Colin got his start in the US Army as a military police officer. He spent almost seven years serving our country before deciding to pursue his entrepreneurial interests. Upon separating from the Army he pursued an entrepreneurial endeavor in the fitness industry. This led to fitness modeling where he landed over 50 different magazine covers. After seeing a home décor project that a friend was having done he decided he was interested in something similar. After initial conversations with the company that was creating the product he started consulting with them to assist in their growth. He became more interested in the company due to the potential he saw in being able to grow the space. After about three months of consulting, Colin made an offer to partner at 51% ownership to have the ability to grow the company by 6x revenue from previous year, with a stipulation that if he didn’t make this happen he wouldn’t retain any ownership.
“I’m a very firm believer that you put your money where your mouth is.”
The individual was onboard with the concept and so they moved forward with paperwork. Ultimately the deal was not struck so Colin became a competitor in the space thru his own endeavor. This is where Redline Steel was born. This drove Colin to move forward with getting equipment and a warehouse to follow. He had acquired his first contract with Grunt Style, Daniel Alarik CEO/Founder, who was interested in purchasing 500 AR-15 replicas in assorted colors. This provided some working capital needed to grow and scale the business without getting an investor. The next big step was putting in place a website and scaling from a 5,000 square foot facility to a 10,000 square foot facility.
After 18 months they have scaled to a 52,000 square foot facility and have over 35 employees. They are projecting to do over $40 million in revenue in 2018 based on their manufacturing capabilities. Redline Steel is pioneering this space and have become the largest customized steel manufacturer in the United States. They are currently working with the Chamber Commerce to compare data to show that they are within the top 5% of growing companies in Alabama.
They sell 100% direct to consumer using e-commerce. They use three core marketing principals: Active Marketing, Reactive Marketing and Proactive Marketing strategies. Redline has been able to achieve 38% repeat business which is well above the average especially given their short time as a business. They have processed over a million pounds of steel and 130,000+ orders. All areas of operation are done in house; marketing, branding, manufacturing, fulfillment and distribution.
“I prefer to hire veterans based on their core principles and values.”
Everyone starts at entry level and is promoted internally. Colin is always open to understanding the skills and aspirations of those in the company because he wants to be proactively prepared to create opportunity for both the employee and the company.
As the company has been on a fast track of growth from the beginning he has started a YouTube channel to document the milestones and growth history. It’s called “Wayne’s World”– with a My Life My Rules type of context. They will do these videos in quarterly seasons to see the growth of the organization. They are currently on season 2.
“My vision for the company is Redline Steel will be a billion dollar company within the next five years.”
They are looking to disrupt the market and be a competitor for Amazon in Home Décor. Alabama would be the manufacturing hub for all things encompassing home décor, and open distribution hubs across America for fast shipping demands. Keep an eye out for this disruptive category king taking on a blue ocean of opportunity!
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Landmark Life Coaching’s (www.landmarklifecoaching.com) Mission is to honorably and respectfully serve courageous groundbreakers and transitioning veterans to persevere in defining and executing their future by providing an atmosphere of comradery and trust that honors their dedication and commitment. This will empower our clients to feel whole, honored, respected and fulfilled in defining and living their life purpose.
Charlie Mike Podcast (www.charliemikepodcast.com) is where our Nations Combat Veteranpreneur’s talk about how they transformed their combat experience into a groundbreaking entrepreneurial success. We will discuss their experience in relation to what I have defined as their VisualReality; their personal vision of building a successful business leveraging their combat experience to bring the core strengths of a combat veteran into the entrepreneurial realm.
Dwayne Paro - Veterans Coach/Podcaster/Speaker/Writer