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Hungry for some inspiration? I’ve got something meaty for you to sink your teeth into.
This week on How Success Happens, I spoke with Troy Link, CEO of Link Snacks. He’s the second-generation leader behind Jack Link’s—the meat-snack brand that grew from a Wisconsin family recipe into a roughly $4 billion global protein empire. Troy’s story starts in a small-town slaughterhouse and ends at the Jack Link’s 500 NASCAR race, with a whole lot of grit (and jerky) in between. Listen here and read on for Troy’s success insights to help you beef up your own plan for success in three, two, one!
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Three Key Insights
1. Use What You’ve Got—Even When Everything Breaks
Troy grew up in a “meat family,” working in his grandfather’s grocery meat departments and slaughterhouse, and watching his dad battle through high interest rates and ultimately bankruptcy in their early meat business. Instead of giving up, his father looked at what they had: “We had thousands of pounds of meat, and we had smokehouses and knowledge… So that’s really how it got started, was just pure entrepreneurism.” Jerky began as a necessity—turning a failing operation and excess meat into a new product—and evolved into one of the biggest protein snack brands on the planet. Troy describes his dad as a “phenomenal entrepreneur and phenomenal startup business guy… nobody better at driving a basic P&L.”
Takeaway: When things seem to fall apart, inventory your skills, assets, and knowledge—and build your next venture out of what you already have.
2. Focus, Grit, and “Soap and Water”
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