“When I tell people I run a hot dog company, they just laugh.”
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Why Listen:
Today’s episode is a must-listen for three reasons. One - entrepreneurship. Joe and his brother started Feltman’s of Coney Island and is a self-proclaimed hotdog slinger. Seriously… do you need another reason? Ok, fine - reason #2: selflessness. The impetus for starting Feltman’s was the loss of Joe’s brother on September 11th. The way in which Joe and his brother honor their deceased brother is touching to say the least. Third - mindset. Joe is the Executive Director of Headstrong, which provides best-in-class therapy for Veterans. Its an incredible organization. We also talk about how often we as Veterans can mask our own internal struggle by looking to help others - there’s some really good insights there. So, those are my top three reason for listening to this episode, but honestly, wouldn’t this have been easier for all of us if you would have just taken my word on this one.
Our Sponsor:
This episode is sponsored by the Carlson School of Management. Whether you're transitioning to a civilian career or continuing military service, an MBA from Carlson at the University of Minnesota prepares you for a high-impact career in business. Carlson is committed to the veteran community and provides the benefits, experiential learning, and network to accelerate your career. In addition to a resident tuition waiver, all admitted full-time MBA military candidates receive generous scholarships and stipends to cover expenses that may not be eligible for the GI Bill.
E-mail mba@umn.edu to learn more. That's mba@umn.edu.
Selected Resources:
BTU #310 - Keto Butta (with Arron Barnes) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-310-keto-butta-with-arron-barnes?rq=keto%20butta
BTU #108: Team Red, White & Blue (Garrett Cathcart) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-108-team-red-white-blue-garrett-cathcart?rq=team%20rwb
Other resources
GetHeadstrong.org - 60 sec survey to get paired with a MD psych evaluation and best-in-class clinician for unlimited therapy. Aimed at Post-9/11 veteran of any status (active duty, veteran, military spouses, etc)
Transcript & Time Stamps:
3:15
Joining me from Breezy Point, Queens is Joe Quinn. What has your career looked like post-military?
I left active duty in 2008 and went to graduate school at the Harvard Kennedy School. I then went back to Afghanistan as a civilian contractor and then went to West Point as a teacher. After West Point, I went to work for Team Red White and Blue and later for Headstrong. What I do now is sell hotdogs with my brothers so it’s been a winding career that has covered a lot of different areas.
5:20
Can you share more about your work at Headstrong?
There are a lot of great veterans organizations out there but I feel like for some veterans that work for veteran non-profits after they leave the service, it can be a sign that you’re having difficulty in your transition. Being part of a veteran organization gives you a kind of comfort.
When I was working at Team Red White and Blue, I would recommend colleagues to get mental health help from Headstrong. Headstrong provides unlimited mental health treatment for veterans. I’ve also been able to benefit from their services. They’re a really great organization. They focus on working with post-9/11 veterans specifically. They also do couples therapy.
There’s a stigma around mental health. I certainly had that stigma as well. I thought it was weak to ask for help. But ultimately it was a poor excuse.
When I was a senior at West Point, my brother was killed on 9/11. My life completely changed. I went on to do two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and also served as a General’s aide. But I bottled up all of my emotions and didn’t deal with any of those issues. My wife also had two brothers that had died and was trying to deal with that. On the outside, we looked like a perfect family. But internally, we were struggling. We reached out to Headstrong to help us and it really saved us.
16:15
Why do you think veterans are attracted to working in the nonprofit sector?
I think one reason is fear. It’s more comfortable. If you work at a veterans organization, it feels like you can keep one foot in and one fit out of the military. It feels a little less scary than getting a job in a completely new industry.
I also think there’s an altruistic aspect to it. Veterans are drawn to non-profit jobs where they feel like they can make a difference and have a purpose. But sometimes they become so focused on helping other people that they’re not doing enough to help themselves and focus on themselves.
20:25
How do you describe what you do for a living?
I sling hotdogs for a living. I was inspired by the idea of finally making a complete separation from the military. I wanted to do something that had nothing to do with the military.
My brother and I started Feltmans of Coney Island five years ago. People laugh when I tell them that but a lot of people tell me that they’re envious of me - that starting their own business is something they’ve always wanted to do. We prioritize veterans in all of our hiring. I’ve seen how dedicated and driven veterans are so we try to bring as many of them into the organization as possible.
