Most Founders Break Under This Pressure. From NAVY SEAL to CEO: Sam Mackey, CEO of Outsider

What can a founder learn from a former Navy SEAL who built a brand from scratch? In this episode, you’ll learn how discipline, pressure, and resilience shape better leaders, why mentorship matters more than most entrepreneurs realize, and how small wins stack into real business growth. Sam Mackey, CEO of Outsider, shares hard-earned lessons on entrepreneurship, brand building, purpose, and what it takes to keep moving when the pressure is high and the path is uncertain. If you are building a small business, leading through stress, or trying to turn grit into momentum, this episode will give you a sharper mindset and a more practical view of what real growth takes.  

What you'll take away:

• Why discipline matters more than motivation as a founder 
• How small wins stack into real momentum when you are building a business 
• Why founders need mentors, hard feedback, and people who will tell them the truth 
• How pressure can either break you or sharpen you, depending on how you respond 
• What it takes to build a brand with purpose instead of just chasing attention or sales 

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👉 About Stefanie Couch & Grit Blueprint

I'm Stefanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint. I grew up in a third-generation building supply business. I've worked inside dealers, distributors, and manufacturers. I built Grit Blueprint to solve problems I saw in our industry.

Grit Blueprint is a visibility, media, and growth partner for manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and leaders in the building industry.
We help you get seen, build trust, and become unmistakable.

Transcript

Live From The Show Floor

Stefanie Couch 0:00

You went from Afghanistan to the track show floor selling tumblers. Do you ever think about that and think like how surreal it is?

Sam Mackey 0:07

Not often enough, because running a business is first of all probably the loneliest thing I've ever done and second of all the most stressful thing I've ever done. So you get wrapped up into the day-to-day. Next thing you know, you're in Q3 and you're wondering where the first part of the year went. Why do we do this to ourselves? Man, that's a great question. And why didn't I take two years and go get a nine to five and just relax? But no, start a business, started in another business. Now we're getting into something else. I'm just hazing myself.

Stefanie Couch 0:32

It's who we are. People though. You have to be obsessed to really be successful at a certain level. And most people aren't. We are. I see that in you very quickly.

Sam Mackey 0:40

Man, I'm just a freaking dreamer. I can't help it. I got big goals. Sometimes they're too big. I couldn't work a nine to five anymore because it has a ceiling.

Stefanie Couch 0:48

Yeah, for sure. Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast. I'm your host, Stefanie Couch. This is a spot where leaders talk about the stories, strategies, and systems that win in the building industry. We unpack how leaders and brands build their reputations and become unmistakable. Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast. I'm your host, Stefanie Couch, and I'm excited today to be coming to you live from the show floor at Do it Best Spring Market here in Denver, Colorado. And I'm here with my guest, Sam Mackey. Welcome to the show.

Sam Mackey 1:25

Thanks for having me. I really appreciate it.

Stefanie Couch 1:26

I am pumped up about this interview. So you have an amazing background, and I'm going to read your intro because it's so amazing that I have to read it here. You actually went from juvenile hall and house arrest to 20 years in the Navy SEAL teams. And now you are actually running a business. You're the CEO of Outsider, a lifestyle outdoor brand, and you actually co-own it with former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler. You were a sniper in SEAL team eight, deployed in multiple places. You have a bachelor's in organizational leadership, a master's in strategic leadership, and you fell out of BUDS, but then came back and made it through. And you actually are one of the greatest people, I think, backstory-wise that I've interviewed. So I'm really excited about this because the grit blueprint is all about that, but you take it to a whole different level. So out of those 20 years of special operations lessons, now you're building a brand and a company from the ground up. And you're here today because you're exhibiting and you have a brand new product, the Everyday Tumblr 40 ounce, with an amazing rotating handle, which I have right on the show engraved in my color pink. So thank you, Sam, for this. Really cool. And it's got an amazing rotating handle. So you could put it on your boat handle or boat steering wheel. You could do a lot of things with this. I'm really excited for people to see this product. So welcome to the show.

Sam Mackey 2:45

Well, thanks for having me. And uh thanks for all the juice. You know, now I feel good about myself when you when you sum it all up there.

Stefanie Couch 2:51

But uh you can give me a $20 bill later.

Sam Mackey 2:54

I appreciate it. You're hired.

Stefanie Couch 2:55

Well, you're here at the market, and I know this is your second market.

Sam Mackey 2:58

Yes, ma'am.

From War Zones To Retail

Stefanie Couch 2:59

You went from Afghanistan to the trade show floor selling tumblers. Do you ever think about that and think like how surreal it is to where where you've come and what you're doing now?

