December 28, 2024 • 20 mins
Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Arrington Gavin.
CEO and Founder of Rugged Evolution Beard Care, about entrepreneurship, brand growth, and the evolution of men’s grooming.
🔑 Key Themes & Highlights
Building a Premium Beard Care Brand
- Gavin turned his passion for wellness and personal care into a thriving business.
- His company, Rugged Evolution Beard Care, offers all-natural grooming products designed for beard health and maintenance.
Self-Education & Business Growth
- He emphasized the importance of self-education in entrepreneurship, sharing how he learned branding, product development, and marketing.
- Gavin discussed overcoming early struggles with confidence and becoming the face of his brand.
Breaking Stereotypes in Beard Culture
- He highlighted how beard grooming has evolved, breaking old stereotypes and proving that self-care is essential for men in all professions.
- His products cater to a diverse range of beard styles, from goatees to full beards.
Community Outreach & Giving Back
- Gavin is committed to mentorship and philanthropy, including his Back-to-School Drive, which provides essential supplies to underserved students.
- He encourages young entrepreneurs to turn their passions into businesses while making a positive impact.
📘 About Arrington Gavin
Arrington Gavin is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and media host, known for his bold discussions on business, grooming, and leadership. His company, Rugged Evolution Beard Care, has gained national recognition for its premium, all-natural products.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
I am Rashan McDonald, a host of weekly Money Making
Conversation Masterclass show. The interviews and information that this show
provides are for everyone. It's time to stop reading other
people's success stories and start living your own. If you
want to be a guest on my show, please visit
our website, Moneymaking Conversations dot com and click the be
a Guest button. Press submit and information will come directly
(00:23):
to me. Now let's get this show started. My next
guest is Jay Arrington. Gavin while doing research for the
right ingredients for his beard in twenty sixteen, I don't
have a beard like Heim. He got a beard, you know.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
I'm just happy to do what I got.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Jay Aaron to begin to share his findings and use
his family and friends as human testers. He then went
on to receive his bachelor's degree in Wellness, Recreation and
Sports in twenty seventeen. His passion for the art of
human body left him with a burning desire to help
individuals accomplish their personal best by living a healthy lifestyle
through fitness and wellness. From that desire gave birth to
(00:59):
Rugged a Beer Carolina products that he makes available to
other men of distinction he's a good friend of mine,
a young friend of mine that I've been like to
believe I've been mentoring and helping him alone the way. Please,
Welcome to money Making Conversation. The CEO and founder of
Rugged Evolution, Jay Arrington, Gavin Howy doing, sir?
Speaker 1 (01:17):
I'm doing great? My friend, how you been well?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
First of all, you're smiling man, and it's been a
fun journey. First of all, how's your mom? I gotta say,
how to mom?
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Okay, my mom is doing awesome.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
She's doing everyone's doing great. Healthy vaccinat everybody's doing grow.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I know that's really key. And in the business that
you in is dealing with look is dealing with facials,
dealing with people in close quarters sometimes. Talk about your
business during the COVID and did you have to make
any adjustments during the pandemic when the country shut down?
Did it impact you positively? Did you do a PPP.
We'll talk about the whole process in twenty twenty.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Well, twenty twenty, we were very fortunate for one where
on e commerce site, but we are located and our
products are sold in selective brick and mortar stores in
Hampton Roads, Virginia. But actually during the During that time,
I was moving into a much larger office space in
March of twenty twenty, so when when the whole shutdown
(02:16):
was going, I was moving on up to a much
bigger office and warehouse space. You know, continue to grow
and grow. Sales were still you know, still steady, but
we were very fortunate. Yeah, we were very blessed really
doing during COVID, but it was still an adjustment because
you had to get creative. I think whenever a new
(02:36):
obstacle comes upon comes my way, it helps me grow
as a business owner and as an entrepreneur. So with
that being said, we got more creative with things, did
stuff a lot more virtual. We did a lot of
Facebook Live during the during COVID, just to continue to
stay relevant to people that do follow us, almost kind
of like a Q theme style of Facebook Live.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
So we were doing very good and adjust and getting
really creative during during the COVID.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Well, I'm gonna tell you now, and this is what
we talked about a long time ago about you being
the face of your brand. And at the time, you know,
the confidence was there. You know. I remember one time
we did an interview and you said, you know, so
many times. Hello, holo, holo, holover, Gavin. Look, we want
to do this interview again. I am not putting you
out there like that, young man. And you understood what
(03:23):
I was talking about because I had your best interest,
and you did it again and look at you now
you got a podcast. I want to get you farther
in the interview. I can see the confidence and how
you're talking in articulation. Talk about that growth, man, and
then also talk about the responsibility of becoming the face
of your brand and being able to articulate the value
of your brand from your personal point of view.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Well, you said the very first interview that I had
with you, miss McDonald, I was nervous.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
You can hear.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
You can hear the nervous and like you said, I
definitely took all your advice to hard learn grew more
of the vending shows that I intended. I looked at
that as a form of you know, working on my speaking,
talking in public with people, of promoting my brand. That
confidence booster, I mean, it was everything was growth, whether
it was especially being the face of my business and
(04:14):
of my brand. If I don't show that confidence, nobody's
gonna believe in my brand. So I had to build
up that confidence and had to definitely continue to educate myself.
