations to get a shot up.
Speaker 2:even if you're just a sportsman like that, shit matters, man, yeah, well, and and so going going back to that, like when I I retired in 2018 and when I did, I started getting into that. I mean, I was already always a big hunter, big deer hunter, but I never really got into like elk and Western stuff until a couple of years prior to that and I was like man, I'm going to, I'm going to go all in on this Western stuff. I want to do it myself. I don't want outfitters Like I want to. I want to learn everything I can and go after it. Problem was just, fresh retired, I didn't know how much money I was actually going to be having in my pocket, what bills were going to look like, and so I bought the junkest. A junkest isn't a word, but we're going to go with it. I bought the worst crap my first tripod. I think it was like $34, man, nice it was so bad.
Speaker 1:Primo primo equipment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and, and I mean at the time I still had a military discount through bushnell, so I think I bought like the cheapest spotting scope they had and it was like 55 off, so like it was probably like 130 bucks for the spotter and like I could look through the glass for about 20 seconds before my eye would just start bleeding and uh, and then I I literally to crank like to raise the elevation on the tripod. I had to crank a little handle. I was like why did I buy this dude? And so then I stepped it up to a slightly better brand for like 150 bucks and it still wasn't great. But now I've got two tripods. Both of them are not all that Well, one's terrible, the other one's not great. So I got to like, long story short buy once, cry once, you'll figure it out. If the thing costs $300 and you're like man, I can find it for $75,.
Speaker 2:This company it it kind of kicks me in the ass. It bites me in the ass rather. Uh, I I'm really keeping the margins down because I want guys like me in 2018 to be able to afford to buy my stuff. Yeah, so like, like example, my trekking poles, I may or may not have come across the manufacturer for a very high end brand of trekking pole maker. They usually sell theirs for $180 to $190 for a set. I mean didn't mess with like patents or any kind of stuff like that, but they basically built me a brick shithouse of a trekking pole Lightweight, like all of my specifications, and I know who was selling it. They're selling it for, like I said, $190. I'm selling them for $115. I just, I can't bring myself to do it, dude. I'm like you know, I wouldn't have bought a $190 pair in 2018. Not even 2019, you know, but I might have bought a $190 pair in 2018. We're not even 2019, you know, uh, but I might've bought $115 pair and I'm just, I'm just I'm trying to like get you know, trying to get the quality stuff in the hands of dudes that just they're not rolling in the dough, Cause I wasn't, you know, I'm still not, but I'm doing all right now.
Speaker 2:I mean now I just got inventory. I'm like, oh, I need a tripod. I just walk around right around behind the turkey and there it is. But you know, and like, this is one of my tripods over my shoulder here and it's a hybrid design, it's ultralight but we thickened the legs so you can shoot off of it. I shoot off of it all the time I take it to the range. I put a 13 pound precision rifle on there and I'm reacquiring steel about four or 500 yards, easy.
Speaker 2:I haven't pushed it past that, Just haven't had the opportunity. But, um, it's, people look at it and go. People look at my price and I think they think that it's junk. It's not. I mean, I'm charging, I think, 250 bucks, 260 bucks for it. My competitors are all in like $350 mark. Oh yeah, For for the lightweights. The difference is, all of them say uh, no more than like 18 pounds or 30 pounds on the legs. I've got pictures of a 220 pound dude. I've done it, doing uh, I don't know what kind of Pilates or something, but he's like holding on to it, he's got his legs out. He's doing like ab workouts hanging from the, from the legs. I'm like, nah, don't come at me with your 30 pound tripod legs and call it, charge me 350 bucks. Dude, we're doing pull-ups off of this thing. So, um, but yeah, it's, I'm, I'm.
Speaker 2:I got tired of seeing, I got tired of buying junk. I transferred all that over. My margins aren't the greatest, but I'd rather it just make me a little bit of money. I am retired, I got a decent pension. I don't need to do this, I'd like to do it. It's fun. I'm trying, like I said, to really put it in the hands of like, especially like operators and stuff getting out and not knowing, you know, like what they're going to have in their pocket soon, but they want to keep shooting, or they want to go out west to hunt. Like, well, dude, I've got you covered. Man, Like, come check it out. Instead of buying that $350, $400 rig, I got one for two something, and I also offer a military discount too. So you know, I'm taking care of my boys, yeah, but um, yeah, it's, it's. I mean not, you know, not just soft guys, everybody, but it's just, like, you know, kind of kind of lean towards that. That mindset and being around, you know, Are you GSA approved?
Speaker 1:Am I what? Are you GSA approved? Am I what?
