OTSS Podcast

Tim Parkhurst's love for the U.S. Marine Corps started early in life. After some difficulties in public school, he was enrolled in a private military high school that mirrored the Corps. The experience was life-changing, as Parkhurst knew he wanted to be a Marine from that point forward. Upon graduating, he quickly enlisted and became part of the elite Marine Corps Scout Snipers. He would go on to serve for 25 years in the Marines, with deployments across four conflicts.

Upon his retirement from the Corp, Parkhurst became involved in an all-volunteer Marine sniper association. However, he wanted to help preserve the Scout Snipers' 105-year-long history, honor its important legacy and build a memorial to its fallen members in Quantico, Virginia. Knowing that the mission would be beyond the bandwidth of volunteers, Parkhurst founded the Marine Scout Sniper Heritage Foundation. Consisting of a full-time staff, it is entirely dedicated to achieving those goals.

In this episode of the “Only The Strong Survive Podcast,” Parkhurst shares the lessons he learned from his service as a Scout Sniper. He also discusses with host Dan Kahn the need for the Marine Scout Sniper Heritage Foundation and other non-profit veteran-focused organizations like it. Click on the icon above to watch the entire interview, and here are our top takeaways:

* Mission-driven people always need something to focus on.

* The transition from military to civilian life is challenging for most veterans.

* Small teams also need to contribute to larger organizations.

* Keeping calm under pressure is a valuable skill for anyone.

Mission-Driven People Need Mission-Driven Organizations

There is no doubt that the U.S. Marine Corps is a mission-driven organization with equally driven members. Upon initially leaving the Marines, Parkhurst entered a darker period in his life without a mission to channel his energy on. That lost feeling and lack of focus led to Parkhurst re-enlisting in the Marines five years later. As he got closer to his final retirement, he knew he needed to still be part of a mission-driven organization. Fulfilling that need led him to become involved in non-profits and ultimately founding the Marine Scout Sniper Heritage Foundation.

“I was on a deployment in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011, about three or four years before I retired, and it occurred to me that it is all about the mission. We are so mission-focused and driven in the military, and if I don’t have some kind of mission that means something to me when I get out, I am just going to flounder. That is really what happened to me the first time around,” said Parkhurst. “So I started thinking to myself that I would be proactive this time and find some type of non-profit or organization that I can give my time and effort to that seems worthy, adds value to the world, makes me feel better about myself and makes me feel like I am contributing.”

Becoming a Civilian is Tough

One of the reasons Parkhurst founded his non-profit is that he knew from first-hand experience how tough the transition to civilian life can be. Beyond the loss of a mission, there are a whole host of other issues that veterans often have to deal with after leaving the service. By honoring the legacy of the Scout Snipers, Parkhurst hopes that he can give former Marines a sense of being part of something much larger and find other veterans to confide in with their problems about switching to a civilian role.

“It is a problem that is never going to be completely mitigated. It will always be there. So no matter how much you prepare somebody who’s getting ready to separate ahead of time, they’re going to have the problem. A lot of it is determined by that individual's own personal disposition, their past history with mental health issues, stability and things like that. Quite frankly, a lot of guys come into the military with a lot of baggage already from their childhood,” says Parkhurst. “We are just a microcosm of society, so the military deals with that just like everybody in the civilian world.”

Going “Solo” Has Its Drawbacks

Marine Corps Scout Snipers are unique because they operate independently in a two-man team with minimal supervision. That ability to broadly execute missions on their own contrasts with the more rigid and traditional military command structures soldiers often deal with. However, just like in business, continually operating on your own or in micro teams has drawbacks and can make being part of the “bigger picture” more difficult.

“You get overlooked when it comes to larger picture things. When you are just off training on your own, you are just training individual skills, but what about skills in support of a company, which is maybe 150 men, or skills in support of a battalion, which is a thousand guys?” says Parkhurst. “Different-sized operations require different skill sets and different techniques. If you don’t practice them, you can’t get good at them.”

Equanimity is a Virtue

Any sniper is rigorously taught the importance of equanimity. Marine Corps Scout Snipers are put into highly stressful situations, so the ability to remain calm and make composed decisions is vital. While business leaders aren’t deciding the perfect time to take a shot with a sniper rifle, their ability to keep calm is just as important. Being rash with decisions and not thinking them through can be fatal to a sniper but also the downfall of a business.

“When I went through sniper school, the big catchword was equanimity. Equanimity is essentially the ability to keep your cool under pressure, not make rash decisions and think things through. Don’t think too long, be decisive and make a decision, but always think,” says Parkhurst. “You have to think about equanimity and practice it to get good at it. Just having that word in my head and knowing that it is there and something that I should strive for has helped me in those times when it mattered to actually be able to do that just enough to be somewhat successful.”

Some entrepreneurs who started their own businesses can envy those who run their families’ companies. After all, many of these multi-generational leaders didn’t have to go through the often painful process of starting a brand from scratch. While that may be true, running a family business comes with a whole other set of unique challenges. And keeping that business going for generations also requires a lot of skill and knowledge.

On this special episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, host Dan Kahn discusses the intricacies and difficulties of making multi-generational businesses thrive with three great guests, including Malco Automotive Products’ Seth Glauberman. Malco, an automotive detailing products company, was founded in 1953 by Seth’s grandfather. Also part of the discussion is David Borla from Borla Exhaust, a well-known aftermarket exhaust manufacturer that was created by David’s parents in 1978. Adding her expertise is Melanie Hellwig White of Hellwig Suspension Products, a helper spring and sway bar brand that Melanie’s great-grandfather and grandfather started in 1946.

Click on the icon above to watch the latest episode of “Only The Strong Survive,” as all three leaders share their experiences on what it takes to keep a family business going. Here are our top five takeaways from the episode:

* You can’t be forced into a family business and be successful.

