In May of 2024, I found myself in early heart failure. At the same time, I was just beginning to build my company — formed the previous September, launched in March, and still trying to find my footing. A handful of people in this community stepped in when I needed it most. By February of 2025, I had the chance to go on Bearded Respect and the Tres Amigos, and that changed the trajectory of everything.
Those folks gave me a platform when I barely had one. They bought my products, offered honest and constructive feedback, introduced my company to a wider audience, and helped me grow into the place I stand today. I carry a deep sense of gratitude for every single person who played a part in that. None of it was owed to me, and yet it was given freely.
As an owner, I’ve tried to stay anchored in a few simple commitments:
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Be a light to the people around me.
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Provide healthy, thoughtful products.
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Take responsibility when issues arise and make things right.
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Treat someone who’s never purchased from me the same as someone who’s spent hundreds.
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Have fun, build community, and keep this space human.
When the Black Vow situation unfolded months ago, I’ll admit the “Maker” reveal threw me off. But it became clear pretty quickly that it was part of a storyline — a wrestling‑style angle, which honestly fit perfectly coming from Dino. Sure, I would’ve loved to be chosen. I won’t pretend otherwise. But that never took away from how genuinely excited I was to see other companies get their moment.
What I’m struggling to understand now is how we ended up in a place where small companies — companies like mine, who simply want to create and participate — are being warned away from doing so. The original idea behind the Vow, the Maker, all of it, was to give smaller beard‑oil businesses a chance to stretch creatively and collaborate. There were long‑term plans for many of us to be involved.
I can say without hesitation that Dino, Chief, and Santa Tom gave me some of the most meaningful early feedback I ever received. Their reviews, their honesty, and their willingness to engage helped shape my products and gave me what I needed to grow last year.
Since February of 2025, I’ve had 861 sales — because two shows and six men took a chance on someone they barely knew.
Whatever disagreements exist between some of those men and others in the community, I hope they can be resolved in a way that doesn’t close doors for the rest of us. I’m not here to take sides or stir anything up. I’m here because I love creating, I love contributing, and I believe small businesses deserve the chance to be part of something bigger than themselves.
Those of us in the small‑batch community are already standing shoulder‑to‑shoulder against giant companies. We don’t have the luxury of division. Every fracture, every grudge, every quiet warning chips away at the foundation we’re all trying to build — stone by stone. I understand that some people may not like something Dino or Chief or anyone else did. But the fallout isn’t landing on them alone. It’s landing on all of us who are simply trying to find our way, create something meaningful, and take our shot at slaying the giants.
All I want is to create, to grow, and to stand alongside the small‑batch makers who lifted me up — not watch our community chip away at itself at the exact moment we should be standing together against the giants.