BTU #346 - WIA, Whiskey, and Entrepreneurship (Clayton Hinchman)
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Why listen:
Here are the top three reasons to listen to today’s episode:
1.Tenacity - Clayton describes his experience stepping on an IED in Iraq and the grueling road to recovery. His thoughts on perspective & perseverance are exceptional.
2.Sales - Clayton’s attitude towards business is inspiring. His competitive nature and desire to provide for his family are inspiring.
3.Entrepreneurship - Clayton has repeatedly started organizations that thrive. From USi, which was acquired by Ignite, to Black Patch Distilling and his current government contracting company, SPS, Clayton has demonstrated his gift at starting and growing businesses.
Beyond the Uniform has over 350 podcast episodes and 20 videos with America’s top Veterans, including Jocko Willink, the former CEO of Pepsi, NFL players and more. They are all for free at BeyondTheUniform.org. If you benefit from Beyond the Uniform and would like to help get this in front of more members of the military, please consider donating at BeyondTheUniform.org/donate. You can also text SUPPORTBTU to 33777. Our cost of production is $300 per month, we are an all-volunteer team, and we could use your financial support. That is SUPPORTBTU to 33777
About Clayton:
Clayton is the Chairman of the Black Patch Distilling Co, a Combat Veteran-Owned and Operated Distillery. He started out at West Point, and served as an Infantry Officer for nearly five years before medically retiring as a Captain due to wounds sustained during an improvised explosive attack while conducting a night raid to kill or capture Al Qaeda in Iraq. He is an Honor Graduate of the US Army Ranger School, and holds a Masters from Georgetown University. After his departure from the military, he served as President and CEO of USi, which was acquired by Ignite in 2016.
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Partners:
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Transcript:
2:40
Joining me today from Huntsville, AL is Clayton Hinchman. Is there anything outside your biography that you’d like listeners to know?
I’m originally from South Texas so I have a real independent spirit. In my life, I’ve always asked ‘Why not’ as different opportunities have presented themselves to me.
5:00
Can you talk about your transition out of the military?
For all of us, there will be a point of transition out of the military. I was a heavy weapon platoon leader in Northern Iraq and volunteered to take over a particular task force. Our squadron would go in and take over various battle spaces.
We only ran night operations and wore black patches. One night, we had conducted a night raid and two hours into the mission, we were walking across a small trail. I was following about 15 of my guys and stepped on an IED. I lost my leg in the explosion. When I stepped on it, I felt a wave of pressure. I started screaming for a medic to come help me. Our medic put a tourniquet on my leg which saved my life. A helicopter came and picked me up soon after. I arrived at the hospital in Baghdad about an hour and a half later.
10:50
What advice do you have for people going through difficult circumstances?
I’ve had about 35 surgeries on my leg. I still wear hearing aids today because of the blast. After the explosion, I gave myself one year to feel bad for myself. I loved what I did in the Army and didn’t want to give it up.
About eight months after I lost my leg, my wife talked me into going to Vale, Colorado. I was feeling sorry for myself because I was having a hard time learning to snowboard. I went into Vale where the fire department was having a big social. I was sitting next to someone that was also from Texas. He was a firefighter and had been badly burned during a fire. During the dinner, I needed to use the bathroom so I went over to use the bathroom which was very small. After I left the bathroom, I noticed that the guy from my table and his fiance crammed themselves into the bathroom together because he had been injured so badly in the fire that he now needed help to use the bathroom. I promised myself in that moment that I would never feel sorry for myself again. That guy at our table gave me such a deep sense of perspective. I think that perspective is what many Americans have lost today.
17:20
What can people do to support family members or friends that have gone through traumatic situations?
My wife has never treated me any differently before or after the accident. My family is a pack of bullies that gives each other a hard time. I appreciated that they treated me exactly the same even after my injury.
I hate when people tell you ‘everything will get back to normal’. That’s simply not true. If I hadn’t lost my leg, I was still in the Army. I think it would have been more helpful to just hear the truth. It’s not the same normal but you do find a new normal. For me, it was so important to surround myself with people that had high expectations for me and didn’t treat me with entitlement.
Veteran suicide is a huge problem in our society. I’ve had five West Point classmates that have killed themselves. That hurts me. I think it’s important to find some sort of purpose in your life. Military veterans don’t want to be pampered or spoiled, they want to be empowered to take control over their lives. If I didn’t have struggles or challenges in my life, that would completely rob me of any sense of purpose.
27:15
How would you describe what you do for a living?
I’m the Chairman of Black Patch Distillery. My dad is a chemist by trade and he bought my first beer making kit when I was 16 years old. When I was wounded, I went to different breweries and wineries because the business side really appealed to me.
A couple years ago, I sold my first company and wanted to put the money into opening a distillery. We chose Madison, AL as the location for the business. We offer tequila, whiskey, and bourbon.
I’m also a defense contractor but the distillery is really my passion.
30:05
What does your day-to-day look like?
Right now, 95% of my focus is on being a defense contractor and 5% on the distillery side. We’re really only in our second year of being open so I’m hoping as time goes on, I’ll be able to give more time to the distillery.
I’m more on the marketing and business side. My dad handles the actual distilling of the product. He’s extremely passionate about it.
32:30
Do you have any advice for people that want to open a distillery?
Add a lot of financial padding for yourself in the beginning. Unexpected expenses will come up. Go talk to other people that are doing similar things. Most times, they’re going to be more than happy to share their knowledge with you.
As far as working alongside your family, I think it’s important to set guidelines and boundaries. If there’s an issue, you need to address it immediately.
35:30
How would you describe your journey from the point of leaving the military until now?
My first job after the military was as a defense contractor. I hated it because I was in a Top Secret facility and felt very isolated. I worked for a Budget Chief and learned a lot from him. He was mean to everyone but he was fair. I learned money and budgets from him. That’s become incredibly valuable to me now that I’m running a small business.
I don’t wake up to an alarm clock. I’m excited to get up every day and crush the competition. I want our products to be available in new places.
39:15
Prior to starting Black Patch Distillery, you had sold another business. What was that like?
My wife and I were running that business. We had 55 employees and had a very healthy margin. The company that acquired us had been wanting to do so for a long time. I was 33 years old at the time and we had two young daughters. Selling the business was really about being able to take care of my daughters. When I was in high school, I was recruited to play football at Princeton and Yale. Unfortunately, my family didn’t have enough money to send me to school there. My dad felt really bad about that. So when we sold the business, we put money aside for our daughters so that we can support whatever road they want to go down.
I’m also hoping to start a new small business in the near future.
42:10
What advice do you have for people that want to start their own business?
You can’t always tell who will be a successful entrepreneur. But I can tell who will fail. If I’m someone that is talking about making big purchases early on, I know they won't make it.
You have to be focused on your product and how you can make it better and serve your customers better. You also need to be willing to listen to people around you that might be able to offer you a word of advice or help.
45:20
Do you have any resources you would recommend?
Good to Great is a book I recommend. It has a lot of simple concepts that are very applicable. I usually buy 5-10 books at a time. One I’m reading right now is the Leaders Brain. I like to constantly be exposed to new ideas.
I also recommend taking a personality test. That was helpful to me to understand more about how others perceive me.
53:45
Is there anything else you’d like to share with listeners?
In 2018, I ran for Congress as a Republican against an incumbent Republican. It was me and a team of one other person. Towards the end we also had a team of volunteers. I really just wanted to make a difference. America is such a fantastic place. But too often we sell a woe is me, victimized mentality.
The vast majority of people from around the world want safety and security for their family. I wanted to bring that mentality to Congress. I think the way people can make a difference is by being a positive member of the community.