I educate myself every day with my products, the type
of ingredients I put in my products. Uh, you know,
new things, old things, making sure I'm not behind but
ahead of the game at all at all times. And
(04:35):
that's really how I continue to grow and grow every day.
And it's I always think of the first, the first
time I was on the show, and it's always always
latter myself.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
So what there's this by growth?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
You know, it's about being able to be honest. And
that's what I've done all my life. You know, I
always like mentored and uplift and made sure that people
understand their skill. You didn't saw you didn't see what
I so. And you're at the time. You know, you
were a guy who was the CEO of a company.
He was very young when you started it. You know,
you've been you've been having a full beard since you
were fourteen years old, and so all these things God
(05:13):
put you in a position. Then you had to understand
how you can create value from that, you know what
I'm saying. So, but what I've noticed the most is
before we even get into the products and I'm just
going to do. The word evolution is how beards have
taken on a life of their own kind of life.
What Michael Jordan did with the bald hair ball head
when he shaved his head playing basketball.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Talk about that.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
And then you know, you have a lot of famous
people in the NBA who have really marketed their beards
and things like that, but outside of them, just the
it's cool to wear a beard.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
It always was kind of cool, but.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
It feels like it's really come out into the forefront.
And that's why a brand like yours is starting to
benefit because you're providing beer beard care products.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
So, I I always love to say, you know, in
previous years, beards were always, like you said, was always cool,
but it was still a form of like, you know,
if you have this interview, be sure to shave that off.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
You have this job, be sure to shave this off.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
So I've always wanted to promote that whether you work
in corporate America or whether you are a label worker,
you can still be a man distinction while rocking a
well roomed beer. It's not a trend now, it is
a movement. You see men of higher power, you see
men at you know, mid level jobs or even all jobs.
They're rocking facial hair, beers, mustache, go tea. It's nothing
(06:34):
wrong with it. So as far as the evolution of growing,
it is starting to grow and show that you can
still be a man distinction, have that confidence while rocking
a well roomed beer.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Well, like you said, now that there are different layers
of beer, you have to go tea talk about you know,
we say beard beard care products, but you have goate's,
you have mustache. All your products can work that in
that care are lying because you should take care of
your must dad.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
You should take care of all this stuff.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
So let's not just say if you don't have you
just have a beard, then that's what your product. For
your product is for any facial hair correct.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Yes, sir, it is for all facial hair types our
product because at the end of the day, our facial
hair fellows are the magnets of bacteria in Greece, whether
you have a thin shadow, whether you have just a mustache,
whether you have the Van Dyke, the gold. See, the
beard is still the magnets of bacteria in Greece. And
if you don't take care of that right now, we're
in a warmer climate. So when we sweat a lot,
(07:34):
all that sweat, it builds up to that facial hair
and it starts and then you start having the older
the issue irritation on the skin bacteria.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
So you don't want that.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
So you always need to have a great product with
you in order to maintain that because at the end
of the day, I always say, you got to take
care of your body internally as well as externally.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more
Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money Making
Conversations Masterclass, hosted by Rashaan McDonald.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
I get that little round brush man, and it would
make a and I would you know a lot of
people come to me try to use their product, but
nobody touches that brush man. We're gonna talk about other products,
but I want to let you know that brush that
that travels with me. I got I bought another one.
I keep want at the office, I keep one at home.
I keep wanting my travel back. I got three of them.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Well that's just because see that brush, when you brush
twice a day, what that does. That stimulates the hair follicle.
So you always wanna brush twice a day helps open
up those hair follicles. So that's a really great thing.
Why you can see to maintain and why your wife
you said, I see a difference.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
I would do it in the.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Mirror right next door, and she goes, if she could
see the side, just laid my hair down right and
then you know, because your hair would kind of like
start separating, but it would bring it all together.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Give me a fullness.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
I guess that's what. It will give me a fullness
to my beard, no matter what level. Now what I'm
not trying to get away in your trade secrets? What
made your brush of one that affected my beard versus
other competition, because that hair brush is fantastic.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Well, the key thing is that the types of bristles.
