From Anchors to Assets to Apparel: A Navy Veteran's Path to Entrepreneurship

Join us as we sit down with Matt, Navy veteran and owner of Mass Appeal Apparel Company, to explore his journey from the world of real estate to the apparel industry.

Discover the inspiration behind Matt's entrepreneurial leap, the challenges he faced, and the lessons he learned along the way.

From navigating unfamiliar territory to leveraging his military background, Matt shares insights that will inspire both aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs alike.

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Introduction

[00:00:44] Inspiration and Transition

• Matt discusses what inspired him to venture into the apparel industry and his transition from real estate, drawing parallels to his military experience.
• Highlights include market trends, personal motivations, and seizing opportunities.

[00:03:23] Due Diligence and Decision Making

• Matt shares his process of due diligence before diving into entrepreneurship, reflecting on how his military training influenced his approach to decision-making.
• Discusses seeking advice from professionals, assessing risks, and making informed decisions.

[00:05:30] Early Challenges and Learning Curve

• Matt reflects on the challenges he faced in the early stages of running Mass Appeal Apparel Company, drawing on his resilience and adaptability honed during his time in the Navy.
• Highlights include learning the product, managing employees, and adapting to a new industry.

[00:06:36] Growth and Future Vision

• Matt talks about the growth of his business and his vision for the future, incorporating lessons learned from his military experience.
• Discusses expanding sales strategies, potential expansions, and community impact.

[00:10:37] Lessons Learned and Advice

• Matt shares valuable lessons learned from his entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing the importance of discipline, leadership, and teamwork instilled by his military service.
• Offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and those considering a similar career shift.

[00:15:11] Impact on Community and Final Thoughts

• Brad discusses the impact of Mass Appeal Apparel Company on the local community.
• Matt shares final thoughts, encouraging others to take the entrepreneurial dive.

Conclusion

#screenprint #promotionscompany #brandedapparel #realestate #entrepreneur  #navyveteran #leadership #promotionalitems #FromGarageToGrowth #SmallBusinessStory #EntrepreneurshipJourney

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Learn more about Mass Appeal

Website: https://www.massappealinc.com/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MassAppealSpec/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MassAppealInc

Need a little guidance in your own business? We're here for you!
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Transcript

[00:00:00] Brad: Hi everyone, welcome to business owner success podcast, From Garage to Growth with Brad Ruh, your host. And Matt from Mass Appeal Apparel Company here in local Howard, Wisconsin. Matt is from the Little Chute area, but he's been all over the place, and I'll let him talk a little bit about that in his backstory.

[00:00:21] And with that, thank you, Matt, for being on our podcast today, From Garage to Growth. I know you're still in the semi garage phase, a little bit with this new business venture of yours. And I'm excited to share your story on this because we don't get a lot of newer entrepreneurs, we'll say on our podcasts.

[00:00:44] A lot of them, they've already grown and maybe sold their business, which is, ideally your path someday. But I'd like to first off, ask you, what inspired you to get into the apparel game? And where did you start, and what [00:01:00] led to the transition to the apparel game?

[00:01:02] Matt: First, thank you very much for the opportunity. Appreciate it. Let's see. It wasn't an aspiration to get into the apparel game. It was again, always looking for that freedom aspect or just a drive to be an entrepreneur. And this kind of came up, popped up. So, real estate prices keep going up, but the volume of sales keeps going down and down.

[00:01:23] So as a real estate agent, which I was, I am now still, but I have my license. It's getting tight for real estate agents. All of them. And everyone included in it, the inspectors, title company, loan officers, all feeling kind of the crunch of once you get a sale, it's great because the numbers are high, but the number of sales throughout the year are going down.

[00:01:43] So I was looking, had my eyes open, for other opportunities and my wife was a nurse previously, but then became a stay at home mom five or six years ago. 

[00:01:53] Brad: Okay. 

[00:01:53] Matt: And now the boys are in school, so we're just looking for opportunities. And so part of that, part of prospecting for a [00:02:00] real estate agent is calling expired listings.

[00:02:03] And like I said, no homes are really expiring anymore. They all sell. So six years ago, in a day there'd be 10 to 15; and then at the end of the month, there'd be about 50. And at the month, maybe there's 10 and throughout the month there's minimal. 