* Multi-generational family businesses are legacies and not just brands.

* There is a lot of pressure associated with that legacy.

* Change in a family business can be challenging but necessary.

* Being part of a multi-generational brand creates a long-term outlook.

Running the Family Business Has to be a Choice

One interesting trait Melanie, David and Seth all share is that none of them were pressured to join the family business. They were free to choose their own paths and didn’t immediately join their family’s brands. That freedom resulted in their desire to be part of their respective companies rather than it feeling like a requirement. Wanting the next generation to continue your business might be strong, but it needs to be their choice for the business to be successful.

“I think what my parents did an excellent job at was there was no pressure. We kept things, and we still do, very separate,” says Melanie. “It is hard because there is so much passion in a family business. In some ways, I think I was a little discouraged (from joining the business). Maybe not discouraged but not encouraged. It was very neutral on whether or not my family wanted the next generation to get involved.”

It’s Not Just a Business, It’s a Legacy

One key difference between running a family business and starting your own is that you are part of something much larger. Melanie, David and Seth’s brands all stretch back over decades. The businesses have always been part of the trio’s lives, even as children way before their official start dates. That long-term involvement creates a different viewpoint and the realization that their family companies are legacies, not just brands.

“I used to come in (as a kid) and put clamps together,” says David. “I have had the opportunity, and I am sure it is like that for Melanie and Seth, too, to have seen the business even when I wasn’t involved in it. That is a really important perspective I think that we have as the next generation. Yes, there is this official time period that we have been working here, but we witnessed much more than that. For me, and you guys, I am sure it is always part of my thinking, no matter what I am doing, that I am a part of something a lot bigger, and that goes back a lot further than me.”

That Legacy Brings Pressure, Too

Being part of something larger than yourself and a legacy is a rewarding experience. However, there is also a lot of pressure that comes with it as well. Carrying on that legacy can land heavily on the shoulders of the leaders of multi-generational family businesses. There is also a strong desire to do right by those who came before you and make your family proud.

“This (business) was a passion project of my great-grandfather. I come into work every day, and I sit at my great grandfather's desk. There is a part where it is so integrated into everything here. I am incredibly lucky to have this awesome brand and this legacy,” says Melanie. “There is a lot of pressure with this legacy, though, and, I won’t lie, it has kept me up at night because I want to do well, and I want to make my grandpa proud.”

You Can’t Get Stuck in the Past

With long and rich histories of brands that go back decades, there can be a lot of traditional ways of doing business that develop. While those traditions and relationships are essential to a brand’s legacy, you can’t remain firmly entrenched in the past, either. Multi-generational family businesses need to be as nimble and adaptable as upstarts to survive in a constantly changing business environment.

“Our company has probably reinvented itself five times. We started by doing cleaning chemicals that were sold to dairy distributors on the janitorial side. You don’t get milk dropped off at your house now, so that’s gone,” says Seth. “We were always a specialty chemical manufacturer at our core focused on meeting the needs of our customers. But if you look at our business, there are three of four times when it really changed. My dad always talks about the paradigm shift, how things change and how you have to adapt to it. The reason we are still around is because we kept adapting versus staying in one spot.”

A Long History Creates a Long-Term Outlook

Another unique aspect of being part of a multi-generational family-run business is that it naturally creates a long-term vision. While some companies obsess over the next quarter’s profits and maximizing shareholder values, Seth, Melanie and David have a different outlook. Being part of their respective businesses since childhood gives them a deep understanding of playing the “long game” and knowing that short-term gain can come at the expense of overall company health.

“There is just this intuitive feel and knowledge that you have, especially as a family having built this thing from nothing. That knowledge and experience transfer from one generation to another. It is knowing what the right thing is to do and knowing when it is the right time to take a little bit less profit in order to invest in the long-term health of the business,” says David. “The other thing is a lot of these PE guys are looking to flip the businesses every two or three years. They don’t care what is going to happen in seven or eight years to the business. Whereas we don’t necessarily have that mindset, so we can play the long game.”

Operational excellence and process improvements are significant parts of Mario Iannantuono’s life. After getting an engineering degree, he worked as a process engineer for an OEM. That first role created interest and excitement in the manufacturing process and how to improve it. After leaving the OEM side, Mario switched roles to working for Tier 1 OEM suppliers. Eventually, he became a global manager and worked for other well-known world-class companies such as Danaher. Through all his roles, Mario gained extensive experience in improving manufacturing and making it more efficient.

Eventually, Mario retired but quickly discovered a life of golf and leisure wasn’t for him. Along with a couple of business associates, he formed Quantum Leap Partners, a consulting group that brings operational and process improvement expertise to smaller and mid-size businesses. Mario also acts as an interim COO for BluePrint Engines, a leading manufacturer of high-performance crate engines. In this episode of “Only The Strong Survive,” Mario discusses with host Dan Kahn why process improvement matters to businesses of any size and what he has learned from a career dedicated to it.

Here are our top five takeaways from Dan and Mario’s discussion:

* Process and efficiency improvement can help companies of any size.

* Measuring the correct data is essential.

* KPIs are useless if everyone doesn’t understand them.

* Getting to the root of the problem involves going beyond data.

* Outside help is often needed to keep scaling.

Process Improvement is for Everyone

Operational efficiency and process improvement were once thought to only matter to large-scale manufacturers like OEMs. However, Mario notes that smaller and mid-size companies can benefit from it, too. After all, the margins are often smaller for companies of this size, and anything you can do to squeak out more revenue is a plus. Improving processes and being more efficient can also give an edge over competitors that aren’t paying as much attention to it.