Sam Mackey 3:09

You know, not often enough, right? Because running a business is, you know, first of all, probably the loneliest thing I've ever done, and second of all, the most stressful thing I've ever done. So you get wrapped up into the day-to-day, right? Then days just bleed together, weeks bleed together. Next thing you know, you're in Q3 and you're wondering where the first part of the year went, right? And uh, and I think that that's very common for uh business owners. But uh it really hit home earlier on in the school year, this year. I got three little girls that are a lot of my life. And my my middle daughter Josie, she's a little firecracker, and she she came home and said something to uh this effect. She's like, Dad, my teacher Googled you. I'm like, Well, why is that? She and she's like, Well, I told her what you'd what you do. I said, Well, what'd you tell her? And uh she goes, Well, I told her you used to shoot bad guys and now you sell cups. And she didn't know what that meant, so she looked you up and uh and she thought like some big story. I'm like, so I mean, there's nothing more pure and honest than a child.

Stefanie Couch 4:05

That's hilarious from shooting bad guys to selling cups.

Why Entrepreneurship Feels So Lonely

Sam Mackey 4:08

Yeah, and uh that's the title of this podcast. I said, Well, you're not wrong, right? And uh and when you look at it like that, it sounds a little awkward, and I would Google it too, but uh so but it did make me you know reflect. And the way I look at it is, you know, I was a Navy SEAL, I'm not you know not anymore. That train moves so fast, uh, you know, and I jumped off it a couple years ago. So I'm proud of my time, but I don't, you know, that's not how I identify anymore. Sure, right. Absolutely. And uh so now, you know, I'm in business. I try to, you know, that's what I want to be known for, is you know, creating a brand and hopefully it becomes a household name. And I that's what I want to be known for because look back, my kids aren't gonna remember my service, you know. Yeah. And uh they were too young when I uh when I retired. Um, but uh so I want them to remember it and remember all the awesome, amazing human beings that were some of my dear friends that lost their lives and keep their memories alive, any things of that nature. Um, but yeah, you know, I uh I now I'm just 100% focused on business.

Stefanie Couch 5:06

Well, you said something that I want to go back to. My husband and I talk about this a lot, how stressful and how lonely and how hard it is to understand the things you go through as an entrepreneur unless you're in the pretty much in the arena. Yep. You said it's the most stressful thing you've ever done. Being an entrepreneur was more stressful than being a Navy SEAL.

Sam Mackey 5:26

I would say my most stressful time in the SEAL teams was sniper school because I was a new guy and it's a very coveted school, and I was able to go to it and uh I didn't want to fail out, you know. And uh so that was looking back, like that uh that's the most stressful time that I remember. Uh really doesn't hold a candle to uh to run in a business.

Stefanie Couch 5:45

Well, that makes me feel a little better about how you know we feel about it. Yeah, um, it's just such an interesting thing because you have a team of people, we have a team. It is a lot of stress to think about keeping their mouths fed and making sure they're happy. How do you handle that? I mean, building a team is different when it's on your shoulders. It has been for me anyway.

Sam Mackey 6:06

So I've always been infatuated with leadership and team building and the culture. So uh I just put my organizational for organization first and then employees, you know, shortly there, right thereafter, right? Because you can't and but you really can't have one without the other. So, you know, it's not necessarily in that order, right? Because if you don't take care of your employees, they won't take care of you and then they won't and they won't take care of your business, right? So uh I just try to uh make the best culture I can, empower my employees as much as I humanly can and uh trust them and listen to them and uh and make them feel like they have an extreme amount of ownership in our organization, and uh and that's really all you can do.

Unlearning Military Urgency At Work

Stefanie Couch 6:51

Yeah, extreme ownership is one of our core values in our company because it's just so important and you can't replace that part of people if they don't take ownership for things. Yep, it's just huge. Well, I want to ask you, you've said before that the special force is an ideal breeding ground for entrepreneurs, and I want to hear your take on that, but what about the flip side? Like, what did you have to unlearn when you started running a company?

Sam Mackey 7:15

So the uh Teams is in a very is a very aggressive place to work, right? And uh there's times where you know fighting is completely socially acceptable, right? And and the way you handle contingencies uh with urgency, um, you cannot do in the in the workplace, yeah, right. Um in in this workplace. So I've had to unlearn um see a little bit of my I want it done and I want it done now, yeah. Right. And that urgency, uh, because that only translates for the most part to the military, right? And um I've so I've had to unlearn that and I've had to learn to take more time, be more methodical, explain the why a lot more and uh be more diplomatic. And in doing so, it's actually made me a better person.