I have one brush right here on the table. It's
one of our oblong brushes. Those board bristles are is
what key. You never want anything too hard because our
skin is very sensitive, so you don't want to have something,
you know, scratching the skin at all.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
You want to have a boar bristle. Bar bristles it's
like almost in between.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
It's slightly hard but very soft, so and it always
stays consistent too.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Right, And then and then I like to call the
little the little eye dropper. You need to put the
eye dropper, put it on your beard, make your beard shining.
So I got a little I can't never give you
a technical word, but I know I pull that little
eye dropper out man, put a couple of it in
my hand. Feel like that, put it on my beard,
looking shiny. I get that brush right behind it. If
I if I I ain't looking good, I think I
look good. All right there, that's all I got to.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Say, right, yeah, that's right. When you're looking good, you're
looking great. You're looking great.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
So talk about some of the product that you have
in there, and then we're also going to go back
to the backpacks. I want to definitely talk about what
you're doing up in Hamping Road because I got such
a really good restawse of reaction when I posted about
it last year on my social media. You know, you
contacted me, you say could I post it? You know,
I'll do anything for you, and also going to make
a donation to you this year as well.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Thanks so much just.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Making the difference. But let's talk about the product. You know,
here's some product in front of you. If you're watching
this on video, you can see it. We're gonna be
as as creative and descriptive as possible for people who
are listening on my podcasts on my radio show, but
tell us what you got in front of us there, So.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
I just have a slight view of our product.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
So in total of regulution beard care, I started off
actually with just four cents of beard Bombs and beard Oil.
It's an on natural beard care line. So now we
now have sixteen cented beard Bombs beard Oil. As you
see right here, I have my lead even me, excuse me.
Our conditioning Shampapoo is a beard washed that I recommend
staying consistent, especially during the summertime. And we just launched
(11:07):
two new products. So I have my leaving beard moisturizer.
It's a beard cream. It's the scent of ginger.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
It is so good. It's a very popular celler right now.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
And it's mainly because again for the for the summertime,
for this heat, I try to adjust the routine when
it comes to beard maintenance. You don't want to apply
too much bomb, which is still good because it's a
great moisturizer, but you don't wt apply too much and
have all that oil building of so have something that
you know that's a non greasy substance onto that face.
(11:41):
So this is our leaving beard moisturizer. And then we
also have our our excuse me, our smooth Stash. Our
smooth Stash. We just launched that in March for Mustache Month,
and it's a musta oil serum right here. And what
you do is just you just apply this. You can
do either five seconds to ten second. You can go
in small circles right across. We started it just for
(12:03):
our mustache sporters. But as long as you have like
a nice upeat.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
What you just said that, Gavin, what was that? You
just had repeat? What you what was that?
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Down?
Speaker 1 (12:14):
This is this is the snow. This is called smooth
Stash is a mustache serum.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
So and it comes in this dispense with this little
small rope ball and you can see that's a small
robe at the top and you just apply just like
that about five it is ten seconds. You're all good
to go. And it actually comes in a black velvet
bat with our new Ruggy Elution mustache comb. So right
after you finish that, you can apply that comb right there.
You're all good to go, and you can bring it
(12:39):
with you at all time.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
It's very easy to travel.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
You Oh you got you gotta slick on me, Gavin,
I would you know because sometimes listening because it wasn't ball,
because I said, this is not bad. It's a mustache.
I got, I gotta get that. I gotta get that now.
Now I got the little the little can the characters
you know, open and then you put on your face
as well.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Yes, yes, the beer bomb talk the beard bear. So
our beard bomb.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Our beer bomb is mainly for men with two inches
or more for guys with lengths, used as a detangler,
still as a great moisturizer, but we have a sixteen
sense of the beard bombs. I always will say, like
the thing of the beer bomb is like a dressing.
So the beard oil is made to treat the skin first.
So you always want to continue to use a beard
oil because you've got to make sure that skin is
(13:28):
taking care of underneath the hair in order to help
enhance and benefit your your beard. So you apply the
beard oil first, and while you do that, get right
there and good in those roots to tip. Then you
apply a little bit of beard bomb, which I use
every day Beard Oil and beerd Bomb, and then you
you apply one of our our accessories, one of our
(13:48):
Beard Wooden combes, and you are all good to go,
looking great and smooth.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Well you thank you because you you're the reason I
look great to smooth if I'm looking great smood because
of Gap. Let me just let y'all know now, Gavin,
here's the deal man, Now talk now. You got a
podcast now, and you know I ain't been on the podcast.