“We (Quantum Leap Partners) try to stay away from big companies because they have a lot of people like us who can go in there and fix these things. We really think that the small and mid-sized companies are the ones who are starving for this kind of work and this kind of leadership and expertise,” said Mario. “Because they are smaller, they don’t have the resources, and what we do is go in there and show them what they have to do to be competitive.”

Measurable Data is Everything

Creating key performance indicators (KPIs) is central to process improvement and efficiency. However, those KPIs need to really focus on what matters to the company and zero in on problem areas to help rectify them. Creating a bunch of easy wins and “green across the board” KPIs won’t help solve any problems. Gathering the right data is more important than the amount of data.

“What we did (at BluePrint) was focus on what mattered. When we looked at our KPIs, we had green and red. The message that I give everybody is that red is not bad. Red tells us what we need to work on. That’s all red does,” said Mario. “We went through the process of focusing on the red and eliminating those issues. As we started getting some wins, the team got very excited, and it just cascaded from there.”

Translate KPIs Into the Right Language

KPIs often come from the top levels of management and can be financial in nature, such as growing sales by a certain percentage. One mistake Mario sometimes sees companies make is not translating those KPIs into data points that are easily understood by those doing the work. Financials might be great for management but not for workers on the assembly line. To be effective, those KPIs need to be translated into their “language.”

“You are not going to share financials with folks on the shop floor because that is not the world they live in, right? Typically, if you go over a lot of financial information, they really just get lost,” said Mario. “On the shop floor, the world they live in is pieces and production. So, what I have always done is to take the financial data and translate it into languages that the people on the shop floor understand. Like what’s the goal for pieces? What’s the expected number of rejects that are okay, and what’s not okay? You need to put it into their format to make sure they understand it.”

Getting To the Root of the Problem

The right data is excellent for showing where the trouble spots are within your organization. However, even the best data doesn’t necessarily show what is causing those issues. To get to the root of those problems, you must dive deeper and go beyond simply gathering data.

“The data tells us where the issue is, and we dig very deeply into it. Then, we use a process called the ‘Five Whys,’” said Mario. “It is a problem-solving technique that a lot of the Toyotas of the world use, and it primarily says that if you ask a question five times, you’ll eventually get to the root cause of the problem. The last thing we want to do is just put a Band-Aid on an issue and then move away from it without it being resolved.”

Breaking Through the Wall

Most companies cannot infinitely scale up and grow unabated, and this is especially true of smaller, founder-led companies. Eventually, you hit a wall that you just can’t seem to get past. Mario notes that often, the only way to get past that wall is to seek help from outside experts. Pushing past it on your own can be a long, frustrating and costly process.

“Most of their (smaller businesses) systems that are put into place are kind of homegrown systems, and they tend to outgrow them. They know that once they start getting some scale, their organization can’t really absorb all of this stuff with the homegrown systems they have,” said Mario. “So there comes a point where you have to go outside to companies like mine to show you how to get there.”

Hilary Hutcheson on “Only The Strong Survive”Hilary Hutcheson’s love of the outdoors started early in life as the child of parents who worked for the National Park Service in Glacier National Park. Her “wild” childhood was spent riding bikes all over the park, running rapids, floating down rivers, exploring nature and fishing. After the explosion in the popularity of fly fishing, partly thanks to Brad Pitt in “A River Runs Through It,” Hilary became a fly fishing guide as a teenager. Eventually, she pursued a degree in broadcast journalism and was a news reporter for five years in Portland, Oregon. However, the beauty of Montana eventually called her back home.Now, Hilary wears many hats, continuing on with her first job as the lead fly fishing guide for Glacier Raft Company. She also started her own business, Lary’s Fly and Supply, which sells fly fishing equipment and hand-tied flies. An award-winning filmmaker, YETI ambassador and journalist, Hilary also writes for fishing magazines and creates outdoor films. She also somehow finds time to volunteer and serve on the boards of several conservation organizations. In this episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, Hilary shares with host Dan Kahn how she juggles her multiple endeavors, what it takes to run an outdoor business and her thoughts on leadership.

Click on the icon above to listen to the entire episode, and here are our top five takeaways:

* Working in the outdoor industry can be idealized.

* You have to take care of your employees.

* There are many ways to help find a balance between work and life.

* Volunteering for something you believe in is essential.

* Always trust your gut instincts.