I grew up as the youngest of three brothers. We were all very different. My brother Jimmy died on 9/11. He had always dreams of the three of us starting a company together in Coney Island. My brother Michael gets really fixated on things. He became focused on the idea of starting our own hotdog business and Jimmy agreed that would be fun. Jimmy wasn’t here with us when we started the business but Michael and I were still really driven to go into business together.
In 2015, I was with Michael at McSorley’s and he was going on about starting a hotdog business. We both decided to just do it. It really built a bond between the two of us. And we felt like Jimmy was right there with us the whole time and was part of it.
28:30
What is it like to run a hotdog company?
We used to have a kitchen window that we sold hotdogs out of. Then about two years ago, we pivoted toward selling our product in supermarkets. So now we’re very focused on supermarkets and ecommerce. We’re really fortunate that we went that route because there’s been limited distribution to our business during COVID-19 but if we had decided to open a full-service restaurant, we would be having a really hard time right now.
I love what I’m doing. I feel like everyone at our company is my family. For me it’s less about the product and more about working with the people that are part of our company.
32:30
How did you start creating the product?
It’s so cheap and easy to start a business. We did our initial documents on LegalZoom. We built our first website using Wix. So if you have an idea, just start doing things to make it happen.
The biggest initial challenge was creating a great hotdog. Many of the hotdogs available on the market aren’t good products. I put $20,000 worth of ingredients on my credit card so that we could experiment with all different recipes. We tried different spice combinations and finally settled on a recipe that we thought would work. We were doing all of this out of my brother’s apartment.
Michael would do pop-up restaurants and bars around New York City selling the hotdogs to whoever was around. He would check our website for online orders and ship them out himself.
It hasn’t changed much since then, it’s just on a bigger scale.
37:20
What advice do you have for veterans that want to start their own business?
In business, you either have to be price competitive or different. For us, it was important to be different, we wanted to create a premium product. Really think about your product and consider whether you want to be competitive price-wise or on product differentiation.
Once we had a product and a label, it was just a matter of repeating that sales process as much as possible. We were able to get ourselves into a butcher shop in Brooklyn. We’re not in 1200 Publix stores and 3000 other supermarkets.
I also advise entrepreneurs to consider their monthly expenses. Could you cut any of that out and instead invest that money into your business. Typically, the more capital you’re able to invest, the more quickly you’ll be able to grow and reach your sales goals.
41:00
Do you think your military experience helped you with starting Feltmans?
Think about your post-military life in three ways - education, experience, and network. The easiest of those to achieve is education. Right now, I’m 6 credits from getting my MBA at Baruch College. Everything I’m learning in the classroom, I’m directly applying to my business. The GI Bill gives us tremendous opportunities for education and growth post-military.
In terms of experience, I encourage you to fail fast. Veterans are often afraid of failure. But in business, you have to fail in order to learn what works. Every successful person I’ve seen has been someone that has failed many times.
And finally, it’s really important to build an authentic network. Veterans are frequently scared to create a network for themselves. But it’s not slimy when you do it in a real and authentic way. And it’s very important for your future success.
44:55
What is something listeners may not know about entrepreneurship?
There’s nothing wrong with working a job where you know your pay and get great benefits. The only reason I was able to go into this is because I have a wife that’s a nurse practitioner and I’ve been able to get health insurance through her.
Sometimes there’s a romance around entrepreneurship. I don’t really buy that. The reality is, it can be really difficult. They pay is not guaranteed. There are no benefits at first.
47:15
What’s been a low point during your entrepreneurship journey?
About two years after we started the business, Michael was selling hotdogs at a dive bar in Manhattan. He only sold 4 hotdogs that night. At the time, we were deeply in debt as well. We were questioning why we were doing this.
The reason we didn’t quit was because of Jimmy. We just knew we were going to find a way to continue. It was about honoring our brother.
49:30
How can listeners learn more about Feltman’s of Coney Island?
We ship across the country and are also in Publix. You can order products through our website. Please also follow up on Instagram and Twitter.
51:50
Is there anything else you’d like to share with listeners?
I had a really difficult time getting out of the military. I really struggled. My marriage was in trouble.
Now fast forward to now, I’m in a much better place. I have three beautiful and healthy kids, a great marriage, and a successful company. But I’ve had my struggles. I encourage all veterans to seek mental health help and to keep pushing through those struggles.