Stefanie Couch 8:05

Yeah, that's really cool. And I'm sure you've taken a lot, you did all this leadership development in college and your master's and stuff. I'm sure a lot of that, but I just feel like there's not a whole lot of supplement that could be as good as on the job. Like you're just figuring it out as you go. Like, what's happening? I don't know. I've got to figure this out. I've never done this before. I mean, every day I wake up and I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing. And neither does anyone else around us. There was a time in my corporate job where I remember very specifically, because I was I was working for a really big company for about 10 years, and um, I used to look up at the leadership, it's a pretty flat organization, but maybe three or four letter letters above me and think like they've got it all figured out, they just don't want to share it with me. Like they don't want to let me behind the curtain. They they have this master plan. And I think they had a little bit of a plan, but uh the moment I figured out like, nope, they're just figuring it out just like me. Uh it was some sort of calm over me, like, well, at least it's not just me.

Sam Mackey 9:00

Absolutely. And I'm I I had that realization about a year ago, right? Maybe a little over. And you know, I just in my feeble little mind, like, okay, yeah, the first time you make a thousand dollars, it's your first time doing that, right? And everyone's gonna look at you and say, like, oh wow, you made a thousand dollars. How'd you make a thousand dollars? Yeah, and that happened happens at every milestone, right? And so you're looking at someone like, man, you made a million bucks. Oh man, you do 10 million a year, you do this, and but everyone's on the same level. When I say that, the same level mentally, they're in a new in a new environment, new grounds where they haven't seen before. They have, you know, nothing is new. It changes the dynamic dynamics of your business, right? And uh, so everyone is playing the game of figure it out no matter what level you're at.

Stefanie Couch 9:41

Yeah. I have this entrepreneur that I love, his name's Alex Hermozzi, and him and his wife are in a company together, and uh they he was in the gym world, and he has this saying that I have written on my computer. It says, no silver bullets, only golden BD BBs. Because you know, when you start your business, you're like, if I could just get to this, or if I could just do this amount of money or hire this person, and it doesn't level up, you know. It does you do, you get better, but the problems get bigger and you get better so you can handle them. But it I came to the realization eventually, it's like just stop saying if we get to this, because I'm just gonna want more and I'm gonna do more, and I know you're the same way.

Sam Mackey 10:17

Nothing will ever be enough. And it's I it's one of my faults, you know. I uh and I try to my kids have really helped because I I look at them and I reflect and I try to live in the moment when you know when I'm with them and be as present as I possibly can for them. Uh, because I work and I'm gone a lot, and uh, and that is that has helped me, you know. Um, but you know, it's it's a huge flaw of mine, and it's in every aspect of my life. Yeah like it's the whole, hey, moderation's for cowards. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing. Like, okay, let's just keep going, keep going. Oh, I made this month, uh, this quarter. Like, oh, hey, let's double it next. Like, whoa, how about we shoot for 10%?

Stefanie Couch 10:55

You know, and uh isn't it funny how though you're that is one of your core strengths as well, because it's why you're doing what you're doing. Isn't it funny how sometimes our strengths can become our weaknesses?

Sam Mackey 11:06

Absolutely. And you know, I have some the greatest mentors in the world, and I'm very thankful for them. And uh one of them, one of them is a gentleman by the name of Prior Blackwell out of Dallas, Texas, and he's a he's a freaking saint, right? And he's done very well for himself and we're like-minded, right? And uh so got out of the Navy, retired, you know, started a company, did a raise. Now, you know, uh, I have investors that I you know, I look at it as like, hey, I owe you, you know, your money back, right? And uh all of that is it's it's a lot, right? And and it could it could overtake you at times, right? That pressure. And we were talking, prior and I, it's like, why do we do this to ourselves? I'm like, man, that's a great thing.

Stefanie Couch 11:52

That should be insane to do that.

Sam Mackey 11:52

And and I feel I'm like, I couldn't, I couldn't go get a nine to five. Like I can't do it. And I I don't know why. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's like, damn, why didn't I take two years and go get a nine to five and just relax, you know, or like take some time off. And but no, started business, started another business. Now we're getting into something else. I'm like just hazing myself, I guess.

Stefanie Couch 12:12

But it's who we are as people though. And I think uh there's gotta be I I've listened to a lot, there's another podcast I love called the Founders Podcast. I've listened to it, and he talks about some of these people like Rockefeller and you know, even like Elon and people like that. And there's one word that I really respond to that they say a lot about themselves or about you know people say about them as obsessed. You have to be obsessed to really be successful at a certain level, and most people aren't. We are uh see that in you very quickly, and there's nothing wrong with that. So when you started, though, I want to tie it back to the construction industry a little bit. You actually worked for a concrete company on the weekends. I think like a buddy of yours or something said, Hey, you should go try this.

