Battle Bars was inspired out of a family tragedy. Now this Veteran owned and operated company is making waves in the protein bar industry and giving back to their communities along the way. Company co-founder and Chief Operations Officer Ian Sparks (Army Combat Engineer) and CEO Alex Witt (Navy Master-At-Arms) join us for a Veteran Entrepreneur feature.

Like many entrepreneurial efforts, Battle Bars initially capitalized the company by going the “standard” route of talking to family and friends about their idea and providing them product samples.  “We were very fortunate to be surrounded by people who DID serve and were willing to help us achieve the dream.”

Ian attributes much of their initial success to the military mindset of identifying your enemy’s weaknesses and exploiting them. “In our case the weaknesses of our competitors was very blatant and taste was the first weak link in the chain that we had to go after.”

All their bars take names from military related themes like their chocolate “Mother of All Bars”.  While featuring nostalgic flavors, every ingredient placed in their bars is there for a specific reason and vetted by a bariatric physician. All of their products are non-GMO and without artificial ingredients.

Before Battle Bars even launched, they sought out a military charity with whom they could partner and grow alongside. They selected Operation Enduring Warrior; an all-volunteer charity that helps to mentally and physically rehabilitate Veterans and First Responders. Battle Bars established their “Nominate a Hero” initiative following the death of Alex’s Navy comrade Patrick Zamarippa, one of the Dallas Police officers ambushed in 2016.

Their business strategy is to build out the brand on their e-commerce site while seeking appropriate retail partners like military exchanges. “Our customers will tell us what they need and we will listen to them.”

TAKEAWAY: “All cool businesses start with a cool passion.”