Get DirtyMany people have an idealized concept of working in the outdoor industry. However, Hilary advises anyone thinking of pursuing an outdoor career to look past the perfectly curated photos on social media. To get an idea of what it is really like, you have to get dirty working in the outdoors. The days are often long, and the weather is far from perfect. It can be a rewarding career, but it is not for everyone.“If you want a career in the outdoor industry, have you looked at it beyond Instagram or the videos that are published? What do you really know about it? Because there is a fair amount of “anticappointment” in the outdoor industry,” says Hilary. “I always encourage people to really get dirty out there first. Get outside and understand how you fit in out there and if you feel comfortable out there.”Take Care of Your PeopleBeing a guide can seem like a stress-free job where you are always enjoying the outdoors. However, the long hours, constant worry about client safety and satisfaction, and sometimes having to act as a client psychologist can all take their toll. That is why Hilary ensures the focus is on the mental well-being of her employees and not just how happy her customers are.“We offer counselling through the Raft Company and we also tie in with the Redside Foundation, which is a non-profit that offers support to guides of all different types of outdoor guiding and recreation. They can get telehealth counseling sessions to get help with anything, such as financial situations they might be facing, relationship situations or issues with drugs and alcohol,” says Hilary. “There is a lot of support that is offered in the outdoor industry for guides. But the fact that a lot of guides might need that is something people haven’t talked about.”Find That BalanceIt is not hyperbole to say that Hilary is extremely busy with her multiple businesses, volunteer work and content creation. Having a work/life balance and staying sane may seem impossible. Thankfully, she has found a few things that help her juggle all that she has to do while still having time to enjoy life.“I am not going out on a bunch of different limbs. I have tried that before, and it definitely didn’t work. So everything I am doing is kind of similar. I can work on a bunch of different things, but they are so similar that they can support each other,” says Hilary. “We (Hilary and her husband) are also pretty good at delegating and giving people jobs. I don’t feel I am a person who has to do everything herself. I am pretty comfortable getting people trained up and having them lead in different ways.”Raise Your HandVolunteering and conservation are huge parts of Hilary’s life. Even for someone who might not seem to have spare time, she still finds ways to volunteer. For Hilary, one of the most important things is finding enjoyable ways to do it, as it leads to her raising her hand even more. Volunteering can take many forms, but you should always enjoy it.“You have to decide how your strengths are best utilized most efficiently, why you want to do that volunteer work, and what volunteer work looks like for you. For a lot of people, it is not meetings or Zoom calls,” says Hilary. “It is stewardship work, pulling fences or working with their hands on the land. It could be going to Washington, writing letters or articles, or working with the media. There is so much volunteer work that is needed.”Trust Your InstinctsHilary’s path from a kid in Glacier Park to a fishing guide, a news reporter, a media agency owner, a guide and running her own business may seem like a winding one. However, for her, the choices she made have been the right ones. Guiding her through it all has been the ability to constantly trust her gut instincts to lead her on the desired path.“My dad always said to think about your gut. He was very much about trusting your gut instincts and working through your gut and heart as opposed to overthinking things. For me, any time I have had a regret in business, it is because I strayed away from that, and I went and did something that either somebody else said to do or wanted to partner with me on,” says Hilary. “Anything that strays from how I truly feel about what I am doing or any time I have jumped off of that track has been a mistake.”

The SHOT Show (an acronym for the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show) has come a long way since its first show in 1979, held in St. Louis, Missouri, which had 5,600 attendees. Now, it has become one of the largest firearms shows in the world, regularly attracting over 50,000 people to peruse its 630,000 square feet of exhibit space. It has also branched out beyond solely focusing on firearms to incorporate many other parts of the outdoor industry into the annual show in Las Vegas.

In this special episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, host Dan Kahn heads to the 2025 SHOT Show. Instead of a single guest, as is our usual format, Kahn talks to multiple entrepreneurs from different aspects of the outdoors and firearm industries. They all share valuable insight into what it takes to create a prospering business in a challenging environment. The discussions are worth listening to for anyone looking to bootstrap their own business, whether they are into firearms or not. Click on the icon above to listen to the entire episode, and here are our top five takeaways:

* The key to success is solving your customers’ problems.

* Following your passion can create a long-lasting business.

* You have to be all in on your brand.

* Have a long-term vision for whatever you are trying to accomplish.

* Bringing all manufacturing in-house is the ultimate way to control quality.

Solve Your Customers’ Problems

Dan’s first interview was with Tyler Bech, the co-founder of the water purification company Guzzle H20. For Tyler, solving his customers’ problems isn’t just a feel-good value proposition buried in a marketing document somewhere. Instead, his whole company was founded around the concept. Created to provide clean water for sailboat crews in ports worldwide, Guzzle H20 quickly expanded to solve the problem of purifying water in the backcountry.

“We started out actually trying to solve a problem for professional sailors who show up at a marina in an international location. They might have 25 guys who need drinking water, and they are pretty sure that if they drink the water at the marina, they are all going to get sick,” said Tyler. “So we developed carbon filters and partnered with an LED UV company to come up with a portable solution to treat whatever fresh water you have available. We started with that and quickly figured out there are not that many sailors in the world, so we started building equipment for overlanders and anyone who enjoys playing in the outdoors.”

Follow Your Passion

Jimmy Flatt is a perfect example of following your passions. An avid hunter, he has always enjoyed teaching others to hunt. Looking to spread his love of hunting even further, Flatt founded Hunters of Color. The non-profit is dedicated to hunting conservation and fostering a deeper connection to the land while celebrating BIPOC and multi-cultural hunters. For Flatt, Hunters of Color is a passion project that helps him share his love of hunting with people traditionally underrepresented in the community.

“We started on the West Coast, where all of us went to school. All three founders are Oregon State University alumni. We all came together to teach our friends how to hunt. Once we started to teach our friends, all of our friends started to tell their friends,” says Flatt. “So it became a small passion project that turned into a large need across the West and then the country. Once we all graduated, we had time to pursue our 501c3 status.”

Be 100% Committed

In a sea of AR-15s, those created by Blackout Defense boldly stand out for their innovative design and extremely high quality. Founded initially as an aerospace company, Blackout Defense pivoted to manufacturing rifles in-house with the same precision and attention to detail found in aerospace parts. For Blackout Defense President and Founder Brooke Afshari, the key to that successful big pivot was being 100% committed to the brand.

“I would say that one thing that is absolutely critical is that you have to be 100% committed to the vision. You have to be 100% committed to the brand and building it,” says Brooke. “There can’t be a Plan B. There is only Plan A, and you are going to make it successful. You have to be all in to make it happen.”

A Long-Term Vision

For Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, supporting the Montana-based firearms and outdoor industries is about having a long-term vision for his state. An entrepreneur himself, Gianforte bootstrapped his own business that eventually became one of the largest employers in the state of Montana. For Gianforte, attracting businesses to his state isn’t about tax breaks but about providing a better way of life. Drawing businesses to Montana or creating new ones and supporting them with sensible legislation is critical to its future.

“Montana produces the best beef in the world. We feed the world with our grains, and we have been exporting beef and grain for decades,” says Gianforte. “Along with the beef and the grain, we have been exporting our kids and our grandkids. If we don’t improve our economy, we are not going to keep families together. That is why we are doing all of this.”

