RedBeard Outdoors · Johnathan (RedBeard)

462. BE BETTER! Better parents, neighbors, and Patriots w/ Ian Wendt (Founder of Official Patriot Gear)

August 23, 2025·1 hr 21 min·5 clips

Ian Wendt was told to stop speaking out or step down as the face of a multi-billion dollar company.

Jonathan hosts the RedBeard Outdoors podcast with guest Ian Wendt, founder of Official Patriot Gear and a fellow podcaster. This episode explores Wendt's entrepreneurial journey and his definition of true patriotism beyond superficial symbols. Wendt spent over a decade in door-to-door sales, earning the nickname "Primetime" for his exceptional skill and making hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. He transitioned into a corporate training and marketing role, eventually becoming the CMO for a medical sales company. During the events of 2020, Wendt began creating social media content that challenged mainstream narratives, which he says resonated with a large, previously silent audience. He describes organizing fundraisers that raised several hundred thousand dollars for struggling businesses during lockdowns. Wendt launched his brand with a simple green "Patriot" t-shirt, which sold hundreds of units within days through strategic marketing and scarcity drops. He cultivated a community through "Patriot Friday," encouraging customers to post photos wearing the gear. A pivotal moment was seeing a video of a young boy excitedly opening a Patriot hoodie as a Christmas gift. Wendt left his lucrative CMO position in January 2021 to focus on the brand full-time, despite the financial security it offered. He argues that true patriotism is non-partisan and represents a love for country and community, distinct from political loyalism. Wendt believes societal tribalism and the rejection of dissenting opinions are major problems amplified by powerful entities controlling narratives. He cites the successful grassroots campaign that united environmentalists and hunters to defeat a public lands bill as an example of effective, positive collective action. Wendt consciously chose not to align his brand with specific political slogans like "MAGA" or "FJB," believing such movements can devolve into cult-like loyalism. He claims this principled stance made building his brand harder financially, as he avoided lucrative but fleeting political merchandise trends. Wendt asserts that building a brand on timeless patriotism, rather than transient political fervor, ensures its longevity. The conversation is direct and candid, blending personal storytelling with ideological commentary. The tone is conversational and earnest, with both host and guest sharing from personal experience. Listeners interested in brand-building, sales psychology, and non-partisan civic discourse would find this episode engaging. Those seeking strictly outdoor content or who are uncomfortable with critiques of mainstream media and political movements might choose to skip it.

As heard by us

A loose, honest conversation about patriotism, business change, parenting, and saying when he does not know.

Jonathan keeps the Red Beard Outdoors conversation loose enough that Ian Wendt's Patriot Gear origin story can breathe, then lets it widen into what patriotism means at home.

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Why you'd press play

A founder conversation about patriotism that stays tied to family, work, and honest questions.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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