Speaker 2:Are you GSA approved?
Speaker 1:No, no, so you mean like very compliant, and yeah, so you can get it on if you need to do a purchase request.
Speaker 2:So I am. I'm Sam certified, so like I've actually, I just did a contract with a fourth SFAB. Uh, they bought 10 grand worth of headlamps off of me, Um so that was fun.
Speaker 1:I give SFAB a lot of shit, but good move, good fucking move.
Speaker 2:Solid. I mean they got some solid dudes in leadership. I don't know they, they formed after I, after I was out, like so I don't, I don't know a whole heck of a lot about them, uh, other than looking into them a little bit. But Command Sergeant Major Herb Gill is 4th SFABCSM right now, solid, solid dude and got chatting and he's like dude, he saw one of my headlamps in action on a hunt and he goes, I guess whoever turned it on.
Speaker 2:Well, my buddy Kerry turned it on and he was like he's a former group guy. Herb looks over and goes did you just turn on the sun? And he's like, oh yeah, check this headlamp out, man. And it's, I mean it, it it'll, it'll destroy you. Like it is, do not look into this thing. It's uh, like I usually would run through the mountains of four or 500, uh lumen headlamps. Uh, like I usually would run through the mountains of four or five hundred uh lumen headlamps. This one's 1750, like I mean, that's on the ultra high, like it's, it's normal running is like medium, is like 600 lumens and then it goes up to like 900 and then I've got red lamp and everything else. But uh, yeah, you, when you double tap that thing, the world comes to light pretty quick.
Speaker 1:You know it's funny, we, we romanticize certain brands and certain equipment because it's what we saw our senior use or what we saw like a green beret use downrange bro. We are. We are great at product placement. Yeah, I bought a solo boots because that's what my senior wore and I thought my senior was the coolest fucking dude on earth. Any kit that that guy had I'm like I got. I got to get what Bill has. He's so fucking cool, like.
Speaker 1:And when you see like headlamps, like number one headlamp everybody has on a team, that's always comes to brain, always, always, because they're great at marketing, they send kits there's. I don't know if you remember the, the improved, uh, mountaineering kits that came out. There were these giant fucking boxes with climbing gear and shit. Those are riddled with free petzl headlamps. And I say free because motherfuckers rat fuck those things. It's just like fucking the aid bag. Same thing you buy. The new aid bags come with petzl headlamps.
Speaker 1:Petzl headlamps everywhere. Uh, the little tiny, sexy ones at the supreme, like ultra fucking operators, war like. You saw those. I gotta get those. Yeah, but we see a headlamp or something and it becomes an iconic thing because a cool guy had it, when in reality, there's probably 50 fucking companies out there that make better equipment, better headlamps but it's who gets it, who wears it, who puts it out there. That make better equipment, better headlamps but it's who gets it, who wears it, who puts it out there. Yeah, and that's why it's like it's important when you see a company's like yours it's making fucking something that's brighter. Fucking you, what's my? Uh, yeah, I, I'd rather have something that can clearly utilize when I need white light that's brighter than the fucking sun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah it. Uh, it'll turn the sun on, that's for sure. But yeah, I mean, running it on low is like plenty, you know I so like when I'm running them through the woods I'm usually, if I'm on red lamp, I'm usually right, like if I'm running a headlamp at all. I'm running red, uh, for like just trying to get to wherever I'm going. Now, if I'm following an animal, or you know, I'm like where do I put my pack? That's a whole other ballgame. I'm lighting all day long but I'm just trying to save my, my night vision the best I can. But so, but even this thing, like, so, I got it. I actually got one right here. This thing is the, the low or the high. I forget what lumen the high red is, but it's, it's stupid. You see the hair on a tick's ass at 30 yards with red. I'm like I didn't even know what I was getting when I, when I built this thing, I was talking to the manufacturer and they're like how, how bright do you want to go? It's like, well, most of the competitions like around a thousand lumen. They're like, well, we got this new one, you interested. I was like, well, yeah, let's play with it. And they sent me one and I was like Holy smokes, man, I got to. All right, let's do it. So I've got an array of random stuff, but all of it well, most of it can be brought back to. You know, military usage man, like that's, you know, I, I, I learned a lot from you know running missions and, and you know night raids and everything else, and there were so many things that we had that was awesome, but it was stupid, heavy or, you know, didn't have night capabilities or you know, like all these different things. And I just started half of this stuff. I make the tripods, trekking poles, headlamps. I'm not a tech guy, I'm not making that stuff, but if, if it's textile, I make it. Like on on the other side of this wall is a cutting table and sewing machines, and it's just me, I'm just going to town, but, uh, so in fact, there I'm, I'm hopefully getting another contract here for my uh.