[00:02:18] Brad: And everyone's calling those? 

[00:02:20] Matt: Not everyone.

[00:02:21] You're supposed to. But commercial still expires because it's not as high demand as residential. So I called this place and said, hey, can I help you sell your property? And he said, I'm selling the business too. You should come check it out. All right, let's do it. And came and he ran the business and sales part; and his wife has the office next door and ran production.

[00:02:43] So I brought my wife in and her dad was a printer all of his life, on paper. So she grew up in the industry with the graphic design and the back end and everything's pretty much the same until you get to the t shirt or sweatshirt. So she came in and said, yeah I can do this.

[00:02:58] We talked about a lot and [00:03:00] yeah, so that's how we got here. 

[00:03:01] Brad: She was ready to jump in. And that's quite a shift too, right? Nursing, stay at home mom, now full time co-business owner/operator. 

[00:03:09] Matt: I worked out of my office in the basement, and went out on appointments and stuff and she was a stay at home mom. We were at home all day. And now you're here. And now we're here all day. Yeah, so it was quite a change. 

[00:03:17] Brad: Do you ride to work together? 

[00:03:19] Matt: We do not. 

[00:03:21] Brad: That's too much time. 

[00:03:22] Matt: Too much time. Yeah. 

[00:03:23] Brad: Awesome. So help me understand your due diligence process. You had this opportunity presented to you. You've never been a call it a true business owner where you're selling a product out there outside of real estate. How did you take that leap of? Okay, I'm jumping into something I haven't really ever done before. And how did you go about figuring out all the nuances and making sure you weren't getting screwed or taken advantage of in the transition?

[00:03:50] Matt: Yeah, you're never 100% sure until you get it. 

[00:03:53] Brad: Yeah.

[00:03:53] Matt: And of course now I would know better Experience is the key to learning exactly now I would [00:04:00] know stuff. But, I didn't really talk to many apparel people. But I did talk to my accountant that I know well to look through the numbers and it all made sense.

[00:04:10] And then I talked to an attorney that I know, trust and know well. He didn't look at the numbers part, but said, yeah, we can absolutely help you get this done and do it the right way and protect you that way. And then about halfway through the process, the bank that he was working with said they'd like to be part of it.

[00:04:25] And they helped go through the numbers and point you in the right direction and say, Hey, you need this in order to get this loan and make it work. So they're -- I don't want to say protecting you -- banks are all risk- averse. So they wouldn't want you to get into anything that you wouldn't...

[00:04:39] Brad: overextended and then you can't pay them back.

[00:04:41] Matt: Of course, I had my own opinions and everything. So once I got some, "okay, this all looks good," helped solidify the process. 

[00:04:48] Brad: What was the final deciding factor of should we or shouldn't we do this, between you and your wife? 

[00:04:53] Matt: We're far away from home a little bit. I would have liked it closer. But because we've traveled throughout the US, 25 [00:05:00] minutes to someone who lives in Philadelphia is nothing. Or San Diego, so we're like we've done that This or what now kind of situation. What do we wait for? So what attracted me to this was the business hours. As a real estate agent, I'm on all the time. And I don't have an assistant, so I'm literally on all the time. When I'm on vacation, I'm on. Nine o'clock at night, I'm on. There's no breaks. Yep. It's flexible, but when someone calls, you've got to answer them or they've got a question, you've got to answer. This has regular, normal working hours.

[00:05:30] As business owners, we work weekends when we have to, but we're not really open. We come in here and do what you got 

[00:05:35] Brad: to do to keep the business 

[00:05:37] Matt: going. But the normal working hours are 7:30-5:00. 

[00:05:40] Trying to have someone sell their home that doesn't really want to is not fun.

[00:05:44] And then, so I asked you if you want to sell your home. You tell me "no." Now my job is to just follow up with you, all the time. And that sales just follow up 

[00:05:51] Brad: until I decide to sell it eventually. 

[00:05:53] Matt: Yep. But then I walk into places, someone that's never dealt with us before and say, Hey, I got these deals going on.

[00:05:58] Do you want to put your logo on your shirt? [00:06:00] Absolutely. I walk out with $1, 000 in sales and a check. And I'm like this is awesome. People like to buy stuff with their stuff on it and all that stuff. And so it's more fun to market other people's businesses and stuff. 

