Episode Details

Kurt from Blue Alpha Gear joins John and Kaylee to tell the story of how a complaint about an overpriced belt became a concealed carry and EDC company. Blue Alpha started in 2016 when Kurt and his business partner Jesse, who worked together as aircraft mechanics, wanted a side business. Kurt was frustrated with a belt he had bought from a top name brand: it was expensive, the shipping was overcharged, and there were no sizing exchanges if the size was wrong. They bought a used sewing machine, Jesse learned to sew in his garage, and they made some rough belts for friends before getting good at it. A Kickstarter and their hybrid EDC belt followed. That belt used a Cobra buckle that actually fits through the belt loops, and Kurt says they were the first to do that in 2016. The company moved five times in its first three years as it outgrew each space.

Customer service is where Kurt says the brand was really built. They run free shipping, free sizing exchanges, and free returns. Their sizing exchange sends a customer a new belt with a return mailer for the old one, so the customer briefly has two belts and the process stays easy. The thinking was simple: treat customers the way they would want to be treated. High quality products and word of mouth drove repeat business and growth, and the line expanded from concealed carry into tactical gear like battle belts, duty belts, magazine pouches, and tourniquet holders. Kurt also talks about building real friendships with content creators and even direct competitors, the kind of relationships where you talk trash and then give each other big hugs.

The conversation moves into where concealed carry is heading. Kurt is a big proponent of the fanny pack as a tool for concealed carry, especially for road trips, because it stays comfortable and goes with you into the gas station instead of getting left in the car. He sees the fashion industry leading the way and more options coming for everyone, including women carrying. Kurt also shares his own path into firearms, from a kid who liked history and war video games to buying a hundred dollar Mosin Nagant and cleaning the cosmoline off in a bathtub. On activism, he recounts skipping the NRA trade show over a decision he disagreed with and donating the deposit to another gun rights organization, which landed Blue Alpha on page three of the Wall Street Journal in early 2019. He closes with a push for local involvement, pointing to his own county in Georgia becoming a Second Amendment sanctuary county after he talked with the sheriff.

Links

• www.bluealphabelts.com

Questions this episode answers

How did Blue Alpha Gear get started, and what was the original frustration that led to it?

Blue Alpha started in 2016 when Kurt and his partner Jesse, both aircraft mechanics, wanted a side business after Kurt got fed up with an overpriced top-brand belt that overcharged shipping and offered no sizing exchanges. They bought a used sewing machine and Jesse learned to sew in his garage.

What made the hybrid EDC belt different, and why was the Cobra buckle a big deal in 2016?

Blue Alpha's hybrid EDC belt used a Cobra buckle that actually fits through standard belt loops, and Kurt says they were the first to do that in 2016. It came out of a Kickstarter and helped define the brand's everyday carry line.

How did customer service become the foundation of the Blue Alpha brand?

Kurt says the brand was really built on customer service: free shipping, free sizing exchanges, and free returns. The sizing exchange ships a new belt with a return mailer for the old one, so the process stays easy, all built on the idea of treating customers the way they would want to be treated.

Why does Kurt build friendships with content creators and even direct competitors?

Kurt values