Speaker 2:I'm trying to replace the vs 17 panel. No shit, oh, everybody that sees it loves it. Man, I mean it's by no means is it as large as the vs 17. But what does the vs 17 lack? A well, what does it have? It has bulk, it's heavy, it's stupid. Uh, it's usually found dusty underneath a bunch of crap, in the back of a humvee.
Speaker 2:Um, you can't pack it. So most of the time you're're, you know you're, you're scout or whatever you know, cut a 12 inch, 20 inch section and shove that in his pack. But it doesn't have any kind of night capabilities. And so I was like, well, I I originally did this for me, cause I'm usually six, seven, eight miles off of any trail, in the middle of the mountains somewhere, and you know, whatever state out West, I'm like dude, I'm hunting, I'm trying to blend in and I've, if I ever got a search and rescue type of situation, I need something other than an orange hat. You know that's required by law or whatever.
Speaker 2:So I made, uh, an ultra light VS 17 panel. Basically it's three foot by three foot, has night and it's infrared capable. Uh, I've got pictures of it in Iraq, right, well, a few months back in Iraq, through an Apache's night vision scope, he hit it with the IR flood at about 800 meters and it lit up. In fact, I think it's Missoula's behind it. I think it's Missoula's behind it. You can see the city lights and it's in between there and the, the helo, and it's just as bright as a city light, but nobody else sees it cause he's sitting with the IR flood. So, um, but yeah, I mean, dude, it's this big.
Speaker 1:This is three foot by three foot, night capable, two and a half ounces, damn so that was my biggest complaint on a fucking VS-17 panel is how fucking you'd always cut it up. You'd always be chopping it up, cutting it up to fit your needs or situation. Nobody got time for that shit, yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean I'm slowly but surely picking away at the VS-17. I want it to go away. I mean that's Vietnam era stuff, dude, it is. I'd buy that. All it is is that's. I'd buy that. Yeah, it's. I mean, all it is is well and that's so. This is what keeps me from being very compliant, and and so I've had to go through soft uh impact cards and company cards. You know regular army. You got to get dod approval and all this other stuff. So you've got to be very compliant, which means my equipment, all of my materials have to come from the us, unless you get a waiver. Nobody in the U? S makes this material nobody, and I have hired people to try to help me find it. Nobody makes it. Um, it's, it's just so it's. Nobody makes they make this material. They don't make it that lightweight.
Speaker 1:So it's is that. Is it the rip?
Speaker 2:it's. It's a 20 denier ripstop nylon um, but that 20 denier part that's what gets everybody. You can find like 70, but then you're talking it's going to be more than you know. It's three times as much weight. So my whole point was make it ultra, ultra, ultra light. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So but um, dude, this is, this is some fucking next level like outdoors tony, stark shit like wouldn't it? Have you always been an innovator? Have you always were you an 18 charlie?
Speaker 2:no, no, I did. I didn't invent shit, I just like I. So, all right, I moved um 20, right out shortly after COVID. Uh, my wife's company she's out of Boston Um, they let her. She actually was working at Durham, you know, I was stationed at Bragg. So, uh, they, when they closed her Durham location, they knew I was still active and they allowed her to stay remote and they would fly her back and forth. Well, we kept that under wraps as long as we could. And then, a couple of years later, like right, covid was still pretty peaked. Uh, they caught wind that I was retired and they said how long we've been flying? No, you're moving.
Speaker 2:So I couldn't live in Massachusetts. Suppressors and stuff, you know they don't like guns there. So we're literally 400 yards over the state line in new hampshire and I grew up in Florida, man. So New Hampshire, there's three foot of snow outside right now. Like I don't do this. This is not fun. I wish I wasn't Bama down there with you. Man, like you're probably short sleeve shirt and it was negative one here two days ago. I'm like I don't want to be here. But long story, short boredom.
Speaker 2:Boredom kicked in, boredom, boredom, kicked in, and I just started tankering with stuff and then one thing led to another. And you know, I mean, I had this one here and it was originally meant for, like search and rescue campers, to move in for a stalk and they drape it over their pack and then take off. They would uh, flag their buddy down if they were on two different ridges, you know, trying to get back together or just hang it over a blood trail, like you know where's the last blood point? They'd drape it up in the tree and uh, but in doing so, um, former navy seal, uh, john barclow.
