Jeff Alpaugh-The World's Most Dangerous Dress Shirts-The Art of Being Dangerous

Day Zero Podcast

On episode 2 "Day Zero" goes international (and a bit Dangerous) when we interview Canadian clothing entrepreneur Jeff Alpaugh, Founder and CEO of Jeff Alpaugh Custom. Please note that this episode is 1 of 2. We leave a lot to be discussed at the end of part 1, which we will cover in part 2 (to be released at a later date). In Part 2, we will go into detail about Jeff's appearance on "Dragon's Den", the Canadian version of "Shark Tank", and how he leveraged some Army skills during the hype phase!

Jeff's life has taken him from a kid who didn't know a thing about dressing well, to the creator of "The World's Most Dangerous Shirt." Jeff is no stranger to challenge. After college he served as a Canadian Army Officer where he served in the Infantry and trained with other foreign Armies in South America. Uzi and Jeff met at Ranger School- where they both did a little "extra credit" at Fort Benning. While in college, Jeff became interested in clothing while he worked for high end clothiers in Canada. These experiences inspired him to go on to found his business, Jeff Alpaugh Custom. While still on active duty, Jeff took leave to travel to Vietnam to source the finest materials and manufacturers in the world. He then returned to Canada to market his product to anyone who would listen. Whether on Facebook or the street, Jeff wasn't afraid to roll up his sleeves and promote his product in order to get his business up and running.

In this episode, we dive into the restrictions the military can inflict on creative personalities. While this can be stifling, we learn that Jeff used his Army background in a positive way- by instilling in him: discipline, tenacity, and persistence. Also, we go in to knowing when to be creative, and when to turn on the Army side of skills. As far as business goes, Jeff teaches us how important it is to believe in yourself and your product. This belief needs to be communicated to your customer in order to build a real brand. By overcoming doubt (both your own and others') and never quitting on yourself or your business can be the key to breakthrough and success.

Jeff's recommended book is: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. As you will hear, this book has transformed Jeff's approach to business and life.