[00:06:11] Brad: And it's a shorter process, too. Three, six, nine month process of someone's home and hope it works and hope any works out. 

[00:06:20] Matt: Yeah. Yeah. Oh, so that was good. 

[00:06:22] Brad: So early stages so far, give me a little bit of a timeline of how long you've been running Mass Appeal right now. 

[00:06:32] Matt: So we'll say we're at the 10 month point. 

[00:06:34] Brad: Okay. 

[00:06:35] Matt: Not even at a year yet.

[00:06:36] We have about 13 employees right now. We have I'll just say a key employee that stayed, well all the employees stayed on, there's been some turnover. But, there are some key employees that if would have walked, it would have really hurt. So that helped. One's been here 13 years, and she's a rockstar, so she's really helped us through a lot.

[00:06:56] Brad: What have you learned so far in your first 10 months that you're [00:07:00] like, okay what new experiences?

[00:07:02] Matt: Learning the product. I knew about real estate before I went and sold it. Oh, okay, you know I invested in properties; my dad owned property. I didn't know how to sell real estate, but I knew real estate.

[00:07:13] This is different where, I've worn shirts before, obviously. But, even the difference between cotton and polyester, I knew what it was. But there's lots of differences between that. And then, when you go out and sell it, the numbers and all the different stuff. That's been a learning curve.

[00:07:26] Learning all the product that we have. Obviously, we went from no employees to 13. 

[00:07:32] Brad: Learning how to be an HR manager?

[00:07:34] Matt: We are the philosophy of trying to build the right team. Again, you don't have to have known... we hired someone up front that had no experience with any of this.

[00:07:44] But she's nice and had the ability to learn, and that's what we're looking for. Yeah. Yeah, with the right attitude and all that stuff. Yeah. We don't necessarily need you to be experienced in what you're doing. We'll teach it. 

[00:07:52] Brad: That's a really good lesson for the people out there trying to hire someone to fit a role.

[00:07:56] And I understand there are some specialization with certain [00:08:00] roles out there, but generally speaking, if you got the person with the good attitude, good work ethic, willing to learn, you can teach them anything. 

[00:08:07] Matt: That was the other positive about this specific type of business. It takes skill to be a printer, to screen print, it takes a skill, but you don't need to be a master electrician or, four years of master carpenter , where it takes time to do that. It's hard to find those people right now. Or a welder, that was something that's been popular right now. 

[00:08:28] Brad: Now, have you leaned on any of your military experience at all during this process?

[00:08:34] You're our first veteran owned business, by the way. I think. No one else has really stepped forward and said they were veterans.

[00:08:40] I don't believe we have any. I'll stand to be corrected maybe. But yeah, I believe you're our first veteran business owner that we've interviewed. Has that played at all a part of your, either success or marketing or just, how you think about business? 

[00:08:55] Matt: Yeah. A couple of things.

[00:08:56] One, I'm in the supply core in the Navy, so the [00:09:00] business side of it. So I know some of the contracts, and so I've gotten some experience that way, the inventory type part. I ran the ship store on a ship, so I know, when inventory is dead, let's get rid of it. It's been here for six years. 

[00:09:12] Brad: Yeah. 

[00:09:13] Matt: Whatever, let's get rid of it. So some of that part, but then a lot of the stuff, random stuff that pops up, as as a business owner, that just pops up. That's not an emergency, but something didn't go the way you want it to go. Or, we've got three hours to get this whole project done.

[00:09:31] In the Navy, we have the saying that, " the ship's not getting underway." You see some of these cruise lines, the ship gets underway and they don't stop for people that didn't make the ship. 

[00:09:40] Brad: Yep. 

[00:09:41] Matt: When the ship gets underway, absolutely. It's an emergency. If the ship's getting underway tomorrow morning, like you have to stay all night and get your job done.

[00:09:47] But if the ship's staying here and we'll be there tomorrow morning, it can wait until tomorrow and we'll get to it. It's not an emergency. So I tell people around sometimes that, Hey, ship's not getting underway. 

[00:09:58] Brad: Yeah. 