I ain't mad now.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
I ain't mad, y'all. I'm not not yet yet. He
all said great things.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
But shann with the beer. The old guy said, he's
trying to get that young demo. I know what he's
trying to do. He ain't gonna bring no old guy
on that right away. He's trying to get that young demo.
He think I'm a a r P his old podcast.
I'm tell you, I'm gonna call your mama. I said, y'all,
we we we me and croakers. I came up to
(14:36):
Hampton and can't he put me on his podcast? But
he's going in the year too. I still ain't got
no funk call. That's all right. I love him though,
I love it.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
I love it. Yeah, so we're so yeah. Our Our
Smooth Club podcast.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
It's a new podcast that we started, uh mainly during
the during the shutdown, and it was something that it's
funny so miss m down. When I started to attend universities,
they always ask you know, what would you want a
major and would you want to pursue a dream of mine.
I've always wanted to be on radio, whether it was
on a radio talk show or from when. I have
a passion for dialogue. I love having conversation with people.
(15:15):
I highly think that, you know, conversation is something that
can take care of all the world's problems by sitting down,
you know, talking amongst each other. So the podcast is
called Our Smooth Club and it's a show where every
day men discuss everyday topics. Through my journey and growing
my business, I met some great people who become great
friends of mine this show. Myself along with three of
(15:38):
my friends who are also business owners. Young business owners
were probably no more than like five years with our brands,
and the age group range is from twenty six to
like sixty five. One of our co hosts, he is
an international fashion designer.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
He has his own custom suit collection for men and women.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Another gentleman has owns a travel agency, and then another
gentleman sixty five, he has a habitatary store, one of
a very historic store in uh NORFN, Virginia. And we
just talk about everyday topics, whether it's related to relationship, business,
uh the culture, politics, social issues, I mean with sports.
(16:18):
We talk about it all and it's been a lot
of fun. We're right now in season season two and
we're available on my YouTube channel, rugged Ego TV, also
on all you can listen to it on all major
podcast platforms Spotify, Google, Apple, uh, Stitcher. We'll continue to
grow that platform and and it's it's great. We just
(16:40):
started incorporating guests for season two. So you get a
phone call, so you're gonna get an all real.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
You know, he gonna he's gonna throw he gonna throw
me a bone, y'all, He're gonna just throw me. We're
starting incorporate cads. You know, we're gonna we don't let
your own, mister McDonald, We're gonna put your own do
your thing. You know what I'm saying. You know, but
I'm proud of you, man, because you know what what
social media and It's about controlling your destiny. And if
you can't in this day and age, if you can't
(17:08):
step out there and say I want to do something
that I've always wanted to do. I look at your presentation,
it's fantastic. I look at your product.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Now.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
When you start developing new products, who do you work with?
Are you working with a chemist, are you working with
a company. How do you go through the process of
developing new products?
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Well, I usually I do. I will have I have
a few contexts.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
One that's a dermatologist, one that's a trichologist that works
strictly with hair. I'm you know, I'm making my product,
so as far as the testers are concerned, I will
test on myself.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
I have a few other different beer types.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
I'll have you know, different age groups, white beards, black,
black beers, as far as the inflation of the facial hair,
and that's how I usually test it. And also, you know,
I look around as far as on the market and see, okay,
what are we missing? What is something that a lot
of men ask for when it comes to beard care
(18:03):
or when it comes to something to help you take
care of their beard. So I put that on paper
and then I'm like, Okay, look, this is something I
need to put down and I need to h you know,
start working on and and that's that's how I do it.
That's how I usually create the stuff that helps me
when I'm creating a new product.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Well, the thing that is that the really part of
your life that I really have always been impressed with
is that you're just a regular guy and you've taken
a gift. You know, some people might consider having a
beard at fourteen a curse and because you know you're
gonna get teased and sometimes bullied, you know about having
facial hair and and things like that. And then but
you mature through that through uh, you know, having a
(18:42):
family keeping you focused and also letting you understand that's
not that's not something to be seen as a negative.
And then the whole process of evolving to a person
who's giving back to the community and something that out
of all this negative atmosphere that was going on with COVID,
you decided not to think about yourself last year. You
(19:02):
decided to think about others. What was the inspiration behind
thinking about others and why did it become become important
to do it again for the second year?
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Well as you know we would. We are very for sure.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
We had our Rugged Evolution Foundation, the back to School
drive we had, we had it in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
It was a huge success.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
We had a goal of giving out two hundred and
fifty backpack still with school supplies. We end up exceeding
that goal to three hundred and like sixty three and
still had extra supplies to hand out to the community.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
That's where you come on Money Making Conversations, so you
can just stand your credibility and also let people know
that your brain is available to everybody and not just
available just for a beard, for all type of hair
that's on your phase. But also I'm a testament. I
am a fan. That's why I got my Rugged toile.