Speaker 2:He's one of the product designers over at Sitka. Awesome, awesome, great shit. They make great shit, they make good shit. Everybody picks on him because it's expensive or whatever, but he's doing a whole survival course now too. He was like I think he was mountain warfare trainer for years and years, something like that, but anyway, he was like like he hit me up and he said hey, man, I love it, can you make one a little bit smaller? And I laughed and I said how's 21 inches sound? And he said that sounds real specific. So well, I was trying to figure out my role of what are you using to measure?
Speaker 2:my role in material is 60 something inches wide, so I'm taking 37 inches and once I hem it in for the big one it's 36 inches. I got this leftover. What am I going to do with it? I made a little freaking 21 incher and it weighs one and 1.2 ounces and I sent it to him and he was like this is it, this is so.
Speaker 2:He's all the survival courses he talks about, these things. Um, you know, it's, it's. It's been fun kind of playing around with that stuff. I make like ultralight suppressor covers, not not for heat, just to keep rain and dirt and crap out of the out of the barrel. But you know, it's just tinkering around with stuff, Just looking at like what do I need that I can't find, or what do I need that is expensive? Yeah, I, just if I can make it, I make it, and if I can't, then I start looking to see who can make it for me. And you know I had lamps, tripods, trekking poles, all kind of crap, yeah, that's something that I didn't even talk, that that never came across my mind.
Speaker 1:I always envisioned the creative process being something where you have to initialize and create every aspect of what you envision. You know, you sort of envision somebody sewing something, making it at home, creating, sourcing the parts. Never thought about reaching out to actual manufacturers to do all that stuff for you. Yeah, which I think that's something that maybe a lot of us you know. I certainly know that within our group of American service members, veterans there's a lot of creators out there, but they maybe don't know that they don't have to do every process, every aspect of the process, by themselves. When you were diving into this world, what was the initial thing that gave you that kick in the ass of like I can do this? We were talking earlier that, the entrepreneurial experience, that drive to create something. That's a big push. But then what you need is that additional fucking fire in your belly to say, like I gotta do this for me.
Speaker 2:I mean, what started everything was just boredom. Like I said, I, I don't like it up here, I can't go outside. My motorcycle just sits under a cover way too much, you know, I'm like it's. And then when it starts to get nice out, I've never had allergies in my freaking life. Man and I, I go outside in like may, june and even part of july and I just become, I just look like death. So I live off of zizol. There's your plug for zizol.
Speaker 2:Uh, you know maybe they'll sponsor you I live off that crap, um, but it was honestly for me. What started me was boredom. What got me going was I was actually pretty blown away by some of the guys like us that were in the industry, already had big names, and just said hey, man, I'll hook you up. It may not get you much, but it'll get your name out there.
Speaker 1:That's awesome, john.
Speaker 2:Barclow was the first one. Aaron Snyder he's former Army. He was with Kefaru, just stepped over to Born Primitive Great dude. He talks about the markers all the time. He actually is testing a couple of our well testing, playing around with seeing if he can break some of our equipment right now. Um, but like dudes who have big names in the hunting outdoor industry and we're just open armed like, hey man, you ain't gotta pay me anything. I'm going to talk about this cause I think it's great and and and and I think more of that needs to happen. You know, in our military community, you know, guys getting out like first of all, what's the worst that can happen? Somebody tells you no, you know, but if you're starting something up like dude I, I reached out to so many different people and just dm'd them half the time. I still think two, three years later, most of my dms haven't even been seen. You know, dude's got 60, 80, 000 followers. I'm not gonna show up.
Speaker 1:So but you never know.
Speaker 2:You never know unless you try exactly and and some guys do, some guys do respond. Uh, aaron was one of them. I was shocked. He fired right back to me. He was like what do what do you got? And I cause, I, I asked him a question on a on a post and, uh, we got each other's phone numbers. I'm trying to take him to go fishing, but he doesn't want to. You know, he's got his own fishing and stuff going on. So I'm like, all right, well, um, one of these days, I think if more of us kind of got together and helped each other out and lifted each other up just even some Instagram pages. All they do is just memes and crap like that.
Speaker 2:I did a T-shirt not too long ago trying to raise money for the GV Foundation, and so I put together, designed this whole T-shirt and was going to sell it to raise money. I put together, designed this whole t-shirt and was going to sell it to raise money. And and like, um, handful of guys on that Instagram didn't know me from, you know anything, but I was like, hey, all of my proceeds, like I'm not taking a dime from this, I'm just whatever you know I got to pay to. You know it's going to like anything on top of what I spent is going to go out, like I want to send this all to Chibi and they just they would start putting it on their stories and and it helped, you know, I mean like cause I didn't have the reach.