Sam Mackey 12:58

Yep. So I was uh with one of another one of my mentors, John Hughes. Great, great man. Love you, John. And uh um we were fishing, actually. No, I I can't remember if we were fishing on. No, we were fishing. We went fishing, I got real seasick the day before. And then so I just hung out at the beach, but we go down to the little beach bar by his house and we're having a beer. And uh he looks at me, he goes, I don't think you should ever work for somebody ever again. And uh I didn't even know what it meant.

Stefanie Couch 13:24

Yeah.

Sam Mackey 13:24

And uh I'm like, what do you mean by that? Like, what am I gonna do for work? He's like, Well, start your own company. And I'm like, Well, well, what what what type of company? You want to move to Texas? I said, Yes. And uh he goes, You want to be a millionaire? I said, Absolutely. He goes, Well, do concrete or electricity or HVAC.

Stefanie Couch 13:40

Yeah.

Sam Mackey 13:40

I'm like, well, I don't know anything about HVAC, and all I can think about is like hot addicts, right? Yeah and I don't want to get shocked. And I said, I don't know anything about electricity. I don't know anything about concrete, but uh at least it's outside and I think I could figure it out. So went back to Virginia Beach and uh looked up a concrete company with the highest reviews, right? And called him and he wasn't having it. Um so and he's the guy that I wanted to to learn under. Yeah. And uh so the next day I called uh his office again, his wife answered and said he was out on a job, and I told a little white lie, and I said, uh, I said, Yeah, I'm supposed to meet him out there. Yeah. Uh what address? Uh could you give me the address? And she gave it to me and I drove out there, explained everything in a little bit more detail. Well, as the you know, the ready mix was showing up, so he didn't have much time. He's like, Yeah, dude, just help those guys out. Yeah. And uh so I that's what I started doing until I got comfortable enough to, you know, where I could pour a little concrete, and uh wasn't an expert at it by any means. And uh so then I started a concrete company in Virginia Beach, never did anything with it really. And uh, but that was my that was my path forward, and that's what that's what I was gonna go do.

Stefanie Couch 14:43

So it's like the moment that you kind of realized I can't get it on to five for sure.

Sam Mackey 14:48

Yeah, you know, after talking to a couple business owners, right? And of course, the ones I talked to had already been through, you know, the grind and everything, you know, they've looked at a couple exits, right, and and shut them down because of you know cash flow that they have going on. And that looks very, very, very appetizing to me. But more so is man, I'm just a freaking dreamer.

Stefanie Couch 15:07

Yeah.

Sam Mackey 15:08

And like I I can't help it. I got big goals, they're sometimes they're too big, and and I I couldn't work a nine to five anymore because it has a ceiling.

Stefanie Couch 15:17

Yeah, for sure. Uh and usually a pretty low ceiling.

Sam Mackey 15:20

Yep.

Mentors, Persistence, And The Ask

Stefanie Couch 15:20

Unless you're in sales, and even then a lot of people cap their salespeople. But well, you've talked a lot about mentorship. And so another one of the things that I I read about you that I liked a lot was that every major decision that you've ever made in the last decade has been made outside. Yes, ma'am. Led to the outsider brand, I'm sure. But also talking about being with friends or mentors, and you've talked about that a lot. Tell me how you find these people because you obviously have people that are very successful that are giving you advice to hopefully help navigate things that maybe a lot of the normal people in the world wouldn't have gone through. You're outside, you're with a mentor, and for someone maybe listening that was like, hell yeah, I'd love to have a great mentor that's already made a million dollars or $10 million. Where do you find these people?

Sam Mackey 16:05

I found mine hunting. Uh on hunting trips. I got first one, my uh first mentor, uh actually my buddy Morgan Luttrell, uh, his he's a congressman now in Texas. He brought me on a hunting trip in Texas. And uh the first one he brought me on, I think, uh, was with a gentleman named Pryor Blackwell that I mentioned before. And since then, you know, I started going to hang out with Pryor every year. And then, I mean, this is 15 years ago or so or more. And uh he became one of my dear friends. And I haven't thought about this, but uh, Morgan also uh on another hunting trip and introduced me to John Hughes. Okay. And uh so I see those are the two main mentors uh that I have. And then now I seek them. So I'll hear about somebody, I'll meet somebody, I'll learn their background, I'll get to know them a little bit, yeah, and then I will just ask, hey, will you be my mentor? I I I can't have enough, and I like your your personality, I like your work ethic, you know, I like who you are as a as a person. I like what you know, your selflessness, I like your humility, and you are, you know, I see you helping everybody. So I'm just gonna come out and ask. Like, man, will you be my mentor? And when you ask the question, it s does something to our brains, right? It it puts on a sense of ownership and responsibility for the mentor and for the mentee. Yeah. And because if they give you some advice, you know, or tell you to do something or guide you in a direction, and you don't, you know, adhere to it or listen to it, or at least have a conversation, explain the why, then you're kind of blowing them off. And you know, that's disrespectful. So uh I like the ask.