Get Vertical

Shelli and Michael Merino founded Olympus Arms to bring the Montana-based company’s unique reciprocating barrel design to the market. The innovative feature dramatically reduces recoil on all of Olympus Arms’ rifles. However, Shelli quickly found that outsourcing high-quality parts machined to exacting standards for Olympus’ Vulcan rifles was difficult. After some early teething issues, she brought manufacturing entirely in-house to control quality.

“We learned through the school of hard knocks how hard it is to outsource parts and get the type of quality machining and materials to the specs you need and how tough that market is,” says Shelli. “That is a big reason we decided to bring everything in-house so that we could quality control it. That gets very expensive very fast, but it’s worth it.”

Cory Burns from Kahn Media on “Only The Strong Survive”

Growing up as a car-crazed kid in Southern California, Cory Burns’ life has always revolved around automobiles. That love of cars eventually led Cory to a part-time job working for Joe Molina’s JMPR agency. As one of the era's most dominant automotive PR agencies, it was a natural fit for the young Burns. That two-week gig quickly turned into a full-time job, as Cory has an innate knack for public relations.

Dan Kahn, host of "Only The Strong Survive,” was working at JMPR at the same time. Seeing Cory's natural talent, Dan quickly hired him as his second employee when he set out on his own and founded Kahn Media. Almost 15 years later, Cory proved it was a wise move, rising through the ranks to become Kahn Media’s Senior Vice President, Accounts.

Bootstrapping his way from intern to vice president has taught Cory a lot about what it takes to be a leader and how to succeed. Being entrenched in public relations for over a decade has also given him a deep insight into the current PR landscape. In this special episode of “Only The Strong Survive,” Cory shares his thoughts about both with host Dan Kahn. Click on the icon above to hear their entire insightful discussion. Here are our top five takeaways:

* Willfully and consistently exiting your comfort zone is key to growth.

* Leadership is about others and not yourself.

* Don’t just hire experts, learn from them.

* Successful creators are now becoming brands.

* The decentralization of modern media has created challenges.

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

For Cory, much of his career growth has come from his willingness to step outside his comfort zone. Trying something new that you might not be comfortable with is the best way to learn new skills. Being a wallflower or staying indefinitely in your comfort zone never leads to personal and professional growth.

“I always look at it to take every opportunity to just try something new and show up where you may be uncomfortable. I remember being that kid cold-calling on the phone,” says Cory. “Show up at a place and have someone introduce you, ask someone what they are into or ask them about what they do. You never know who you are going to meet or how you are going to grow as a human. That has been my biggest takeaway and what I find to be the most fun.”

Leadership is About “Not Having to Be the Guy”

Some mistakenly think that leadership is about bossing others around and enjoying all the perks that can come with a leadership position. However, for Cory, that is not the case. His path to becoming a leader became much straighter when he learned that leadership is about serving others and letting them enjoy those perks instead.

“If I had to look at it overall, it feels like the passing of the torch. Those experiences that I loved so much that this career enabled me to have, I now get a lot of joy from watching someone else experience them. I think that is when I transitioned to learning how to be a better leader,” says Cory. “That was the transitional moment for me, and it took me a long time to remind myself that I don’t always have to be the guy (to have those experiences).”

Hire Experts and Learn from Them

Many companies want to hire experts in their respective fields. However, some companies make the mistake of never listening to those experts after they hire them. For Cory, one of the biggest shifts in culture at Kahn Media happened after hiring the right people and learning as much as possible from them instead of having them conform to a rigid way of doing business.

“One thing that stands out the most is we have a lot of really smart people that work for us. You and I can’t know everything about every medium,” says Cory. “So the best change is we have hired a bunch of people who have knowledge in different subject matters and with different marketing backgrounds. We have hired people to strengthen the brand and to learn from them as opposed to a lot of companies where you come in, and you have to do it their way.”

Creators are Now Becoming Brands

The demise and decentralization of media have been rapidly accelerating. While some initially thought that the deeper pockets of large-scale media outfits would give them more staying power, that has not been the case. One contributor to this is that some content creators have now become brands, allowing them to diversify their income streams and not be dependent on the whims of algorithms.

“I think watching independent creators not just think of themselves as content creators who just make videos but as a business is where the traditional media model lost,” says Cory. “They (traditional media) only had one business model, and that was to sell ads on their networks and hope people watched and that they get good ratings. I do think that is the biggest change in modern media.”

The Downside of Decentralization

While some see the demise and decentralization of traditional media as a good thing, it has also created many challenges. Giving everyone a “voice” has made it more difficult than ever to decipher truth from fabrications. The resultant flood of content has buried high-quality content under mounds of the lackluster. The rise of AI has made it even more challenging to determine what is real and what is fake.

“The downside of the age we are in now is that it is really difficult to decipher the truth. Because of the power of social media and algorithms, if you want to be in an echo chamber for only the things you want to hear, it will serve you exactly that,” says Cory. “Even if it is totally untrue, you will still see a headline. How do you do your research? Who verifies that this is true? There is the element that if you are into a hobby or a certain subject matter and you want to learn something, but there is just as much of a challenge, I think, with a lack of nuance on the same platforms.”

