61: A Green Beret and His Shoes

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Anthony Aguiniga is a Green Beret and the founder of a shoe company, Woobies. Anthony has a big plan to become the dominant shoe company in the industry. He shares how he overcame alcoholism and a lack of a fulfilled purpose in his career after the military to form the shoe company that he is so passionate about today. In this episode:

  • Deciding to join the Army
  • Starting his military career with no desire for infantry to only  change his mind a few weeks in
  • The path to become a Green Beret
  • Swallowing his pride by leaving an intense career as a Green Beret to attend the fire academy in Dallas
  • Struggling with alcoholism after the military
  • Losing a mother to drugs and a father to alcoholism
  • The creation and motive behind his shoe company, Woobies
  • Why the name Woobies?
  • Customer, Customer, Customer – What separates Woobies from the rest of the shoe industry
  • Anthony’s unlikely admission process to Southern Methodist University MBA program … one of the best business schools in the country
  • Finding his confidence in an academic setting through his entrepreneur experience
  • Biggest challenge – sustaining his lean business model while gaining market share

You can follow Anthony on Instagram at @anthony_aginuiga and @woobiesshoes.