Stefanie Couch 17:35

I like the ask. And I think that's the core thing that I would say for a young person that's looking to do something, not just get a mentor, but in general, if you never ask, you are guaranteed not gonna get it. Yep. You might still get a no, but then you don't just ask once. You have to be persistent as hell to get what you want in life. And I think that's the thing, like going back to your story. You could have just said after one time, like, okay, well, I'm not gonna make it, you know, uh, I washed out, whatever, it got hurt, whatever happened. It it doesn't matter. There's so many times in life where you're going to fail. And I mean, and God, entrepreneurship is like a doctorate degree in failure every single day. It's like, how can I suck so bad at so many things all at the same time? And it it's really because when you're a high achiever and you I mean, yes, of course, we've all experienced failure, but like, oh, well, okay, in a normal job, you're an A player.

Sam Mackey 18:26

Yep.

Stefanie Couch 18:26

Then you come into this and it's like, holy crap.

Sam Mackey 18:28

Yeah.

Stefanie Couch 18:29

I'm like run of the mill at the best some days.

Sam Mackey 18:31

And all the different skill sets you have to learn, or at least have an extremely knowledgeable, you know, working relationship with that skill set, right? Yeah. It's just a lot.

Stefanie Couch 18:41

Yeah.

Sam Mackey 18:41

It's a lot.

Sponsor Break And Outdoor Clarity

Stefanie Couch 18:43

This episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast was sponsored by Do it Best Group. Do it Best Group is the largest co-op in the world, and they help independent hardware and lumber yards all over North America win. Do it Best offers services, products, and people that can help you win long term. They are the champion of independence. Well, I want to talk a little bit about outsider. I know you've talked a lot about, you know, the outdoors and all of those things, but your tagline of love, get outside, be bold, and live free. Tell me about that. What is the meaning of that and what does it mean to you personally?

Sam Mackey 19:22

So get outside, right? And there's been an immense amount of research of what being being in the outdoors, you know, does to you physiologically, right? And how healthy it is. So uh folks can go, you know, research that on their own. But what it does for me is it allows me to be present, right? And with my surroundings and you know, and really do some reflection about what I'm what I'm grateful for, what I need to work on, right? And it it gives me a sense of clarity, right? And I actually call it tree stand therapy. And I don't care if you're not even a hunter, let's take a glass of a bottle of wine and a charcuterie board to the tree stand, no guns, and let's just be quiet and watch the woods come alive or watch the the day unwind, right? For for an evening hunt. And you never know what you're gonna see. And it's man, that's church.

Stefanie Couch 20:10

Yeah, I agree. We live in the North Georgia Mountains, so uh right at the head of the Appalachian Trail, there's world-class trout fishing there. So you I don't know if you like to fish, but um it's an amazing place. And sometimes we just go out, we have this little trail behind our house and go sit by this little creek, and I just sit there and just think, and I do this same thing like best thinking, just don't take my phone, just leave everything. And there's something magical about trees. I feel like really connected to trees. When I was in Texas, I lived in Dallas for a little while, and they don't have big trees there, they have like short trees there. I miss the trees. There's something magical about that when you grow up around them. So I totally agree with that. And for somebody maybe that doesn't get that, just go walk for 15 minutes. You don't have to be like out in the middle of nowhere and you can just get out.

Sam Mackey 20:56

Absolutely. And you know, I say this to people all the time like, not asking you to go be an ice climber or a base jumper or go skydiving or go do some crazy hike. Just go on a go on a trail hike, you know, or go to the park, right? Start small, go on a 15-minute walk, you know, and uh and to answer the you know the latter part of that question, the be bold and you know, live free. The be bold really for me, you know, is is two twofold, right? Hey, be bold, be confident with with who you are, but uh and uh and it also means like, hey, don't care about what other people think. You know, be bold, make good decisions and and you know, be a confident human being and follow your gut, right? And the live free, man. We live in the greatest nation on the face of this earth. Yeah and enjoy it, right? Be respectful to it and uh and respectful to others in it, and uh just go be bold and live free and get outside. I love it. That's our message, yeah.

Stefanie Couch 21:48

That's great. Well, you have built this amazing brand. You've got a lot of great products, which you're actually selling here to independent dealers all over the US. There's there's gonna be a lot of people here this week. And I hope you saw a lot of cups.

Sam Mackey 22:02

Well, thank you. We're very excited. We love our relationship with you at best in true value.