I came back and let it got my Rugged tile here.
(19:55):
Let everybody know I believe this. Brother man, Jay Earington, Gavin,
thank you for coming on money Ma Conversations.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Brother, thank you so much, Thank you so much for
having me.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
This has been another edition of Money Making Conversation Masterclass
hosted by me Rushaun McDonald. Thank you to our guests
on the show today and thank you for listening to audience.
Now if you want to listen to any episode. I
want to be a guest on the show, Visit Moneymakingconversations
dot com. Our social media handle is money Making Conversation.
Join us next week and remember to always leave with
(20:26):
your gifts.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
Keep winning.
Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
I am Rashan McDonald, a host of weekly Money Making
Conversation Masterclass show. The interviews and information that this show
provides are for everyone. It's time to stop reading other
people's success stories and start living your own. If you
want to be a guest on my show, please visit
our website, Moneymaking Conversations dot com and click the be
a Guest button. Press submit and information will come directly
(00:23):
to me. Now let's get this show started. My next
guest is Jay Arrington. Gavin while doing research for the
right ingredients for his beard in twenty sixteen, I don't
have a beard like Heim. He got a beard, you know.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
I'm just happy to do what I got.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Jay Aaron to begin to share his findings and use
his family and friends as human testers. He then went
on to receive his bachelor's degree in Wellness, Recreation and
Sports in twenty seventeen. His passion for the art of
human body left him with a burning desire to help
individuals accomplish their personal best by living a healthy lifestyle
through fitness and wellness. From that desire gave birth to
(00:59):
Rugged a Beer Carolina products that he makes available to
other men of distinction he's a good friend of mine,
a young friend of mine that I've been like to
believe I've been mentoring and helping him alone the way. Please,
Welcome to money Making Conversation. The CEO and founder of
Rugged Evolution, Jay Arrington, Gavin Howy doing, sir?
Speaker 1 (01:17):
I'm doing great? My friend, how you been well?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
First of all, you're smiling man, and it's been a
fun journey. First of all, how's your mom? I gotta say,
how to mom?
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Okay, my mom is doing awesome.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
She's doing everyone's doing great. Healthy vaccinat everybody's doing grow.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I know that's really key. And in the business that
you in is dealing with look is dealing with facials,
dealing with people in close quarters sometimes. Talk about your
business during the COVID and did you have to make
any adjustments during the pandemic when the country shut down?
Did it impact you positively? Did you do a PPP.
We'll talk about the whole process in twenty twenty.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Well, twenty twenty, we were very fortunate for one where
on e commerce site, but we are located and our
products are sold in selective brick and mortar stores in
Hampton Roads, Virginia. But actually during the During that time,
I was moving into a much larger office space in
March of twenty twenty, so when when the whole shutdown
(02:16):
was going, I was moving on up to a much
bigger office and warehouse space. You know, continue to grow
and grow. Sales were still you know, still steady, but
we were very fortunate. Yeah, we were very blessed really
doing during COVID, but it was still an adjustment because
you had to get creative. I think whenever a new
(02:36):
obstacle comes upon comes my way, it helps me grow
as a business owner and as an entrepreneur. So with
that being said, we got more creative with things, did
stuff a lot more virtual. We did a lot of
Facebook Live during the during COVID, just to continue to
stay relevant to people that do follow us, almost kind
of like a Q theme style of Facebook Live.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
So we were doing very good and adjust and getting
really creative during during the COVID.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Well, I'm gonna tell you now, and this is what
we talked about a long time ago about you being
the face of your brand. And at the time, you know,
the confidence was there. You know. I remember one time
we did an interview and you said, you know, so
many times. Hello, holo, holo, holover, Gavin. Look, we want
to do this interview again. I am not putting you
out there like that, young man. And you understood what
(03:23):
I was talking about because I had your best interest,
and you did it again and look at you now
you got a podcast. I want to get you farther
in the interview. I can see the confidence and how
you're talking in articulation. Talk about that growth, man, and
then also talk about the responsibility of becoming the face
of your brand and being able to articulate the value
of your brand from your personal point of view.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Well, you said the very first interview that I had
with you, miss McDonald, I was nervous.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
You can hear.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
You can hear the nervous and like you said, I
definitely took all your advice to hard learn grew more
of the vending shows that I intended. I looked at
that as a form of you know, working on my speaking,
talking in public with people, of promoting my brand. That
confidence booster, I mean, it was everything was growth, whether
it was especially being the face of my business and
(04:14):
of my brand. If I don't show that confidence, nobody's
gonna believe in my brand. So I had to build
up that confidence and had to definitely continue to educate myself.