Speaker 2:I still don't have much reach on my Instagram, like, I'm still gaining followers, but, like some of these dudes had 20, 30, 40,000 followers and, and you know, they got reached. They can get it out there and it helps, you know, and so we did that, uh, you know, a few months back, but I think, unfortunately, some of these guys just go. You know, shit, I made it, you can make it. No, somebody helped you and if they didn't, good on you, but somebody somewhere along the way gave you a little boost, lifted you up, you know, even just a word of encouragement, and and, uh, you know, cause, I've definitely had plenty of dudes that I, you know, followed or or knew, you know, knew of, and I reached out and kind of got a shitty response and you know, no harm, no foul, but, dude, you're not perfect and you know, like, so I I think, if, I think, if the community starts helping each other out, raising each other up a little bit more. It'll be, we could take over, dude.
Speaker 1:Oh bro, absolutely. I mean the amount of support that we need to generate within our little echo chamber. It doesn't take a lot, it really doesn't take a lot to help promote, amplify a voice of somebody that's doing something good. It's as simple as sharing, bringing somebody on a show, being willing to communicate, being willing to frigging, like, if they're putting good stuff out there, help somebody out, meet with them, be able to flush out if they're. If they're putting good stuff out there, help somebody out. Like, meet with them, understand, like, be able to flush out if they're a grifter, cause I run into a few. I'm like, hey, at the end of the day, you opened up for communication, yep, you don't have to. You don't have to if, if, if, they're a bad agent, if there's somebody that you understand, like, okay, like you're full of shit, okay, leave it at that, move forward. But man, it takes two seconds to have a virtual cup of coffee Two seconds.
Speaker 1:And we need to be able to promote people that are doing great, inspiring things so other people can say like, oh, I can do that too. Like, dude, nobody should leave the military and go into their next chapter feeling like they can't accomplish something that was just as great, if not greater. And I think like these stories are not just good moments and snapshots within the echo chamber of negativity, but they're inspirational. They show people that, dude, you didn't have $2 million to start off, you didn't have a fucking huge runway that was paved by somebody else. You made it yourself and you're doing it. That's what people need to see. I still can't get a bank loan.
Speaker 2:I've reached out to freaking every bank out there. I'm like, hey, I just need like 20K, 30K and they're like no, Awesome Thanks.
Speaker 1:Shout out to American express First ones, dude, I, I, I got lucky. I got really lucky. American express rolled out what was, uh, online checking was a cabbage cabbagecom. No joke, that was our first venue or first venture into the online checking account and I was like this to the online checking account and I was like that's fucking ridiculous. Absolutely, I'll take this. I'll have this as my virtual checking account. Fucking rolls into American Express checking. And they're the first ones that gave me my startup loan.
Speaker 1:Like everybody thinks that you need to go the conventional way, I've had people turn me down because they didn't believe in the concept. Oh yeah, no, this is stupid, this is not going to do anything. Well, I have one customer I'm virtually producing and everybody thinks that you need to have 100% backing from everybody else. It's like no, you have to have determination and grit to stay in what you're doing, to have faith in yourself. Yeah, find ways, find fucking ways. I had to bootstrap and yeah, dude, some, some aspects of it will suck. You'll have to look at all those beautiful suppressors and beautiful rifles you've acquired. You'll have to say you're potentially a brand new sony camera. I'm gonna have to let you go. Oh god, that would hurt, oh it did it did.
Speaker 1:It hurt like a motherfucker. But what's more important your vision, your dream or having nice things in your gun safe, like there's that you have to understand. Like I'm not going to go into financial debt and put my family into a position where now things are our future's unstable, but I will out hustle everybody else. I will stay up 40 to 48 hours to get products out, to get concepts out, because when you build something on your own, you have to develop all aspects of it the marketing, sales and everything. And maybe the social media stuff gets you another customer. Hey, I want you to run social media for it. Or maybe the video quality for the hobby podcast you're doing does really well and somebody wants you to edit their videos for them. Like every aspect of what you're doing could be potential source of income because somebody sees value in what you're doing and I see a lot of creators out there.
Speaker 1:A lot of people are in the space like, oh man, I'm not making any money out of this. You're not making any money on your podcast, your videos. I get it, but refine your approach, refine your technique. Maybe somebody will hire you to edit and promote and do the social media marketing, do all these other things. You can do that and allow yourself to continue focusing on your dream and refine your skills. Refine and get it out there and now and now. You're not just one threat. Now you're not just a podcast. You're a video editing company. Now you're sound uh, sound editing. You're doing audio stuff Like dude. You can do so much if you just believe in yourself. It would just take two seconds. Take an in, just believe in yourself. Yeah, we just take two seconds. Take any and believe in yourself. Well, there's will.