Mission First Drinkware And Giving Back

Stefanie Couch 22:06

Yeah, and they they have the best members. I I did an engagement earlier this morning and just man, like these these people are just the heart of America, the people running these stores. So I want to talk a little bit about the new cup. Okay. Because we have it. So tell me about it and tell me what inspired this. And there are a lot of cups out there. So I'm going to ask you to put your salesman hat on a little bit. So there's a million different things that you could buy to drink your drinks out of. Why outsider? Why this everyday tumbler?

Sam Mackey 22:36

So our drinkware is cool, you know. But what's cooler than that is our mission, you know. So uh we have partnered with the Navy SEAL Foundation and uh and more specifically the uh Gold Star Wives and Gold Star Families uh line of accounting. So we donate a portion of proceeds to the Navy SEAL Foundation that go directly to the Gold Star families of Naval Special Warfare. And these are, you know, the families that lost a service member um and uh and widows of of SEALs. So that's near and dear to my heart. You know, at Outsider we do annual Gold Star Wives hunts and we live the, you know, we live the life and we try to encourage others to uh to live the life. So we always uh have you know three to five gold star wives down um and go go hunting, shoot skeet, and just really to get as much tree stand therapy as we as we've we've could uh um over the course of that weekend. And so that's what I'm most proud of. And uh anything we could do for these uh families of you know their loved ones paid the ultimate sacrifice or the ultimate price, right? Anything we could do for them is what I want to do. But um, you know, the vehicle we use to give back is our drink wear. And we have we do have some pretty cool freaking drink wares. And uh so this one was inspired by our 17 ounce AM coffee mug and with the turning handle because for that um for that unit, the handle goes from the six o'clock to the three o'clock or the nine, so it fits in your cup holder.

Stefanie Couch 23:59

Yep.

Sam Mackey 24:00

And we had a lot of requests for bigger uh pieces of drink wear, like a 40 ounce, you know, and uh because a lot of other brands are making them. And I so I wanted to stay in the turning handle family, right? And uh so it took a while.

Stefanie Couch 24:12

And you actually patented this, right?

Sam Mackey 24:13

Uh our other one is patent pending, right? And this one uh look looks like we're still talking with patent attorneys and everything. This could fall under under the same patent. Cool. However, my uh my factory has it has a patent on it.

Stefanie Couch 24:24

Awesome.

Sam Mackey 24:25

And um cool. So uh one is saying the turning handle family, and so we landed on this. So the handle goes from the six o'clock to the 12 o'clock to make it easier to carry. And I've noticed this works, this is the only way I carry it now, right? Because I feel awkward walking around and have to hold it straight up, you know, perpendicular like that. What's even cooler is what we did to the lid, right? So the lid took it took a wild tool, took a went through multiple prototypes, took about a year and a half, right? Um, to get it correct. So the lid, even with the straws in it, it tips over. It is absolutely minimal spillage. And you can, you know, see mine's full of water, nice.

Stefanie Couch 25:02

And but with the lid, if you take the lid out, and the aluminum straw, it's uh it's not yeah.

Sam Mackey 25:09

I didn't want to do plastic, just so I can get cut out as least plastic and microplastic as I probably can. So with a stainless steel straw, uh, so that's a 304 stainless steel, you know. Uh obviously probably it is the most healthiest steel you can use. And then when there's no uh no lid, it's completely waterproof. So you can throw it in your backpack, right? And no other 40 ounce uh tumbler that I know is is doing that.

Stefanie Couch 25:31

Well, I'm sold. I've already got one with my name on it.

Sam Mackey 25:34

So you already sold yes, ma'am.

Stefanie Couch 25:36

I love it. Well, and you can personalize these as you see here. You have multiple colors. So if if someone's looking for a new I these are great gifts. I'm gonna get some for my team and then also for some of my family members that I know will love them. So they're gonna be online. And also, if you're you know a do-it-best or true value member, you can get it for your store to sell all your customers these amazing products.

Sam Mackey 25:58

Absolutely. And one thing I've noticed with the everyday, and now that I've been carrying one about two weeks now, is I drink more water than I ever have in my life.

Stefanie Couch 26:05

Yeah, you know, and uh well, my husband's always trying to get me to drink water, it's a real impossible task. So maybe you'll help him do his impossible dream. He's a dreamer too, he just wants me to drink more than like two ounces of water a day. Well, I want to ask you about your girls because you mentioned them multiple times. So uh tell me a little bit about them. Do they like to hunt too?

Raising Outdoors Kids Without Pressure

Sam Mackey 26:25

So great question. Um, the one thing I never want to do is take them hunting and make it a bad experience. So they'll come hunting with me. And the first time they came hunting with me was actually my middle daughter, and she came because I think she felt bad for me, to be completely honest, because her sister said no. And me and her have a real special relationship. And uh, so she came with me, and you know, we're sitting there, and my wife packed her tons of snacks, and uh, of course, they're like she did a great job packing snacks, but she didn't think about the norms. The louse. Yeah, right. Yeah, and so she's opening bags and then dropping binos and you know, and everything, and then that goes on for like 30 years.