I educate myself every day with my products, the type
of ingredients I put in my products. Uh, you know,
new things, old things, making sure I'm not behind but
ahead of the game at all at all times. And
(04:35):
that's really how I continue to grow and grow every day.
And it's I always think of the first, the first
time I was on the show, and it's always always
latter myself.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
So what there's this by growth?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
You know, it's about being able to be honest. And
that's what I've done all my life. You know, I
always like mentored and uplift and made sure that people
understand their skill. You didn't saw you didn't see what
I so. And you're at the time. You know, you
were a guy who was the CEO of a company.
He was very young when you started it. You know,
you've been you've been having a full beard since you
were fourteen years old, and so all these things God
(05:13):
put you in a position. Then you had to understand
how you can create value from that, you know what
I'm saying. So, but what I've noticed the most is
before we even get into the products and I'm just
going to do. The word evolution is how beards have
taken on a life of their own kind of life.
What Michael Jordan did with the bald hair ball head
when he shaved his head playing basketball.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Talk about that.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
And then you know, you have a lot of famous
people in the NBA who have really marketed their beards
and things like that, but outside of them, just the
it's cool to wear a beard.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
It always was kind of cool, but.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
It feels like it's really come out into the forefront.
And that's why a brand like yours is starting to
benefit because you're providing beer beard care products.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
So, I I always love to say, you know, in
previous years, beards were always, like you said, was always cool,
but it was still a form of like, you know,
if you have this interview, be sure to shave that off.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
You have this job, be sure to shave this off.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
So I've always wanted to promote that whether you work
in corporate America or whether you are a label worker,
you can still be a man distinction while rocking a
well roomed beer. It's not a trend now, it is
a movement. You see men of higher power, you see
men at you know, mid level jobs or even all jobs.
They're rocking facial hair, beers, mustache, go tea. It's nothing
(06:34):
wrong with it. So as far as the evolution of growing,
it is starting to grow and show that you can
still be a man distinction, have that confidence while rocking
a well roomed beer.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Well, like you said, now that there are different layers
of beer, you have to go tea talk about you know,
we say beard beard care products, but you have goate's,
you have mustache. All your products can work that in
that care are lying because you should take care of
your must dad.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
You should take care of all this stuff.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
So let's not just say if you don't have you
just have a beard, then that's what your product. For
your product is for any facial hair correct.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Yes, sir, it is for all facial hair types our
product because at the end of the day, our facial
hair fellows are the magnets of bacteria in Greece, whether
you have a thin shadow, whether you have just a mustache,
whether you have the Van Dyke, the gold. See, the
beard is still the magnets of bacteria in Greece. And
if you don't take care of that right now, we're
in a warmer climate. So when we sweat a lot,
(07:34):
all that sweat, it builds up to that facial hair
and it starts and then you start having the older
the issue irritation on the skin bacteria.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
So you don't want that.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
So you always need to have a great product with
you in order to maintain that because at the end
of the day, I always say, you got to take
care of your body internally as well as externally.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more
Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money Making
Conversations Masterclass, hosted by Rashaan McDonald.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
I get that little round brush man, and it would
make a and I would you know a lot of
people come to me try to use their product, but
nobody touches that brush man. We're gonna talk about other products,
but I want to let you know that brush that
that travels with me. I got I bought another one.
I keep want at the office, I keep one at home.
I keep wanting my travel back. I got three of them.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Well that's just because see that brush, when you brush
twice a day, what that does. That stimulates the hair follicle.
So you always wanna brush twice a day helps open
up those hair follicles. So that's a really great thing.
Why you can see to maintain and why your wife
you said, I see a difference.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
I would do it in the.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Mirror right next door, and she goes, if she could
see the side, just laid my hair down right and
then you know, because your hair would kind of like
start separating, but it would bring it all together.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Give me a fullness.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
I guess that's what. It will give me a fullness
to my beard, no matter what level. Now what I'm
not trying to get away in your trade secrets? What
made your brush of one that affected my beard versus
other competition, because that hair brush is fantastic.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Well, the key thing is that the types of bristles.
I have one brush right here on the table. It's
one of our oblong brushes. Those board bristles are is
what key. You never want anything too hard because our
skin is very sensitive, so you don't want to have something,
you know, scratching the skin at all.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
You want to have a boar bristle. Bar bristles it's
like almost in between.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
It's slightly hard but very soft, so and it always
stays consistent too.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Right, And then and then I like to call the
little the little eye dropper. You need to put the
eye dropper, put it on your beard, make your beard shining.