Speaker 2:There's a way you said you start with one thing, now you're this, now you're that. As you start going along, you start seeing opportunities, like right now, actually, a buddy of mine, he's a cw3 in the 82nd helo pilot. He's the one that took the photos over in iraq. Um, he's getting ready to retire. And uh, uh, he was actually my NCO. Uh, on a on a team back back when I first first got in.
Speaker 2:I was like I didn't. I just walked up and went hey, tex, what's going on? And he's like you're the new guy. I was like, oh, this is, I don't really like being called that, but sure I am. But he was, he was awesome man. I love the dude to death. We've kept in touch for freaking ever.
Speaker 2:And, um, he hung everything up to go over and, uh, you know, hung the team stuff up and went over and just wanted to be an Apache pilot. And so he made it and he did it. And so he's over in the 82nd doing his thing now flying for them. Um, but he's, yeah, I think he's about to hang up as a, he's about to retire, but but, um, and doing all that we were doing when I first, when these started going getting away from me a little bit. I was like, man, I need to. I'm getting to the point where I need a manufacturer.
Speaker 2:Yeah, us manufacturing man was like, the cost for one of those to get done for me was my wholesale price. And I'm like how, how am I going to make a dollar if I'm going to sell it to a store? And they were like, oh, that's just what it is in America. So, long story short, we went down to Puerto Rico, which is where most of our uniforms and everything else was made. Anyway, turns out, there's like four or five textile manufacturing plants down there. They're swamped with DO contracts, swamped because you're getting like overseas costs, like pricing, but it's made in america, right, you know us territory or whatever it is. So, um, I went down there. I mean literally a third of the cost of what any of the american companies are doing or going to charge me.
Speaker 1:So, but I'm going to make the mental note of that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, go to PR man. So. But you know, like I walked the plant and you know made sure there's no like eight-year-old sweating in the corner, you know, and it was not, so I mean I got to give them that, but it was just If I mean I got to give them that.
Speaker 1:But it was just, if they are, they are jolly, they're having fun.
Speaker 2:There's music playing. Little Johnny looked so happy to be there where the chain around his ankle was not.
Speaker 1:Ricardo, vamos.
Speaker 2:But we got walking around and just kind of looking at everybody and I was like just nobody looked real thrilled, nobody looked happy, and you know they're all sitting in these plastic chairs from, like you know, probably left over from an elementary school, you know fire or something like that Just not comfortable conditions. And so we my buddy kind of went you know he's from Puerto Rico, the Hilo pilot, and so he'd go down there and check around for me to help me try to find some other stuff. Long story short, as like we were talking about you're this and now you become this, we're seriously looking at starting a sew shop down in PR and actually like trying to treat the employees well and give them comfortable settings. And I'm like, do we'll have people lined up at our door to work for us for one and DOD contracts out the wazoo because of the cost of living there?
Speaker 1:And be able to make your own products, yeah.
Speaker 2:And so you know, like you're saying, like you're this, now you're this. You start finding stuff out as you're going along, you're like, dude, I could do that. Or you go, dude, this guy's doing this wrong, I could do it way better. And and fix, you know, fix the problem, make things better for everybody. You know it's it's it's as you get going in the business world, you start finding more stuff that you're like, dude, I could totally take this on and do it. And so we're gonna just keep powering and, and and I mean honestly, if I can, if we can open a textile manufacturing shop and PR and charge PR prices but have employees that are happy and get a bunch of DOD contracts, then yeah, I'll, I'll run that thing. So come to me, we'll, we'll be selling stuff for you. I mean, and I won't turn down the contracts If you come to me with your basic training, brownie tighties, man, if that's the contract, I'll take it, let's go.
Speaker 1:I will make the finest underpants DOD has ever issued.
Speaker 2:Best cotton ever.
Speaker 1:I think production and the entrepreneurial spirit is really big within our soft community and our veteran community and I think we've seen it for a long time, even like at the very beginning of GWAT. We can probably name off like 10 to 15 companies that everybody was fucking just diehard fanatic over it. And then you look at the people who founded it and it was a soft guy, a Navy SEAL Ranger, I mean shit.
Speaker 1:I mean it was a Ranger Joe's a Benning. That's a cult following. Yeah, I mean like people go there to see the manufacturing.