Stefanie Couch 27:03

Every animal within 20 miles knows we're here.

Sam Mackey 27:05

Like, it's gonna have to come out real far away. And I think we were bow hunting. So maybe we should come back during rifle season, sit on a bigger field, you know, have the deer further away. Yeah, uh, but we had fun, we played played games, and you know, wasn't really worried about like, hey, we gotta be you're breaking the rules. I didn't want to yell at her a lot. Like, hey, you gotta be quiet, be quiet. But I was whispering and I was calm, so you know, that induced that feeling on her. Yeah. And uh, and but then after about an hour, she uh she's like, hey, I'm ready to leave. So I'm like, all right, let's leave. Right. And uh, however, this last summer, uh, we go up to Minnesota and uh to go fishing. And I told my daughter, like, hey, uh, the fish bite the best first thing in the morning in the evening because we got there and it was the evening time. We were fishing off the dock. And uh me and my father-in-law stay up that night and had a little bourbon. And uh I go to bed and I don't know, about 5 40 in the morning, I feel a tap on my shoulder and I look up and it's my oldest daughter, and she goes, Dad, do you want to go fishing? I said, Absolutely. That's it. And so that's our thing now. And uh when we're in we went to Montana after that, and uh, told her about the elk and you know and the deer, just like the fish, same thing. She came in my room at 5 45 in the morning and said, Dad, do you want to go look for elk? I said, Absolutely. Made a cup of coffee, bundled her up, and we just went and drove for an hour. Oh, I'm I'm getting emotional thinking about it. Yeah, yeah.

Stefanie Couch 28:24

I feel that deep because my dad and I are very, very close. We worked at the lumber yard together, and uh, I'm one of three daughters, and he's the same way about us. And um, he didn't hunt, but we played like softball and stuff. And I just that those memories are like so important to me. I'm gonna cry talking about it, but um that relationship's really special, and those girls will be able to do anything they want in the world because of the way you're treating them. So I'll not cry now, but it's a very important thing. And so when I hear you talk about it, I feel it from you, so it's really cool. So keep going. Um keep telling them they can do anything, and they will, because I only believe I can do anything I want because my dad told me that, and my mom too. Yeah, gotta give her credit too. But they both told me I could do anything I wanted, and I was also a strong-willed, super independent child to begin with. And so now it's like, what do you mean we can't go to the moon? I don't understand. Like, let's just do it by Tuesday. You know? Uh, and then Ben's like, Well, there's actually like reasons here, like gravity, and we don't have any money to build a rocket. And I'm like, Well, let's just get Elon's number and he'll help us go wherever we want to go. Well, I want to end this with uh a lightning round and then one last question. Okay. So worst business advice you've ever received.

Sam Mackey 29:39

Probably advice in the marketing realm.

Stefanie Couch 29:45

Okay.

Marketing Traps And Better Business Bets

Sam Mackey 29:45

Like where to spend marketing dollars and hey, yeah, this this ROI, you know, it's there, yeah, and it's just not measurable. Yeah. And you like people take advantage of young business business owners, right?

Stefanie Couch 29:57

And uh marketing bros out there.

Sam Mackey 29:59

I wasn't lied to, but I I think the truth was held back a little bit, you know.

Stefanie Couch 30:03

Uh and I think that's what I would say too, is it's somewhere in the marketing, but marketing is so hard to know. Like it might work great for your business, but not for somebody else's, and it's yeah, it's tough. Okay. Bolt or semi-auto?

Sam Mackey 30:16

Ooh. What are we doing?

Stefanie Couch 30:20

Hunting. Hunting.

Sam Mackey 30:23

Hunting? Uh, I like a bolt gun.

Stefanie Couch 30:25

Okay. I thought you were gonna throw me a curveball and say you'd rather have a compound bow.

Sam Mackey 30:28

Oh, uh no, I I like shooting my bow, you know, a lot. Uh, but I know there's something about, you know, just a good bolt gun and get behind it.

Stefanie Couch 30:37

Yeah, I agree.

Sam Mackey 30:38

That that I that I like.