Most of Craig Underwood’s life has revolved around farming in Moorpark, California. As a second-generation farmer, Craig built his career working alongside his father on the family farm before striking out on his own to create Underwood Family Farms and Underwood Ranches. At the center of his journey is one of America’s most beloved condiments: sriracha.For years, Underwood Ranches was the key supplier of chili peppers to America’s largest sriracha sauce manufacturer. Craig’s expertise in farming helped fuel the meteoric rise of the spicy condiment, which became a staple in kitchens nationwide. But a devastating falling-out between Underwood Ranches and the manufacturer resulted in lawsuits, financial hardship, and ultimately, the disappearance of sriracha from store shelves. Most Americans don’t know the story behind why their favorite hot sauce became a scarcity, but it’s a David-and-Goliath tale worth telling.On this episode of “Only The Strong Survive,” Craig Underwood joins host Dan Kahn to share the full story. From the rise of sriracha to the bitter breakup and its aftermath, Craig’s journey highlights hard-fought lessons from the frontlines of farming and entrepreneurship. Here are our top six takeaways from the conversation:

-What really happened when sriracha fell off our shelves-Farming is a lot more difficult and complex than many think.-You need to find where your customers are and go there.-The ability to change directions and pivot business models is vital.-Find good people, hire them and treat them right.-Perseverance pays off.

The Sriracha Fallout: A Battle of Epic ProportionsFor years, Underwood Ranches supplied chili peppers to Huy Fuong, and played a pivotal role in making sriracha a household name based on a handshake deal. But when a disagreement escalated into a legal battle, everything changed.“We had been growing peppers for years,” says Craig. “But after the fallout, we found ourselves asking, ‘What do we do now?’ It was a huge blow financially and emotionally. We knew we had to pivot to survive.”This legal dispute not only affected Underwood Ranches but also led to sriracha shortages, leaving consumers scratching their heads about why their favorite condiment was suddenly so hard to find.Farming Ain’t EasyMany people, from watching too many Hallmark Channel movies, have a somewhat idyllic notion of farm life. However, life on the farm isn’t easy, and it is a lot of hard work. Turning a farm into a profitable business is just as hard. The competition is cutthroat, the margins are thin and the hours are long.“From when I first started farming with my dad, there has been a huge change. Farming has gotten a lot more difficult. There are a lot more regulations. There are food safety regulations and labor standards and on and on,” says Craig. “All of those regulations cost us a lot of money, but we don’t necessarily get paid for them. It is just part of what we do. Plus, people expect food to be cheap. If the price of a head of lettuce goes up 25 cents in the store, they notice it.”Go Where Your Customers AreUnderwood Family Farms is unique as it sells its produce directly to customers. Another differentiator is that it doesn’t have the luxury of being an e-commerce with its highly perishable products. Craig notes that to make this model work, you have to go where your customers are. For Underwood Family Farms, that has meant tapping into the explosion of farmer’s markets and even starting their own.“We started going to farmer’s markets around 1995 or 1997, somewhere around there. My wife opened the Camarillo farmer’s market back in that period, and she worked there for 14 years. Rain or shine, it didn’t matter. She was always out there,” says Craig. “Now, we go to 15 different farmer’s markets. They have become oversaturated in some markets. Market managers always want to open new markets, and that cuts into the business of old ones. We have to be pretty selective about where we go.”Pivot When NeededOne of the takeaways from Craig’s entrepreneurial journey is that he pivots when needed. After a major falling-out growing peppers for one of the largest suppliers of sriracha hot sauce, Craig decided to make his own sauce. The move wasn’t easy, but it gave him another income stream and put his expertise in pepper production to good use.“I have questioned that decision over the years,” says Craig with a laugh. “A few months after the breakup, we thought we had been growing the peppers, so why don’t we make the sauce? It is a lot more complicated than we realized. First of all, we had to come up with a recipe, but that was probably the easiest part. We had to come up with a design for the bottle and go through all the regulatory approvals with the FDA and the state of California. We also had to get a canner’s license.”Good Employees MatterThat major fallout led to an expensive lawsuit, a substantial loss of income and tough times for Craig and the Underwood Ranches business. Things looked bleak, but Craig had always treated his employees well. In return, many of his long-time employees stuck by his side, including Chief Operating Officer Jim Roberts. Finding good employees who are also good people and treating them right had paid off.“In the cowboy culture, they would call that ‘riding for the brand,’ and Jim truly does. Frankly, the next few years were so difficult that I have to give a lot of credit to all of the people who worked for us,” says Craig. “You know, there were no more bonuses for that time period. Every week, we were worried about if we could make payroll at the end of that week.”Perseverance is the Key to SuccessPart of that ability to constantly pivot when needed is an ethos of perseverance. Craig credits most of his success to putting his head down and figuring out how to move forward in difficult times. Without that spirit, he would have hung up his hat long ago.“When you say only the strong survive, I would say perseverance is one of the keys to success. When my dad was in partnership with my uncle, at one point, the bank said that they couldn’t afford to take out a loan because they owed too much money. That was a critical point,” says Craig. “In the ‘80s, it was a really difficult time, so we had to bring in a consultant to help us get out of the mess. In the ‘90s, we got involved in a business that was kind of difficult, so again, the bank put some pressure on us to pay them. And then the separation from David, you know that was pretty dramatic as well. So, we have somehow persevered.”

Dylan Tomine is an avid lover of the outdoors, an author and a fly fisherman. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Tomine learned his love of fishing and appreciation of nature from his father, spending much of his youth in the local rivers and mountains. That love of nature also plays a central role in the two books he has written. “Closer to the Ground” follows a year with his family on Bainbridge Island, developing an appreciation of the beauty of the natural world. “Head Waters” traces the evolution of his love of fishing to the survival and conservation of the fish themselves.

Tomine also works as the creative director of Patagonia Provisions, an effort of the well-known outdoor clothing company Patagonia. It focuses on expanding regenerative certified organic agriculture, responsible ocean fishing and other sustainable food practices. In this episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, Tomine shares how Patagonia has carefully blended commerce with conservation, why your brand’s mission matters and other topics with host Dan Kahn. Click on the icon above to listen to the entire episode and here are our key takeaways:

· Conservation and commerce are not opposing forces.

· Everyone can love their job if they work at the right company.

· Mission-driven brands have happier employees.

· Always do what you love and not what someone else wants of you.

