Co-hosts Jan Rutherford and Jim Vaselopulos interview John Brumer, Jason Ginos, and Micah Niebauer, founders of Southern Pines Brewing. The three entrepreneurs first met while serving in the 3rd Special Forces Group. John enlisted right into the Special Forces qualification course. Jason went to Millikin University, and was a psychological operations specialist before heading into the 3rd Group. Micah attended Wheaton College in the ROTC Program, and went to the Department of State, the Department of Commerce, joined the 82nd Airborne, and then joined the 3rd Special Forces Group. These men served with distinction, with multiple active-duty tours. John, or Juan Peligro, as the Patagonia crew referred to him, has been a GORUCK Cadre since 2014. Jason and his wife, Aleah, have been married nine years, and have three young children, Tanner, Luke, and Charlotte. Micah and his wife, Patricia have been married for 10 years, and have three young children, Eva, Claudia, and Wyatt. Micah is the CEO, Jason is the CFO, and John is the COO of Southern Pines Brewing, in Southern Pines, North Carolina, where they all reside. Jan and Jim speak with John, Jason, and Micah about how disciplines learned through their Special Forces service helped them unite in a business partnership, and how they chose to advance a home-brewing passion they shared into a viable business. They also discuss how identifying with a community, and participating in community programs lends purpose to the enterprise. They discuss the company's mission and values individually, and how these statements of purpose keep them going despite inevitable challenges. There is also a segment about John’s participation in the Crucible in Patagonia, and how he is applying the lessons into the business on a daily basis. Listen in to learn more about turning a shared passion into a dynamic business partnership.   Key Takeaways [2:00] John, Jason, and Micah all served in the 3rd Special Forces Group, an airborne unit of the Green Berets. Their common bond, and strong teamwork, allowed them to enter head first into the entrepreneurial world as the Co-Founders of Southern Pines Brewing. [4:27] As the Co-Founders developed the slogan and mission statement for Southern Pines Brewing, they focused on the community aspect of craft brewing, with the art, history and tradition behind it. They visited many craft breweries to find inspiration for starting Southern Pines Brewing. They adopted some ideas they saw, and suggestions they received. [6:08] Southern Pines Brewing makes a huge impact on the local community. They participate in Boys and Girls clubs, and the Walter Moss Foundation, and retirement homes. They take their military community sense of belonging with them. Everybody understands beer. [7:33] Southern PInes Values: The customer is the focus of everything we do. We provide the highest quality products for our customers. We are a professional organization, demonstrating this in everything we do. We are constantly learning and growing. We are good citizens in the community. Fear will not drive decision-making. We are aggressive. Nothing is impossible. [8:58] Jason explains that their ambition to venture into brewing led them to be aggressive. First, they needed aggressive growth. In the second year they needed growth and financial efficiency. They will aggressively reach for their full effective production capacity, and eliminate choke points. In 2017, they will grow, but aggressively pay down debt and become a better business. [11:23] Micah talks about overcoming fear, by being proactive in their decisions. Their military experience leads them to take measured risks daily, not for their lives, but for their livelihood. [15:18] John speaks on how nothing is impossible became one of their values. He recalls a race car course in Special Ops. The lesson he learned was to look where you’re going. Don’t worry about all of the things that could possibly happen. Worry about the outcomes t