Stefanie Couch 30:39

I like to bird hunt. I really like to shoot skeet, it's really my favorite. And um, God, there's nothing more fun. I I would do it for like until my thumb fell off. Um, funny story, you'll like this just because it's it's a girl, girl thing. Um, I haven't told the story very often because I was like it told when this happened. I was like, if you repeat this to anyone, I swear to God, I'll kill you myself with the gun. So I the first time I worked at this company for like 10 years, right? And hunting was the thing they did. Like that's where they took all their customers, you know, the building industry, big hunting group. So I finally get invited on a on a quail hunting trip in Atlanta, and one of my sales guys, he's he's one of my favorite people in my life, and he's taken me and we're hunting with it's just me and him and this older guy that's about to retire, and he's been doing it for like 50 years, right? So we go out and I've got a Benelli, it's my gun, right? And I'm shooting um, you know, 20 gauge Benelli, and I've been practicing with it like I had it down, Pat. So I had cut my nails down a little bit, but they were still pretty long, and these are my real nails. So I'm loading it, shooting, everything's going great, right? Third shell I load in one time and I try to pull my finger out. Finger's not coming out. And so I'm like, okay, take a deep breath. Don't freak out. My finger's literally stuck in this gun, and like my nail is in this weird predicament of like the shell's in there and it's clipped. So I just looked at them and I said, Boys, and they're like, Yeah. I said, just a little bit of a problem here that my thumb's about to get cut off by this gun and I can't get it out. And he's like, Well, I've been hunting a long time and I've never heard that one before. And so he had to disassemble my shotgun on my finger to get it off. And I looked at them and I said, We will never speak of this voice. And we kept hunting, but uh, it was a funny moment. And so ever since then, I'm like, Well, if I'm gonna go do this again, I gotta make sure these things are not too long because they are not hunting friendly.

Sam Mackey 32:37

I have not heard of that either.

Stefanie Couch 32:39

Well, um, here I am, and it was just funny because he was so sweet, he was like really calm and you know, and Brian just looked at me and shook his head, just kind of laughed. But um, anyway, now I can tell it because it's been long enough.

Sam Mackey 32:50

But did it cut you at all?

Stefanie Couch 32:51

No, it wasn't really like my hand was fine, my finger was fine. He did a hell of a job man taking that. It was a miracle, it was a Christmas miracle. But uh, we went back and and everybody asked, speaking of, you know, men allies in my life, you know, they were like, How'd she do? He was like, She shot everything, and I did. I had a great day, other than almost cut my finger off. Um he's like, Everything that flew in the sky, she shot it down and um didn't say a word about it. So, Brian, if you're watching this, I love you and thanks for uh protecting my honor. So then they invited me back on another trip.

Sam Mackey 33:22

It's a good dude move. Yes, for sure.

Stefanie Couch 33:24

All right, last question What do you know about business right now that you wish you knew day one?

Sam Mackey 33:30

Don't try to hit home runs, hit singles. Stack up those singles, just stack and keep grinding.

Stefanie Couch 33:36

So good.

Sam Mackey 33:37

Yeah, and you know, because I got I used to have uh the mindset of like let's go hunt elephants, right? One elephant will feed us for the year, right? But you know, what if you don't find that elephant, right? Yeah. So I I go after uh I just go after singles now. And if they and you know, stack them up and you got something.

Stefanie Couch 33:56

It's true. And it goes back to that no silver bullet, it's only golden BB. You know, I think it is a fool's dream to think that that there is that lottery ticket somewhere, but uh it's a lot more likely that you're just gonna hit it by doing what you just said.

Sam Mackey 34:08

And no one's gonna do it for you. No, and you can oh, I'm gonna get in this deal, I'm gonna do this collaboration, I'm gonna do this with this person, and like if it's gonna take our business here, yeah. Nothing will move the needle besides you.

Stefanie Couch 34:22

It's funny that you say that because we talk about that all the time, Ben and I. And it I mean, it really is true. But I will say that things do compound. And absolutely, you know, how how many years are you in the business now? Three. Okay, well, we're three and a half, and I feel that compounding. You know, Warren Buffett talks a lot about that, and that that's the best thing in business is compounding interest. He's talking about in the stock market, but it's true. Your relationships compound, your knowledge compounds, your product brand compounds. So I feel like you're about to hit a hockey stick curve, and I'm excited for it.

Sam Mackey 34:53

Oh, I pray to God.

Stefanie Couch 34:54

I'm excited for you. I hope you sell out of everything you have this weekend. You and me both. I really enjoyed this conversation. I hope we can continue to chat uh in the future and keep in touch with each other and maybe, maybe we'll be on that hockey stick curve together.

Sam Mackey 35:08

Yes, ma'am. Thank you for having me on. I really appreciate it. Absolutely. It's been great.

Final Takeaways And How To Engage

Stefanie Couch 35:11

We will see you on the next episode of the Grit Blueprint. Thank you for listening to the Grit Blueprint podcast. If this episode helped you think a little differently about how to show up, share it with someone in your building world who needs it. If you're ready to turn visibility into growth, then head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk to us about your growth strategy. Until next time, stay unmistakable.