Conservation Can Mix with Commerce

Some companies pay lip service to conservation by briefly mentioning it in an obscure mission statement. However, Patagonia has made conservation a true core value and central to everything it does. Patagonia's success proves that it is possible to blend commerce and conservation even though both have typically been thought of as opposing forces.

“With Patagonia, with apparel, they work on several levels. One is trying to figure out ways of making a raincoat, insulated jacket or wicking underwear that causes the least amount of harm possible,” says Tomine. “But Yvon would be the first one to tell you that doesn’t mean they’re not doing harm. So, they have had campaigns to encourage people to buy less and just buy what they need, knowing that even the most sustainably produced clothing is still bad for the planet. They have also channeled lots of financial support, bandwidth support and capacity support to the NGOs and the grassroots non-profits out there really making a difference.”

Blend Your Passion with Where You Work

The old-school thinking was that only certain people, like photographers or writers, could combine their passions with a career. However, Tomine points out that everyone, regardless of their profession, can do what they love if they work at a brand that shares their beliefs and values. Working for a company you believe in and whose mission aligns with your own is always better than any alternatives.

“I would say you can apply your skill set to almost any company or brand if the company or brand stands for what you want it to,” says Tomine. “It doesn’t matter if you are an accountant, an HR specialist, a writer, an art director or whatever it is, those companies need those skill sets. They’re actually looking for people who have a history of activism or fly fishing or whatever it is and have a commercially viable skill set as well.”

Working for the Right Company Feels Good

No matter how you slice it, work makes up the majority of our lives. Nobody wants to spend an inordinate amount of time somewhere they don’t like. Creating a mission-driven company like Patagonia attracts mission-driven employees. When those missions and values align, you wind up with happy employees.

“Aligning with values is important and has become even more important to how people feel about what they do for a living,” says Tomine. “You know, for most people, the job you do day in and day out is the thing you spend the most time doing of anything, right? So, it feels good to work for a company that you believe in.”

Do What You Love and Not What’s Expected of You

A valuable lesson that Tomine learned early on is to pursue what you love and not what others want of you. Excelling in high school, Tomine became a pre-med major because he thought that was what he should do to please others. However, he quickly realized his heart wasn’t in it and readjusted his course to become an English major.

“All of a sudden, my homework went from these calculus formulas that I could not even comprehend what they were to reading “The Sun Also Rises” and Walt Whitman and writing stories,” says Tomine. “I felt like the world just opened up. All of a sudden, it’s this stuff that is super interesting to me. I realized that the people who were doing really well in pre-med had that same kind of interest in the hard sciences and math. That wasn’t ever going to be me.”

Mike Good’s path to his current role as president of the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) is an interesting one. As the son of a long-time General Motors employee, Good was always around cars. During his teenage years, he started his own car detailing company and raced motocross. After college, Good continued his entrepreneurial journey and founded a medical technology company. He then became a management consultant after selling his company, which led him to a corporate leadership position with FinishMaster. From there, Good became the CEO of the automotive sound-deadening company Dynamat.

Now, Good leads the largest motorsports-focused industry trade association as PRI’s president. Well known for its PRI Show, held every year in Indianapolis, PRI’s role goes well beyond the show, serving as the motorsports industry’s key source for trends, business development, new products and more. Throughout his unique career, Good learned what it takes to be a leader and run a business. On this episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, Good shares the knowledge he gleaned from starting his own company, working for multiple larger corporations and running a prominent trade organization with host Dan Kahn.

Click on the icon above to listen to the entire episode, and here are our top five takeaways:

* Being an entrepreneur involves being comfortable with risk.

* Setbacks can make you stronger if you pay attention.

* Having emotional intelligence is just as important as being intelligent.

* Curiosity is often the driver of change and innovation.

* Loyalty should always be reciprocal.

Risk is Required

There is no way around the fact that being an entrepreneur involves risk. Often, you need to make a serious commitment to that risk, too. According to Good, succeeding as an entrepreneur involves a different mindset and being comfortable leaping into the unknown. Pushing through tough times can be difficult without that commitment and attitude.

“I was a million dollars in debt on paper when I was 30 years old. I really rolled the dice,” says Good. “I think as an entrepreneur, you’ve got to be wired a little different. You’ve got to be willing to risk it all, be able to dust yourself off, get up and fight again another day. None of it went as I expected, but you are either learning or living. It is like this constant navigation and I learned so much through all of that.”

Let Setbacks Push You Forward

Setbacks, especially early in a career, can be difficult for anyone. However, those difficulties can actually help push you forward rather than backward. Good notes that most setbacks contain lessons to learn from that will help you evolve and get stronger. The key is to learn from them to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

“You probably remember every time you got kicked in the gut and every time you got down. Those are the learning points where you are like, okay, I am never going to be in this situation again. I am going to learn, evolve, move on and become stronger as a result of that,” says Good. “At the time, those kicks to the chest were really difficult to take in your 20s and 30s when you have this naïve trajectory of how things should be going. They end up shaping your resilience and your ability to navigate (adversity).”

EQ > IQ

Many people emphasize how knowledgeable a leader or manager is. For Good, possessing intelligence for a leadership role is always vital. However, your EQ (emotional intelligence) is more critical than your IQ. You can be extremely smart, but not understanding human emotions and how to navigate them will be severely limiting.

“It is more of a focus on the EQ than the IQ, EQ being emotional intelligence,” says Good. “I’ve seen some people in leadership roles who didn’t understand how to navigate human relationships, and that limited their trajectory. I am not saying I nailed it by any stretch, but it is something I am very conscious of, and I’m constantly trying to evolve.”

Curiosity is Critical

One trait Good always looks for when hiring is curiosity. For him, curiosity usually leads to someone challenging the status quo and questioning why things are done a certain way. Those questions often lead to changes that are almost always positive. Without that innate curiosity, an employee can just be “punching the clock.”

