2019cnc4-5

44 www.CNC-West.com CNC WEST April/May 2019 have a cool product, and I was sure America would love to hear our story.” They went on the show, gave their pitch, and left with two sharks investing in the company. “Mark Cuban and Kevin O’Leary both were interested in investing with us,” touts Eli. “Having two sharks was an essential part of my strategy. In the military redundancy is key. We have the saying “one is none, two is one” I wanted two sharks, and we got that. The biggest thing I hoped to get from the show was a tactical partnership or a mentorship because I didn’t know squat. Getting that and 150k was even better. We used that money to invest in a Hurco VM20i milling center and bring our machining processes in house.” As Bottle Breacher began the research process, Hurco machine tools were repeatedly brought up in conversation. Local area shops had great things to say about the brand’s durability and ease of use. “We could have saved some money going with a different company, but I wanted a ma- chine that was going to last us a long time,” explains Eli. “I am not a machinist, I don’t employ any machinists and I didn’t want to become a machine shop. What I needed was something that was easy to run and maintain for non- machinists.” They bought a turnkey machining cell from D&R Machinery. It came with the Hurco VM20i, pallets, the fixtures to match their machined parts, and all the pro- gramming pre- installed. “The goal was to be able to cycle parts through with a minimum amount of effort and with low overhead,” continues Eli. “After a short training we were able to jump right in to manufacturing our own parts. The controls are easy to use and we’ve had no issues. The Hurco has been such a great investment for us. When we add a new product to our catalog all I have to do is make a call. We buy another custom program and set of fixtures and begin the in-house manufacturing process. We machine it, powder coat and do custom laser engraving all in our Tuc- son headquarters. These days we pretty much only send out the chrome plating and anodizing.” Being a SEAL taught Eli a lot about limits, problem solving and how to think outside the box. Thinking skills are key when you are thrown into an unfamiliar and hostile situation and you’ve got to make the mission happen. That skillset has been beneficial for him as an entre- preneur. “I went into this business not knowing about manufacturing, or ac- counting, or even business,” chuckles Eli. “But I knew I could build a team around me that did.” He’s found that success- ful people share basic traits with Navy SEALs. They are not afraid to get outside their comfort zone. They have the men- tality that they will figure it out and work harder than everybody else. And they are confident enough in themselves to find the subject matter experts who can prop them up in their weakest areas. People don’t realize how difficult it is to go from being in the military to the private sector. If you don’t want a job in private security, law enforcement or as a fireman your choices are fairly limited. “The public needs to be educated in what our qualifications actually are,” explains Eli. “Too often a CEO or a manger looks at you and says oh you were a Navy SEAL, that’s super cool let me buy you a beer, but I don’t have a position for you.” Being a leader, problem solver, cool under pressure, dependable, disciplined, work- ing with a team, teachable, all translate directly to the pri- vate sector. SEALs are the best in their business, and they have the skillset to be the best in other business too. “I’ve become a veteran’s advocate, and am trying to teach those CEOs how valuable we are in the work place,” concludes Eli. “Our skillset is more than just being a sniper and blow- ing things up. I hire veterans, and contract out with other veteran owned shops whenever I can. I try every day to pay my success forward. You can serve this country in a lot of ways that don’t require a mission and a gun. Being a SEAL was an awesome job. I got to fight real evil in the world. The knowledge I gained was amazing, and the brotherhood and camaraderie are second to none. Looking back I am so blessed and fortunate that I got to be a SEAL, but I can’t rest on what I did yesterday or today. I need to keep moving forward, pushing new envelopes and increasing the pace. Bottle Breacher is my current challenge, but isn’t going to be my last. If you are going through your life and not think- ing about how you can positively impact people I think you are missing out on a lot.” Personalization with laser engravers tripled sales numbers almost overnight. No longer were they confined to generic sayings and greetings, but they could offer a fully customized product to customers.