We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bobby Gerhardt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Bobby, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I am an Army veteran. I served from 2005 – 2014. I was stationed all over the world, and went on 3 deployments. What drives me is the mindset of showing other veterans that there is life after military service. There are things we can do with our time that are a productive, healthy outlet for many of life’s stresses.

Bobby, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an Army veteran that got out in 2014. I went straight back into the civilian workforce after service. During that time, I took up a lot of interest in metalworking. I bought a welder, plasma cutter, and learned how to program CNC machines to make signs and other products. Along the way, I also picked up knife making as a means to do some more creative expressions. I do all of this on the side while still working to serve fellow veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

I am most proud of being able to identify a problem in my shop, and find/build solutions, then share that story on social media. There are so many others like me out there looking to find outlets, and sharing these stories is a way for me to give back to the community.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Starting a business to begin with can be very stressful. In 2015, I submitted my application for my LLC. Learning the ins and outs of running a business was a very steep learning curve. How to market, how to do financial paperwork, how to get your name out there can all be extremely stressful endeavors. Coupled with family and other obligations, it makes for a very difficult machine to keep operational. In 2018, I went through a situation that caused me to shut my business down, and sell of some of the equipment I had acquired over the course of running my business. In 2021, I restarted my business, and everything was a new learning process. Marketing and social media strategies have changed a lot since 2018. However, being resilient enough to stick with it, and start rebuilding my brand and social media channels has been a fun and awesome challenge. Being able to vocalize that to my followers would be the biggest takeaway from any content that I put out.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Most of my new clients come from word of mouth of current clients. Having others post about my work, and share their reviews is a great way for others to discover my business. Having friends and family share my content also goes a long way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://reapermfg.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/reapermfg
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/reapermfg
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@reapermfg
• Other: TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@reapermfg

Image Credits
All images are courtesy or Bobby Gerhardt/Reaper Mfg