So I got a little I can't never give you
a technical word, but I know I pull that little
eye dropper out man, put a couple of it in
my hand. Feel like that, put it on my beard,
looking shiny. I get that brush right behind it. If
I if I I ain't looking good, I think I
look good. All right there, that's all I got to.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Say, right, yeah, that's right. When you're looking good, you're
looking great. You're looking great.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
So talk about some of the product that you have
in there, and then we're also going to go back
to the backpacks. I want to definitely talk about what
you're doing up in Hamping Road because I got such
a really good restawse of reaction when I posted about
it last year on my social media. You know, you
contacted me, you say could I post it? You know,
I'll do anything for you, and also going to make
a donation to you this year as well.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Thanks so much just.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Making the difference. But let's talk about the product. You know,
here's some product in front of you. If you're watching
this on video, you can see it. We're gonna be
as as creative and descriptive as possible for people who
are listening on my podcasts on my radio show, but
tell us what you got in front of us there, So.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
I just have a slight view of our product.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
So in total of regulution beard care, I started off
actually with just four cents of beard Bombs and beard Oil.
It's an on natural beard care line. So now we
now have sixteen cented beard Bombs beard Oil. As you
see right here, I have my lead even me, excuse me.
Our conditioning Shampapoo is a beard washed that I recommend
staying consistent, especially during the summertime. And we just launched
(11:07):
two new products. So I have my leaving beard moisturizer.
It's a beard cream. It's the scent of ginger.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
It is so good. It's a very popular celler right now.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
And it's mainly because again for the for the summertime,
for this heat, I try to adjust the routine when
it comes to beard maintenance. You don't want to apply
too much bomb, which is still good because it's a
great moisturizer, but you don't wt apply too much and
have all that oil building of so have something that
you know that's a non greasy substance onto that face.
(11:41):
So this is our leaving beard moisturizer. And then we
also have our our excuse me, our smooth Stash. Our
smooth Stash. We just launched that in March for Mustache Month,
and it's a musta oil serum right here. And what
you do is just you just apply this. You can
do either five seconds to ten second. You can go
in small circles right across. We started it just for
(12:03):
our mustache sporters. But as long as you have like
a nice upeat.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
What you just said that, Gavin, what was that? You
just had repeat? What you what was that?
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Down?
Speaker 1 (12:14):
This is this is the snow. This is called smooth
Stash is a mustache serum.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
So and it comes in this dispense with this little
small rope ball and you can see that's a small
robe at the top and you just apply just like
that about five it is ten seconds. You're all good
to go. And it actually comes in a black velvet
bat with our new Ruggy Elution mustache comb. So right
after you finish that, you can apply that comb right there.
You're all good to go, and you can bring it
(12:39):
with you at all time.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
It's very easy to travel.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
You Oh you got you gotta slick on me, Gavin,
I would you know because sometimes listening because it wasn't ball,
because I said, this is not bad. It's a mustache.
I got, I gotta get that. I gotta get that now.
Now I got the little the little can the characters
you know, open and then you put on your face
as well.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Yes, yes, the beer bomb talk the beard bear. So
our beard bomb.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Our beer bomb is mainly for men with two inches
or more for guys with lengths, used as a detangler,
still as a great moisturizer, but we have a sixteen
sense of the beard bombs. I always will say, like
the thing of the beer bomb is like a dressing.
So the beard oil is made to treat the skin first.
So you always want to continue to use a beard
oil because you've got to make sure that skin is
(13:28):
taking care of underneath the hair in order to help
enhance and benefit your your beard. So you apply the
beard oil first, and while you do that, get right
there and good in those roots to tip. Then you
apply a little bit of beard bomb, which I use
every day Beard Oil and beerd Bomb, and then you
you apply one of our our accessories, one of our
(13:48):
Beard Wooden combes, and you are all good to go,
looking great and smooth.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Well you thank you because you you're the reason I
look great to smooth if I'm looking great smood because
of Gap. Let me just let y'all know now, Gavin,
here's the deal man, Now talk now. You got a
podcast now, and you know I ain't been on the podcast.
I ain't mad now.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
I ain't mad, y'all. I'm not not yet yet. He
all said great things.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
But shann with the beer. The old guy said, he's
trying to get that young demo. I know what he's
trying to do. He ain't gonna bring no old guy
on that right away. He's trying to get that young demo.
He think I'm a a r P his old podcast.
I'm tell you, I'm gonna call your mama. I said, y'all,
we we we me and croakers. I came up to
(14:36):
Hampton and can't he put me on his podcast? But
he's going in the year too. I still ain't got
no funk call. That's all right. I love him though,
I love it.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
I love it. Yeah, so we're so yeah. Our Our
Smooth Club podcast.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
It's a new podcast that we started, uh mainly during
the during the shutdown, and it was something that it's
funny so miss m down. When I started to attend universities,
they always ask you know, what would you want a
major and would you want to pursue a dream of mine.