[00:09:58] Matt: We'll be fine. We'll show up at seven [00:10:00] o'clock tomorrow again.

[00:10:00] Yeah. Work out with the next day, you'll be fine. 

[00:10:03] Brad: All 

[00:10:03] Matt: As I've gotten higher, I've been in charge of more people, so building the team and finding the right people helped help that wise. That's, again, I've never had employees, but I've had people under me in the military.

[00:10:13] Brad: Sure, very similar.

[00:10:15] Matt: So you're building morale and learning how to treat people and giving people opportunities and that sort of thing. That's helped a lot. 

[00:10:21] Brad: I'm glad we were able to tie that stuff in because, just going from a solo person in real estate to owning a business, people will be like, that guy's nuts.

[00:10:28] He's never had to manage people, but you've had those experiences before in your 25 years? 20, 20. Yeah. Yeah. Fantastic. 

[00:10:37] Matt: I've learned a lot, giving people opportunity. That's one of the biggest things. Don't tell them how to do it; tell them what to do and let them figure out how they want to do it.

[00:10:45] Brad: What vision do you have for Mass going forward? What do you see changing? What do you see adding? Any big kind of vision?

[00:10:53] Matt: Sales is a big part. Building the sales system up. So the old system was the old owner go out throughout [00:11:00] the state and sell.

[00:11:01] And that worked and it grew, but we need more of a system. And the people in house have never really been trained on sales. And I want to say that we're going to be like a, a cold calling machine or anything, but there needs to be some sort of system in place. So if we're down on sales, we can say, Hey, why are we down?

[00:11:18] And at this point before we It just, it all just happens. 

[00:11:22] Brad: It just worked because the guy was out there grinding. 

[00:11:24] Matt: Yep. And he had kids, but he's in his 70s. So he had the time to go all over. And I've got let's see 12, 10 and nine year old boys. And I like them and I like to be around them.

[00:11:33] So I probably won't be on the road as much. I will be on the road, so that's part of it where we're training, maybe using the phone more. And the internet more, trying to get in that space and utilize that more. So the sales part, and then obviously, as you can see, we've got some room to expand to figure out what that looks like.

[00:11:52] Brad: For all our listeners here, it's a pretty big warehouse. How many square footage do you have? 

[00:11:56] Matt: 12,000 square feet. 

[00:11:58] Brad: Wow, plenty of [00:12:00] room to expand in here. Get rid of some of your aging inventory. 

[00:12:02] Matt: Exactly,. And what, what to expand into? Is it another set of printers, or is it right now we contract out our embroidery. But that's another big step.

[00:12:11] The equipment, the people to run it, and then, the experience in that. We've got another machine here that directs to garment. One is like a hot press and the other one is literally like a printer. Oh, yeah. And it just puts one shirt out, but it can do full color and one off type deals.

[00:12:25] That's cool. Because sometimes people just want five shirts with like their grandpa's face on them. 

[00:12:29] . 

[00:12:29] And it's hard to do with ink, but if you just have a printer and you gradiated, 

[00:12:34] Brad: right? Yeah. Yeah. Getting some more equipment. Definitely your sales end. Yeah. And anything else?

[00:12:41] Matt: Maybe a little facelift here or there. On the building. On the building. Yeah. 

[00:12:45] It's a great location. Yeah. Off the highway. And he just got in here about two years ago. Three years ago now. He was here for two years when I bought it. So he was relatively new to the building itself too.

[00:12:56] Just trying to reach out to the Howard neighborhood and Suamico neighborhood [00:13:00] and being a part of that. 

[00:13:01] Brad: As far as the community around here, how do you feel that you're now impacting the community maybe differently than you had in your prior career? 

[00:13:10] Matt: There's more revenue going on so we can sponsor different people and that's part of marketing but also, helping people out.

[00:13:17] We're part of the Tavern League and a large portion of our clients customers are taverns, bars, and campgrounds. And we've been supporting Tavern League for at least 25 years. So I was at their meeting yesterday, so that's a big part. And then the Campground Association.

[00:13:31] Brad: And I'd say you're employing people locally. 

[00:13:33] Matt: Absolutely.

[00:13:34] Brad: It's overlooked a lot, I think, from business owner to business owner. We employ people and give people jobs in our communities, and without us, What do they have?