“My number one hiring trait is curiosity. I need people to come in and be curious. I want people to come in and question why we do things the way we do them,” says Good. “I want them to have a curious mind and feel like they have a voice regardless of the position and that their voice is going to be heard and acknowledged. I think when you try to attract that type of mind into an organization, it really permeates innovation and drives change.”

Loyalty Needs to go Both Ways

Most companies want loyal employees instead of a constant stream of turnover and a parade of new hires. However, some corporations fail to understand that loyalty is a two-way street. You can’t expect an employee to be loyal to you if it isn’t reciprocal. Building loyalty among your employees involves being loyal to them as they are to you.

“Loyalty is a double-edged sword. It is a great thing when it is properly caressed by both sides. Somebody once said that you own 50% of every relationship, and it is what you do with your 50% that matters,” says Good. “I think about that and I went all in on my 50% and wasn’t getting that back in a previous situation. But you learn those things early on, and they don’t make you jaded or negative. You learn from them and move on.”

The Stuckey’s brand was familiar to many in the Southeast and Midwest as convenience stores with pecan candies and kitschy souvenirs.  Started by Stephanie Stuckey’s grandfather during the peak of the Great Depression in 1937 as a roadside pecan stand, the business quickly prospered. By the end of the 1960s, Stuckey’s had grown to almost 370 stores spread across 40 states. After it became too big for him to manage, Stephanie’s grandfather sold the business. Sadly, the company began slowly declining as it lost its way without the elder Stuckey’s guidance.

Five years ago, Stephanie was presented with the opportunity to purchase Stuckey’s. The business was in debt, and Stephanie wasn’t an entrepreneur but instead had a background in law and politics. However, the lure of bringing Stuckey’s back into the family was too strong to resist. She gathered her life savings and purchased the business to rebuild it completely.

During her journey from lawyer to rebuilding the family business, Stephanie has learned a lot about running a successful brand. In this episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, she gives her insight on what it takes to reconstruct an iconic company in an in-depth discussion with host Dan Kahn. Click on the play button above to watch the entire interview and here are our top five takeaways:

* Even with a company already in business, you will have to figure a lot out.

* Not knowing what you are getting into can actually be beneficial.

* Trying to do everything on your own rarely leads to success.

* Changing a legacy brand can be difficult but is often necessary.

* Knowing that you are part of something larger is a huge motivator.

Be Prepared to Figure Things Out

Purchasing a business that is already up and running can seem like a quicker way to success than building a brand from the ground up. However, there is usually a reason why that business is for sale. While things might look like a good opportunity and okay “on paper,” there will likely be a lot you will have to figure out. In Stephanie’s case, it was a lot and required a complete restructuring of Stuckey’s.

“There is almost always a reason why a company is for sale, and usually, it is because it needs some fixing. You will have to unravel a bunch of stuff and figure out at the core what you can make money at, what you are really good at and what you are passionate about,” says Stephanie. “It took us a couple of years to figure that out and then build a team. Now, we own a manufacturing facility and make delicious pecan snacks and candies.”

Take a Leap of Faith

You can analyze reams of a business’s financial spreadsheets and years of past performance data before purchasing it. However, according to Stephanie, sometimes you need to take a leap of faith. Being a bit naive about what you are getting into can actually be a plus. Without that naivety, many would never take a big step or bold action.

“It took me about six weeks to make the decision (to purchase Stuckey’s), negotiate the terms, consult financial experts and feel like I knew what I was doing. The reality was that I didn’t,” says Stephanie. “I think being naive can sometimes be a superpower because you might not take these courageous steps that can change your life for the good if you fully understand what you are getting yourself into. So, I am kind of glad I wasn’t fully aware.”

Ask for Help

A lot rides on the shoulders of any entrepreneur, and many try to carry that burden all by themselves. One of the biggest realizations Stephanie had early on was that she couldn’t handle everything on her own. She needed help and people from outside of the company that she could trust for guidance. Thankfully, she found the right business partner to help transform Stuckey’s.

“I think it is important to bring in outsiders who you trust and respect to give perspective because sometimes you are so overwhelmed that it is hard to see your way out. It was very helpful to me to find a business partner, and I have been blessed to have my main business partner, RG Lamar,” says Stephanie. “Finding that person who really helped come up with some fresh ideas while also really understanding the inner workings, it was that dynamic (that was important).”

Sacred Cows

Buying a legacy business such as Stuckey’s comes with a whole set of challenges. Among them is that there is a certain way of doing business that shouldn’t be modified. For Stephanie, that mindset would only continue Stuckey’s downward trend. She knew that there should be no “sacred cows” and that changes had to be made for the brand to be successful.

“I think it is important to come out and say there are no sacred cows. If you start latching on to certain aspects of the business, like if we thought that our stores were so critical to the business and were off the table, we would have never focused on making product and arrived at a solution that is working and has driven sales incrementally,” says Stephanie. “It takes a minute, but you really have to be open to embracing change, and the corollary to embracing change is letting go.”

Be Part of Something Bigger

Running a business can be extremely hard and emotionally draining. Realizing that you are part of something larger than solely your business can help counteract that. Stephanie gets much of her daily motivation from knowing that Stuckey’s is providing good jobs for the people in her community and helping to support the local economy. That realization keeps her going and makes her want to grow Stuckey’s even further.

“It is what gives me energy. This is hard. Running a business is hard. It is exhausting and drains your soul, mind and bank account,” says Stephanie. “Just knowing that you are part of something so much bigger than making pecan log rolls (makes a difference). We are making jobs, we are part of a community and we now have 65 employees. I look at our employees, and I am just so happy to know that they like working here.”