I've always wanted to be on radio, whether it was
on a radio talk show or from when. I have
a passion for dialogue. I love having conversation with people.
(15:15):
I highly think that, you know, conversation is something that
can take care of all the world's problems by sitting down,
you know, talking amongst each other. So the podcast is
called Our Smooth Club and it's a show where every
day men discuss everyday topics. Through my journey and growing
my business, I met some great people who become great
friends of mine this show. Myself along with three of
(15:38):
my friends who are also business owners. Young business owners
were probably no more than like five years with our brands,
and the age group range is from twenty six to
like sixty five. One of our co hosts, he is
an international fashion designer.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
He has his own custom suit collection for men and women.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Another gentleman has owns a travel agency, and then another
gentleman sixty five, he has a habitatary store, one of
a very historic store in uh NORFN, Virginia. And we
just talk about everyday topics, whether it's related to relationship, business,
uh the culture, politics, social issues, I mean with sports.
(16:18):
We talk about it all and it's been a lot
of fun. We're right now in season season two and
we're available on my YouTube channel, rugged Ego TV, also
on all you can listen to it on all major
podcast platforms Spotify, Google, Apple, uh, Stitcher. We'll continue to
grow that platform and and it's it's great. We just
(16:40):
started incorporating guests for season two. So you get a
phone call, so you're gonna get an all real.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
You know, he gonna he's gonna throw he gonna throw
me a bone, y'all, He're gonna just throw me. We're
starting incorporate cads. You know, we're gonna we don't let
your own, mister McDonald, We're gonna put your own do
your thing. You know what I'm saying. You know, but
I'm proud of you, man, because you know what what
social media and It's about controlling your destiny. And if
you can't in this day and age, if you can't
(17:08):
step out there and say I want to do something
that I've always wanted to do. I look at your presentation,
it's fantastic. I look at your product.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Now.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
When you start developing new products, who do you work with?
Are you working with a chemist, are you working with
a company. How do you go through the process of
developing new products?
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Well, I usually I do. I will have I have
a few contexts.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
One that's a dermatologist, one that's a trichologist that works
strictly with hair. I'm you know, I'm making my product,
so as far as the testers are concerned, I will
test on myself.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
I have a few other different beer types.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
I'll have you know, different age groups, white beards, black,
black beers, as far as the inflation of the facial hair,
and that's how I usually test it. And also, you know,
I look around as far as on the market and see, okay,
what are we missing? What is something that a lot
of men ask for when it comes to beard care
(18:03):
or when it comes to something to help you take
care of their beard. So I put that on paper
and then I'm like, Okay, look, this is something I
need to put down and I need to h you know,
start working on and and that's that's how I do it.
That's how I usually create the stuff that helps me
when I'm creating a new product.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Well, the thing that is that the really part of
your life that I really have always been impressed with
is that you're just a regular guy and you've taken
a gift. You know, some people might consider having a
beard at fourteen a curse and because you know you're
gonna get teased and sometimes bullied, you know about having
facial hair and and things like that. And then but
you mature through that through uh, you know, having a
(18:42):
family keeping you focused and also letting you understand that's
not that's not something to be seen as a negative.
And then the whole process of evolving to a person
who's giving back to the community and something that out
of all this negative atmosphere that was going on with COVID,
you decided not to think about yourself last year. You
(19:02):
decided to think about others. What was the inspiration behind
thinking about others and why did it become become important
to do it again for the second year?
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Well as you know we would. We are very for sure.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
We had our Rugged Evolution Foundation, the back to School
drive we had, we had it in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
It was a huge success.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
We had a goal of giving out two hundred and
fifty backpack still with school supplies. We end up exceeding
that goal to three hundred and like sixty three and
still had extra supplies to hand out to the community.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
That's where you come on Money Making Conversations, so you
can just stand your credibility and also let people know
that your brain is available to everybody and not just
available just for a beard, for all type of hair
that's on your phase. But also I'm a testament. I
am a fan. That's why I got my Rugged toile.
I came back and let it got my Rugged tile here.
(19:55):
Let everybody know I believe this. Brother man, Jay Earington, Gavin,
thank you for coming on money Ma Conversations.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Brother, thank you so much, Thank you so much for
having me.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
This has been another edition of Money Making Conversation Masterclass
hosted by me Rushaun McDonald. Thank you to our guests
on the show today and thank you for listening to audience.
Now if you want to listen to any episode. I
want to be a guest on the show, Visit Moneymakingconversations
dot com. Our social media handle is money Making Conversation.
Join us next week and remember to always leave with
(20:26):
your gifts.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
Keep winning.
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