Episode Details

Today I'm joined by Jason McCarthy — a former Special Forces operator turned entrepreneur, who bootstrapped the rucksack and events brand GORUCK into a $30M a year business. 

In this episode, we talk about Jason's vision to make rucking more popular than running, the importance of real-life, social interaction, and his latest venture, Sandlot Technology, that aims to decentralize fitness.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to build a community and your brand
• Can you grow a community without ads?
• Why you need to use your unfair advantage
• The downside of the metaverse and its impact on social health
• How to create a profitable and impactful business

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Jason enlisted in the Army after 9/11 because of 9/11 and served in Special Forces in Iraq and the Sahel region of West Africa. In 2006, Jason's wife Emily was a Case Officer in the CIA working in French-speaking West Africa. Applying what he had learned in war, Jason built Emily a "go-bag", or "go-ruck" for her to keep in her vehicle and at home, ready to go at all times.

Jason's commitment to the Special Forces way of life and the idea for a "go-ruck" led him to start GORUCK in 2008. It took over two years to design and manufacture the rucksacks and ensure they would thrive in both Baghdad and NYC — Green Berets were judge and jury of quality and functionality. In order to raise awareness for the gear, Jason started community building through physically grueling events based on Special Forces training called the GORUCK Challenge.

Over 7,000 events and 160,000 participants later, GORUCK has become The Rucking Company, a people first organization centered around increasing global activity through rucking, strengthening communities, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. In every way, the GORUCK community represents a bridge between the civilian and military worlds and t