7 Veteran-Owned Business with a Killer Marketing Strategy

7 Veteran-Owned Business with a Killer Marketing Strategy

Our troops have a finely-honed ability to improvise, adapt, and overcome to accomplish their mission under almost any circumstances, and we take that ability with us when we return to the civilian world.

From Belleau Wood to Baghdad, veterans are used to getting the job done, improvising to compensate for limited resources. When we need to reach an objective we will use any means necessary to get there, whether that means catching a ride in an Osprey, bouncing along in a Zodiac, or even crawling through the swamp. That’s why so many veteran-owned businesses manage to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

You can see that “do or die” mindset in the marketing strategies of these seven veteran-owned businesses. They didn’t rely on daddy’s money, angel investors, or the lottery; they identified and utilized a strategic advantage and then worked their asses off to achieve business success.

Dog Tag Brewing

Founded by Marine, Seth Jordan, to honor our fallen troops, Dog Tag Brewing is the kind of product that people are emotionally moved to talk about. They work with Gold Star families to share the stories of their fallen loved ones on each can, and they donate all profits to organizations selected by each family to individually honor their fallen warrior. That’s a powerful story you just can’t help but share.

Article 15 Clothing

Former Army Ranger Mat Best drove millions of eyeballs to Article 15 Clothing with expertly-wielded satirical comedy through his YouTube channel. He mocks the Army just as much as rival branches in his “rap battle” videos, which get hundreds of thousands of shares and comments. Anyone who thinks sports rivalry is intense has never seen military rivalry, and Mat leverages that like a PSYOP master to market his company.

Got Your 6

When you tell a veteran “I’ve got your 6” they instantly know someone who they trust with their life is looking out for them. Got Your 6 used a phrase virtually every veteran, especially those from the combat MOSs, is familiar with to quickly and clearly convey their exact purpose while triggering a positive emotional response from fellow veterans.

Combat Flip Flops

Former Army Rangers Matthew Griffin and Donald Lee state of their company, Combat Flip Flops, “Unapologetically, we make cool shit in dangerous places.”  They manufacture footwear in Columbia, textiles in Afghanistan, and jewelry in Laos, all utilizing the local workforce, which brings the obvious benefit of lower production costs, but also a less obvious benefit of stabilizing areas affected by conflict which helps to reduce the need for war. That kind of mission is something people can get passionate about and are willing to spend more money to support.

Counter Strike Coffee

If there’s anything a grunt in the field loves more than bullets and dry socks, it’s definitely coffee, and most of us take that addiction ritual habit with us through life on the civilian side. Former FMF Corpsman, Brandon Buttrey caters to our love of good coffee while tapping into our nostalgia with clever military-themed names like Fire Watch, Napalm, and Smooth Operator at Counter Strike Coffee.

Bullets 2 Bandages

When Naval Explosive Ordinance Officers, Erik Spalding and Cole Evans left the Navy in 2010, they transformed their former job of defusing and disposing the explosive devices into a way to thank and support fellow troops and veterans by founding Bullets 2 Bandages. There, they produce and sell ordinance-themed merchandise, manufactured from once-fired ammunition used by our military, and they donate at least 15% of their profits to veteran charities.

Heart Bandits

Air Force veteran, Michele Velazquez, built Heart Bandits around the marriage proposal—an event most women spend their whole life dreaming about, then spend the rest of their life remembering and talking about. They specialize in creating one-of-a-kind proposals for clients around the world. Women will giddily tell the story of their proposal for years, often decades to come, and that kind of excitement creates powerful word of mouth exposure for Michele’s company, which is one of the reasons she has been so wildly successful.

What do our clients say about Spartan Media?

We could talk all day about how awesome we are, but we know you’d rather hear what our clients think, so here’s what they have to say about what we’ve done for them and the impact it’s had on their businesses.

Kim Kiyosaki

Kim Kiyosaki

Co-founder, Rich Dad Company

Jeremy’s strength is matching your message with the most effective media outlets and spot on audience demographics. He is very strategic, extremely diligent, does all the heavy lifting, and he makes you look good. If you want PR results that go above and beyond, then I’d definitely go with Spartan Media.

Matt Andrews

Matt Andrews

Entrepreneur, Investor, Venture Capitalist

I own multiple businesses in the real estate and marketing spaces and the only PR team that I’ll use is Spartan Media. It’s really important that I get exposure in the right media outlets and that’s exactly what Jeremy and the team at Spartan Media help me do. They are the best in the industry and I highly recommend working with them.

Christina Krause

Christina Krause

Founder, Postal Impact

I can’t tell you how many times someone has said, “I saw an article about your company and it reminded me to circle back to you.” That has been a really interesting component of our relationship. We certainly have increased our presence, but it’s really interesting how many people we already know that have reached out to do business with us directly as a result of seeing us featured in the media.

Dr. David Phelps

Dr. David Phelps

CEO, Freedom Founders

Working with Spartan Media has been a real pleasure. They make the connections, craft talking points, and always make sure I’m prepared—and they do all the heavy lifting to make it easy for me. So we get it together, it’s efficient, it’s dialed in, and it makes me show up as an expert. Credibility and authority is everything in today’s space and Spartan Media does it better than anybody else. 

Tatiana Zagorovski

Tatiana Zagorovski

Founder, Trio Realty Partners

Working with Spartan Media has completely transformed the way people see me and my business. They’ve helped me get in front of the right audiences and share my ideas and expertise across the nation—and the results have been incredible. I’m now being recognized as a trusted authority in my industry, and people are reaching out to me because of the exposure and status they’ve created for me.

Jason Keyz

Jason Keyz

CEO & Principal Broker, KEYZ Group

I don’t have the time to reach out to the media, and it’s one of those things where if you actually tried to reach out yourself, you’d be met upon deaf ears anyway. So working with the team at Spartan Media, that specializes in exactly this and does it on a daily basis, is the best way to go. Plus, their white glove treatment is exactly what you need because it let’s you focus on running your business.

Nicole Espinosa

Nicole Espinosa

CEO, The Short Sale Queen

My experience with Spartan Media has been amazing! I’ve been featured in Inman, Entrepreneur, Benzinga, Fox Business, and so many more because of them, and that’s opened a lot of doors for me. They do a great job of positioning you and helping you craft the perfect message. I totally appreciate that because I think as entrepreneurs, we often feel like we know everything.

Trey Taylor

Trey Taylor

Founder, Trinity Blue Consulting

I love that while I’m focusing on what I do best, Spartan Media is consistently getting me featured in the media. This helps give me more exposure, but more importantly, helps me to be seen as more authoritative in my industry, so more deals come my way and I close them faster and more easily. I feel that Spartan’s PR services are one of the best investments you can make as an entrepreneur.

Ready to get featured in the media?

If you’re already an expert, we think you deserve to be recognized as one—and to be blunt, your prospects deserve to find and work with you instead of your less qualified competitors who just happen to be better at promoting themselves. So get in touch to see if you qualify.

Authority Declassified