Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joshua Culp. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Joshua, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
Hammerdubs originally called Culp Solutions was developed to solve a problem we had in a previous business. We owned a retail store called Hemline Monroe, which was the 14th franchise in a growing women’s brand in the US. Nice gameday apparel and accessories for teams to support LSU and the Saints was one of our top selling categories. We didn’t have any options for local highschools and through a local screen printer we printed some simple t-shirts with the names of mascots for the local high schools.
When this started in the summer of 2019, this was before COVID and prior to getting selected to command an Army National Guard Engineer Battalion on a deployment to the Middle East.
Early on in the business I didn’t have have long term goals with this and reached out to a friend of mine who just happened to want to invest in branded merchandise for his business. We worked on several projects such as tents, pens, apparel, and more and each time I did a new project I learned a little more about artwork, the supply chain and more.
In 2020 there wasn’t much business and time for me to spend on it. In 2021 I was deployed and it was the same story. In 2022, I was able to do some minor networking and increase revenue. In 2023 I invested in a website, started posting on social media, invested in quality testimonials, learning about the industry, and the growth has led to my upcoming retirement from the military.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
First Ill start with my military career. I joined the Louisiana National Guard in 1997 when I was 17 to pay for college. When I was in college I joined ROTC and my goal went from doing the minimum amount of time to becoming an officer in the US Army. I graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in December 2003, just over 2 years after 9/11. Everyone going into the military knew your future would involve time fighting in a war. During my five years in the US Army, I served in Afghanistan and Iraq and graduated from the US Army Ranger School.
I left the army in 2009 and joined the Louisiana National Guard with my sole purpose to complete the remaining 2 years of my service obligation and leave the military. In January 2010 I was selected for an active duty position within the Louisiana National Guard and I will retire from the military in July 2024. Almost 27 years after I enlisted.
My service in the LA National Guard is where I really matured as a leader and adult. Sometimes I was placed into positions before I was ready and this really sped up the maturity to become a leader. I deployed to the Middle East twice in the LA National Guard, supported numerous state emergencies, and commanded an Engineer Battalion on a deployment.
When I speak, think, or write the name Hammerdubs I’m actually thinking of my two boys. There nicknames are Hammer and Dub and when I added that as a DBA onto Culp Solutions that changed the branding and focus of my business. I want every action I take within the business to be a learning lesson I can pass on them, the good and the bad. The colors of our logo are blue and green, the main color is green which is my favorite color and there is a shadow of blue (thier favorite color) to have them as the foundation. This business is a tool that I can use to teach them valuable skills in communication, business finance, marketing, eye contact, sales, work ethic, honesty, and more.
Our goal as a marketing company that speciliazes in branded merchandise is to provide quality products to improve an organzations reach and brand loyalty to thier clients and employees. We want to provide products of value that will last and have an impact on the person where they in turn market the business through their use of the products.
One thing that sets us apart is our dedication to and service to the customer. We are not a business where you just upload a logo and order products without any interaction. We ask questions and learn through discovery the best item to provide your business.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
My best source is new clients is 100% referrals. People want to know from people they trust who they use, do they provide value, and would they use them again. When we get referrals we always show the referring business appreciation and work to provide better value to them. Better value can be provided by the speed and ease of getting products to the business. Through better service we hope to gain even more referrals.
When working with the business that was referred to you, you want to live up to your reputation and try to over deliver there too in the same manner.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
The E-Myth does a great job of taking a complicated task such as business ownership and discussing what owning a business is vs having a job in a business.
Atomic Habits and the Power of Habit have changed my outlook on behavoir and understanding what a habit it. I just need to focus some effort on replacing the late night snack from my diet.
Some of my other favorite reads are How to Win Friends and Influence People. I read this book in 2015 on a deployment and it was the first book I read that really made me think.
The most influential book is the Bible. Many of the concepts you read about in professional development books are rooted in the bible.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hammerdubs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshua_culp
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-culp
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/hammerdubs https://www.facebook.com/culpsolutions https://www.tiktok.com/@hammerdubs