Speaker 2:I just had a hard time, you know, integrating back into the civilian world, like I mean I've got. You know, like I shouldn't say that, like I I'm very good friends with civilians everywhere, but like the workforce it drives me nuts, man I I listened to some of the stuff my wife deals with. She's a VP and a, you know, pretty large company and not like the VP of the company, a VP of a section, but so she's dealing with stuff all the time and I'm like just VP of the company, a VP of a section, but so she's dealing with stuff all the time and I'm like just take them out back and hit them. You know, and she's, you know I couldn't get anything done today. I was in an eight hour safety presentation, blah, blah, blah. I'm like dude, we used to throw darts at each other over the cubicle walls playing human battleship. You know like, no, each other over the cubicle walls, playing human battleship. You know, like I didn't know, and that's a true story. Um, I won't say that my buddy was using a uh, red drive to cover his balls, but he was afraid that the dart might get him there. So the closest thing he had to him was a red drive sitting on the desk and and he just stuck there but you know, whatever. So it was secure, Dude. But yeah, I'm like dude, and I had some video of some stuff and I sent it to her. I was like, show this to your safety people. And she's like they'll probably just fire me for just being known.
Speaker 2:You know, like being around you with this, like I'm like God, just I can't handle that kind of stuff. I'm like, dude, get it, get it done, do it fast and then and then go home. If you don't have anything to do, if you're done with the day's work, go home. You know, I hated the like I tried the boss. It was like, oh, you're done, well, find a few extra things to do. I'm like, no, dude, I'm out. Like this is, this is ridiculous.
Speaker 2:When I, you know, when I became a senior NCO, that was my, my mindset was, hey, it's two, 30 and you're done, go home. I don't care, you know I'll, if the commander gets pissed, I'll ask for forgiveness, but I'm not going to ask for permission, I'm going to do it. And I, you know, I took care of my guys and I had leadership that did the same for me. Luckily, I had plenty of it when I was in the 82nd. It was not I. Four years in the 82nd, I was, you know, considering. I was like you know, hey, this barrel tastes funny. Who else is fucking on it? Why are you waiting in line in the arms room? Oh you know, yeah, mondays, long nap time, um, but yeah, I did four years in the 82nd and I was like I can't handle this crap. Man be done, done, nothing to do. And they're still like just and get out and sweep the parking lot, hurry up the way why I hate you like.
Speaker 1:I hate every word.
Speaker 2:You know, and and it was, unfortunately it was still in the soft community you still had those guys that would come over. They'd be like E6s, like senior E6s or E7, you know, come on over and they're still. They're so brainwashed that they're just, like you, stand there, stand out there in formation for no reason, like waiting for the stupid flag to go out, like you're come on, dude, it's 5 PM, I want to go home. I'm not trying to stand out here just so I can hear. You know, salute a flag. I'm not doing it, so it. But civilian, the civilian life just wasn't for me and I was like, like I said, like I had the pension, I had the disability, like I'm, you know, decent, decent funds, but uh, boredom and, and you know, honestly, I'm just now starting to make some money, but uh, first couple years wasn't making a dime.
Speaker 1:But you know the grind, yeah that's the beauty of it too, though, like you, you start like when at first, it's like fuck, I just have to keep working, keep grinding, and you have to believe like the money will come, the money will be there. I just have to focus on the process and how many of us, and how many veterans out there, get to that point where it's like they're just about to make it and they quit Nah, fuck it, I'm going to contract, I'm going to do it. It's like dude, if you're listening and you're in the space and you're, you're not making the money that you're dreaming of. It's like keep moving forward, keep working and honing your craft. You have to believe in yourself. The rest of the world is not going to be there cheering you on. There's no QRF until there's great success, and that might be a year, two, two years. Some people stumble upon it like right off the bat, but you have to understand that, like, maybe your number is 10 years in, maybe your number's five years in.
Speaker 1:Adapt, improvise, figure out to make revenue in other ways. Fucking, use your benefits, go to school full-time, use that, hustle your off. Don't give up and chase down things that you're passionate about. You never know when it's going to come to fruition. You never know when your hit is going to happen. Be smart. I'm not telling you to gamble all your money and thinking that you're going to become the world's greatest next fucking YouTube star. That's not a great, profitable endeavor, but you can create great things out there and you just have to stay true to yourself and your process.
Speaker 2:Jason, if people want to check out your quality equipment, where do they go? Wwwteameastiescom yeah, it's a weird name, but team, and then east, like east coast I-E-S. So T-A-M-E-A-S-T-I I E S. I remember spell good, I swear Um. But uh, yeah, man, I mean most of my stuff.