[00:13:43] Matt: We're trying to build an environment where they want to.

[00:13:45] Yeah. 

[00:13:45] I don't know who wants to come to work, but they don't mind coming to work. How about that? Yeah. Yeah, I'd love to come to work. I don't know. 

[00:13:50] Brad: Maybe it's a job, but maybe hopefully it turns into a career. 

[00:13:53] Matt: They don't mind coming to work. 

[00:13:54] Brad: What would you say to another person in your shoes or maybe [00:14:00] yourself a year ago, that's interested in a startup or starting their own business and getting it off the ground. What would you say now in your short entrepreneurial window, either to yourself or someone looking to get into a business?

[00:14:13] Matt: I always ask questions on what's your motivation?

[00:14:17] The money or is it freedom or is it time?

[00:14:20] Just like life, you don't know until you do it. You can ask all the questions, you can look at all the records, you can look at all the books, and all that stuff. But, until I was actually in it, that was got to this point that we were, it took a while to close, and I'm sure like any business acquisition, it takes longer than expected, and some hurdles along the way, and it's alright, let's just get this thing done.

[00:14:40] Let me take all the crap that comes with it, whatever that is, and then I'll figure it out. 

[00:14:44] Brad: Yeah. 

[00:14:44] Matt: You can analyze to death and do all that stuff, but you don't know until you're actually in it. 

[00:14:48] Brad: To take the jump. Yeah. And then just deal, get enough grit behind you to be able to muster through anything that's being thrown at you.

[00:14:56] Matt: That's part of the Navy experience too. I've been [00:15:00] through some hard stuff. This is just part of the deal. This is a life or death. Yeah, exactly. I've never, I've, I'm not a. I've never been in that stuff, but been deployed quite a few times and all that stuff.

[00:15:09] Yeah, there's hard stuff and this is just part of it. 

[00:15:11] Brad: Suck it up. There you go. Tip of the day. Suck it up. 

[00:15:15] 

[00:15:15] Matt: The fact that so many people were supportive of it, that's a big thing. That friends, family were excited and, wife was on board. Yeah, people are supporting.

[00:15:24] That's a big thing. People are supporting you. But being a real estate agent, I'm like, Oh yeah, everyone supported me there too. But that didn't make the business go. There's not enough volume in mom and dad and a couple brothers and sisters or whatever. Yeah. 

[00:15:36] Brad: Support basically, in my opinion is that it, it relieves the stress, like the home life stress, but it doesn't, it, like you said, it doesn't make you successful.

[00:15:45] Yeah. It just relieves any potential pressure that could dampen your success. Yes. You've still got to get out there and grind it. 

[00:15:51] Matt: Absolutely. 

[00:15:52] Brad: Any final thoughts? 

[00:15:53] Matt: Just take the dive. 

[00:15:55] Brad: Take the dive. Take 

[00:15:56] Matt: the dive. Hey, that's a good Navy. Navy in terminology. Absolutely. 

[00:15:59] Brad: [00:16:00] You had to work that in. I saw that. 

[00:16:02] Matt, we appreciate you on our podcast. Stay tuned for more from Garage to Growth success podcasts coming in the near future and look for us on YouTube. 

[00:16:13] Matt: All right. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Thank you very much. Thanks.

This material is for general informational purposes only and was produced by Action Financial Strategies, LLC.  Life insurance is subject to underwriting. No coverage exists unless a policy is issued and the required premium is paid. Neither Action Financial Strategies nor NYLIFE Securities LLC or its affiliates provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. For advice on such matters, consult your own professional counsel.

Brian Ruh is a Member Agent of the Nautilus Group®, a Service of New York Life Insurance Company.  Brian Ruh CA insurance license #OB66341.  Brian and Bradley Ruh are collectively Registered Representatives of and offer securities products and services through NYLIFE Securities LLC. Member FINRA/SIPC, a Licensed Insurance Agency 999 Fourier Drive, Suite 300, Madison, WI 53717. (608)831-4416.  Brian and Bradley Ruh are also collectively registered as Investment Adviser Representatives with Eagle Strategies LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser.  Action Financial Strategies, Fox Cities Embroidery, and NVR Branding are not owned or operated by NYLIFE Securities or its affiliates.