The SHOT Show (an acronym for the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show) has come a long way since its first show in 1979, held in St. Louis, Missouri, which had 5,600 attendees. Now, it has become one of the largest firearms shows in the world, regularly attracting over 50,000 people to peruse its 630,000 square feet of exhibit space. It has also branched out beyond solely focusing on firearms to incorporate many other parts of the outdoor industry into the annual show in Las Vegas.
In this special episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, host Dan Kahn heads to the 2025 SHOT Show. Instead of a single guest, as is our usual format, Kahn talks to multiple entrepreneurs from different aspects of the outdoors and firearm industries. They all share valuable insight into what it takes to create a prospering business in a challenging environment. The discussions are worth listening to for anyone looking to bootstrap their own business, whether they are into firearms or not. Click on the icon above to listen to the entire episode, and here are our top five takeaways:
The key to success is solving your customers’ problems.
Following your passion can create a long-lasting business.
You have to be all in on your brand.
Have a long-term vision for whatever you are trying to accomplish.
Bringing all manufacturing in-house is the ultimate way to control quality.
Solve Your Customers’ Problems
Dan’s first interview was with Tyler Bech, the co-founder of the water purification company Guzzle H20. For Tyler, solving his customers’ problems isn’t just a feel-good value proposition buried in a marketing document somewhere. Instead, his whole company was founded around the concept. Created to provide clean water for sailboat crews in ports worldwide, Guzzle H20 quickly expanded to solve the problem of purifying water in the backcountry.
“We started out actually trying to solve a problem for professional sailors who show up at a marina in an international location. They might have 25 guys who need drinking water, and they are pretty sure that if they drink the water at the marina, they are all going to get sick,” said Tyler. “So we developed carbon filters and partnered with an LED UV company to come up with a portable solution to treat whatever fresh water you have available. We started with that and quickly figured out there are not that many sailors in the world, so we started building equipment for overlanders and anyone who enjoys playing in the outdoors.”
Follow Your Passion
Jimmy Flatt is a perfect example of following your passions. An avid hunter, he has always enjoyed teaching others to hunt. Looking to spread his love of hunting even further, Flatt founded Hunters of Color. The non-profit is dedicated to hunting conservation and fostering a deeper connection to the land while celebrating BIPOC and multi-cultural hunters. For Flatt, Hunters of Color is a passion project that helps him share his love of hunting with people traditionally underrepresented in the community.
“We started on the West Coast, where all of us went to school. All three founders are Oregon State University alumni. We all came together to teach our friends how to hunt. Once we started to teach our friends, all of our friends started to tell their friends,” says Flatt. “So it became a small passion project that turned into a large need across the West and then the country. Once we all graduated, we had time to pursue our 501c3 status.”
Be 100% Committed
In a sea of AR-15s, those created by Blackout Defense boldly stand out for their innovative design and extremely high quality. Founded initially as an aerospace company, Blackout Defense pivoted to manufacturing rifles in-house with the same precision and attention to detail found in aerospace parts. For Blackout Defense President and Founder Brooke Afshari, the key to that successful big pivot was being 100% committed to the brand.
“I would say that one thing that is absolutely critical is that you have to be 100% committed to the vision. You have to be 100% committed to the brand and building it,” says Brooke. “There can’t be a Plan B. There is only Plan A, and you are going to make it successful. You have to be all in to make it happen.”
A Long-Term Vision
For Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, supporting the Montana-based firearms and outdoor industries is about having a long-term vision for his state. An entrepreneur himself, Gianforte bootstrapped his own business that eventually became one of the largest employers in the state of Montana. For Gianforte, attracting businesses to his state isn’t about tax breaks but about providing a better way of life. Drawing businesses to Montana or creating new ones and supporting them with sensible legislation is critical to its future.
“Montana produces the best beef in the world. We feed the world with our grains, and we have been exporting beef and grain for decades,” says Gianforte. “Along with the beef and the grain, we have been exporting our kids and our grandkids. If we don’t improve our economy, we are not going to keep families together. That is why we are doing all of this.”
Get Vertical
Shelli and Michael Merino founded Olympus Arms to bring the Montana-based company’s unique reciprocating barrel design to the market. The innovative feature dramatically reduces recoil on all of Olympus Arms’ rifles. However, Shelli quickly found that outsourcing high-quality parts machined to exacting standards for Olympus’ Vulcan rifles was difficult. After some early teething issues, she brought manufacturing entirely in-house to control quality.
“We learned through the school of hard knocks how hard it is to outsource parts and get the type of quality machining and materials to the specs you need and how tough that market is,” says Shelli. “That is a big reason we decided to bring everything in-house so that we could quality control it. That gets very expensive very fast, but it’s worth it.”
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