Courageous and Wild: Maverick Startups Turned Multimillion Dollar Companies Bottle Breacher's Eli Crane discusses manufacturing goods in America. 'The Top Entrepreneur' host, Nathan Latka, reveals guerilla investing strategy.
By Alan Taylor
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
We begin the hour with former Navy Seal Eli Crane, who created a new way to serve his country after retiring from the military. Bottle Breacher is a veteran-owned manufacturing company offering bar goods proudly made in the U.S. Then, we hear from Nathan Latka, the 27-year-old mastermind and personality behind premier business podcast The Top Entrepreneurs. Taylor describes Latka as a "gorilla investor' to in part to his aggressive business strategy which is equal parts brilliant and crazy. Discover more about these business gurus now!
- [00:00:00] Navy Seal to CEO of Bottle Breacher
- [00:05:48] Team Work Makes the Dream Work
- [00:11:30] Bottle Breacher Proudly Made in U.S.
- [00:18:20] Adrenaline Rush "Guerilla" Investing
- [00:30:02] Dorm Startup to $10.5-Million Company
- [00:35:52] Boost Your Net Worth with Simple Tip
Related: 'Cheers' TV Star John Ratzenberger Explains Why We Need an American Manufacturing Revival
Discover more about segments and guests below . . .
[00:00:00] Retired Navy Seal Launches Bottle Breacher
Former Navy Seal Eli Crane, started a small company out of his garage hoping to earn a little supplemental income. Within a year, Bottle Breacher became a huge success. The name of the company came from his position in the Navy; as a breacher, it was Crane's duty to get military operators inside a specified target through mechanical or explosive means. Drawing a parallel to how a bottle opener cracks a cold one, Crane was inspired to create his first product, personalized bottle openers made with recycled bullet shells. From there, the American-made product list would continue to grow. Listen to learn more.
[00:06:18] Team Work Makes the Dream Work
The instructors of the Navy Seals taught Crane that he was insignificant by himself on the battlefield; you can't do it alone. After retiring from the military, Crane realized that this core principle was also deeply relevant in business and that he was ideally suited to lead his own company alongside an exceptional team. His company, Bottle Breacher, grew from a small garage startup making $7,500 a month to over $80,000 a month after nailing a successful pitch on ABC's Shark Tank. Crane's dream team has now grown to 35-45 American employees, depending on the season. Discover more about this amazing team.
[00:12:30] Bottle Breacher Proudly Made in the U.S.
Many products are manufactured overseas as a cost-saving measure, but as price goes down, so does quality. Bottle Breacher is a multimillion dollar company offering a wide range of bar products and the best part is, they are all made in the U.S.! With a deep love for our country, Crane says the choice to make goods locally has many notable benefits ranging from quality, to speed and product accessibility. Crane offers brilliant advice to newbie entrepreneurs looking to get started. You'll have to listen in to find out more!
[00:19:51] Adrenaline Rush "Guerilla" Investing
Nathan Latka is a 27-year-old entrepreneur who has some major courage. You might remember Latka from an insane Facebook Live video that went viral. In the video Latka suddenly grabs his checkbook, hops in a cab and seemingly on a whim, decides to purchase a well-established food tuck. Scrambling down the streets of Texas, Latka finally arrives at a popular Asian food truck. After asking the owner extremely intrusive questions, he miraculously extracts juicy and vital details about the business, cutting a check soon after. Latka took a huge risk -- betting on something unknown as opposed to putting his money into investments that were already too saturated. Learn more about this business-savvy, adrenaline-junkie now.
[00:30:02] Dorm Start-up to $10.5-Million Company
Latka, host of The Top Entrepreneurs podcast, was attending his second year of college as an architect student when he started hearing rumblings of a dwindling job market. Latka recalls sulking in his dorm room when inspiration hit. He began cold calling people offering to build their Facebook pages. In 2010, Heyo.com was officially launched, becoming a company with a $10.5-million valuation by 2015. Seeking inspiration to take a business risk? Listen now.
[00:35:52] Boost Your Net Worth with Simple Tip
Latka believes he may be the most sued podcaster on the web today. Latka is bitingly authentic and prides himself on asking business leaders borderline-uncomfortable and intrusive questions. In fact, Latka has received countless cease and desist notices due to the intimate information guests have divulged on air. This unbridled interview style has earned Latka a penetrating knowledge of how top game-changers earn their wealth. Want his advice to boost your personal net worth? Hear more now.
Entrepreneur Radio, hosted by award-winning broadcast professional, Alan Taylor, equips fans with the critical information necessary to grow their business through practical advice and thought-provoking interviews. Tune in live on Saturdays 2 p.m. EST/11 a.m. PST and Sundays 10 a.m. EST/7 a.m. PST and listen to weekly episodes on demand on Entrepreneur.com.
