Military Salary Funds Business

Nick Bare shares how he bootstrapped his company BPN (Bare Performance Nutrition) using his military salary for the first 5 years.

"I didn't take any money out of the business for the first 5 years. It worked well because I started the business in 2012. 2017 is the year I transitioned out of the army, so I actually had to start paying myself then.

Me and my brother, who moved down from Pennsylvania to help us build the business, signed our first warehouse lease that year. It was the first year we hit 7 figures in revenue and also the most challenging year of my entire life. I didn't know anything about financing inventory, leveraging debt, taking out business loans, or utilizing lines of credit. Cash flow was an absolute nightmare.

The only money I thought I had to spend was the money that was in the bank account. We had no terms with manufacturers. 2017 was arguably the worst and hardest year of my life, but also the best year of my life. If I could go relive any year right now, it'd be that year."