Speaker 2:I do everything on Instagram and and I, I we're doing a giveaway today for some trekking poles. A couple of weeks ago I did a tripod giveaway. I mean I'm always trying to do something cool like that and, uh, you know. Giveaway. I mean I'm always trying to do something cool like that and, uh, you know. So check me out on the gram. Uh, all my stuff is real. I do have a little teeny marketing team that's throwing some little ads on there that might drive you nuts, but if it's, if it's not, if it drives you nuts, it's not me. If you see this stupid face standing in front of that wall, that's, that's definitely me. Um, uh, yeah, like I'm the guy that doesn't know what he's doing in front of the camera and it's all of us. 35 takes for a two second video, hands are slowly going up.
Speaker 1:I tell people all the time this is so much different than trying to do this content creation. Hey, what's up? Guys got five minutes giving you five free. I can't fucking do that shit. It's just hours of. That's why I don't like. So if you're wondering why I don't do reels and shit with my actual fucked up face, because I don't fucking like doing it, but I have to do it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, someday no, yeah, I, I, I. It drives me nuts. But yeah, team, uh, I'm on, I'm on Instagram, I'm on Facebook and Twitter. I don't think I've ever posted on Twitter, I just have it, it's a beast man it's.
Speaker 1:It's hard to understand what to do. I the more vulgar and more racist and sexist you are on Twitter, so just find your niche there and just start dropping that box and be able to follow. Seems like it, yeah.
Speaker 2:So but yeah, most of my crap's on there and, honestly, a lot of our video of us testing stuff out. I'm one of my videos when I'm messing with the tripod heads. I'm trying to break it. I put a 300 wind mag on a head that was meant for like binoculars and I'm like I'm gonna, I'm gonna break this thing. Yeah, I was pissed I didn't and I was like, well, maybe I'm gonna sell it now.
Speaker 2:So damn it melted, I made it too good but I mean, I literally I like, like looked at the camera, I'm like I haven't shot over this thing yet.
Speaker 2:Let's put a 300 Winchester Magnum on there and fuck yeah, if I can break it and I'm just pow, pow, pow, it's holding. I'm like, okay, well, that's a good start for that, you know. And but, um, yeah, I, I mean all my shit's true, man, it's, it's, it's me, it's my buddies doing it, it's you know, uh, if it's on the website, it's been tested, it's been beat up, it's been's. You know, uh, if it's on the website, it's been tested, it's been beat up, it's been tried. Um, you know, and and slowly but surely coming up with new ideas, new plans, you know, always trying something different.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah man.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I mean, the biggest thing is, like I said, I'm trying to keep the numbers down so dudes can afford to buy something and they don't have to have three tripods before they actually get a good one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, or have to go to their wife for permission. Yeah, that too. If you guys pause right now, go to episode description. You'll see all those links to his website, instagram, on there. Go ahead and give jason a follow and head on over to his website and buy some fucking awesome outdoors gear some trekking poles, tripods so that you can look cool and have durable equipment. Because number one factor we're always looking for is does it look cool and will it last? And if you're an 18, bravo. I promise you they'll last. Just don't try to fucking eat the things. Yeah, dude, jason, thank you so much for being here, man. I really appreciate you. It's awesome to see somebody leaning into their own entrepreneurial endeavors. We're not giving up, man, because it's oftentimes like it's just about fucking putting your nose down and grinding, and that's something we're fucking used to. We learned how to do that in 82nd and then we became masters of it in the soft world. So it's good to see you out there kicking ass man. Thanks, man.
Speaker 2:I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:I. It's good to see you out there kicking ass man. Thanks, man I appreciate it.
Speaker 2:I mean, you're killing it too dude.
Speaker 1:So keep it up. We'll keep on pushing one pooping cum joke meme at a time to everybody listening. Thank you so much for tuning in. Before I let you go, please head on over to Spotify and Apple. See, I'm waiting to the end of the episode to put this shit out there, so not bugging you at the beginning. So please head on over to Apple or Spotify or even YouTube. Leave us a review, five star and comment something. I don't know, fucking boners, banana, anything. The algorithm picks it up and it helps, but your support matters and I appreciate you. I'm Danny Caballero. Until next time, take care.
Speaker 1:Thanks for tuning in and don't forget to like, follow, share, subscribe and review us on your favorite podcast platform. To like, follow, share, subscribe and review us on your favorite podcast platform. If you want to support us, head on over to buymeacoffeecom. Forward slash SecHawk podcast and buy us a coffee. Connect with us on Instagram X or TikTok and share your thoughts or questions about today's episode. You can also visit securityhawkcom for exclusive content, resources and updates. And remember we get through this together. If you're still listening, the episode's over. Yeah, there's no more Tune in tomorrow or next week.
