Building MTN OPS With Co-Founder Trevor Farnes

All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of the Sledder Cast Podcast. We tend to record quite a bit up in Island Park. But I've got a first timer to Island Park.

It's beautiful.

Yeah. Trevor Farnes is here. We're at a Startups with Stew retreat. It is an entrepreneurial, personal development kind of retreat through a shared connection of ours, Steuart Draper, and we got delighted this morning to hear from Trevor Farnes. So, Trevor Farnes, if you don't know and you can't guess, there's some sort of a tie here with MTN OPS and Trevor is a co-founder of MTN OPS was the CEO until a few months ago, right?

About five months ago.

Yeah. Five months ago. Yeah. And we'll probably get into a little bit of kind of what you're doing now, but knowing what we're going to talk about today, the conversation we're going to have, what is one thing that's going to get that person who's, you know, swiping on YouTube or sees an Instagram reel and sees that we're having a conversation today with Trevor Farnes and MTN OPS, what's one thing that you can tell that individual that's going to excite them enough to get them to stop what they're doing and watch the entire episode here?

Yeah, I think a connection to our brand at MTN OPS and through our product will allow you to fuel your adventures more, but also will allow you to be a part of conquering hunger throughout the world. Just by supporting us and by coming into our community, you will help us in this journey. We've now fed over 7 million meals to children in need through Operation Conquer Hunger, which is our initiative at MTN OPS. And it's all fueled by our customers through our product. So, I hope that people dive in to learn about what we're doing, not just by selling this product, but what the proceeds go to help those most vulnerable in need around us.

That's awesome. Well, I'm excited to dive into this. So, ready or not? Here we go.

Sweet.

The reason why like I've been wanting to get Trevor Farnes on the Sledder Cast podcast for a long time and we've started seeing more and more snowmobilers seeing more and more of your brand penetrate like the community that we're involved with a lot. Right. And so, and I've been, and as Trevor knows, it's funny how I've heard you tell a couple stories of the logo. Yeah. Right. Like, people saw the logo. But I'm a I'm a marketing guy. Was 2014 the first?

When we started. Yeah. The first Western Hunting Expo 2015. February 2015.

Yeah. So, that was the one I was at. Didn't know MTN OPS. I never heard of MTN OPS before. I'm down in Salt Lake visiting some family. Decide I'm going to go check out, you know, the hunting show. Pop in and I see this big orange logo and I'm an admirer of like good logos. And I'm like, what is this? This MTN OPS thing and I probably saw you and I didn't know anyone like who you were, but I thought, man, that's a cool logo. Caught my attention. And they're selling like a something I can put in water, like a supplement. And I was already a consumer of, you know, pre-workout and stuff.

And I remember I don't know if it was there that I got it or if I bought it. I just I can't remember. It was a strawberry lemonade.

Strawberry lemonade. Is that probably one of your first strawberry lemonade? And there was a strawberry banana.

It was strawberry banana. That's what it was. Yeah, it was strawberry banana. I got the sticks and I remember that. So that September was the like I remember thinking like I was so cool consuming MTN OPS while I was hunting and you guys are just a small company but man over the last 10 years the growth that you guys have had it's been incredible.

It has been awesome.

And I'm sure you know a lot of you you know if you didn't start or originate or are part of the hunting community you may not know about MTN OPS yet. But I'm guessing a lot of you this is not a that's not a new mark that you've seen and you probably consumed a lot of the product already. It's awesome. So, anyways, we've got a fun little interview with Trevor today. I'm excited to get to know you know more about Trevor. I've got some questions. Trevor got drilled all morning.

And delivered an awesome presentation and really all you need to do is probably go to YouTube and search your name up and you can find a ton of content that you've created around kind of the program and mindset that that you're teaching and sharing with and just kind of the story of MTN OPS because it's super fun, super inspirational.

But thank you. Appreciate that.

For someone who just turned this on and they don't they don't know MTN OPS, right? Like what do you guys do?

Yeah, the OPS, if you just even look at the name, I love to explain it in that sense. OPS is outdoor performance supplements and we use them in the mountains of life. The actual mountains that we play in the outdoors, we sell a lot of our product through the hunting and outdoor industry. I love that we're crossing over into the snowmobile industry and that you're helping us with that because we want those adjacent markets to enjoy the benefits of our product doing what they love doing, you know. But it also has there's some metaphors to life.

Our wellness program, you know, most supplement companies, it's all about the physique or whatnot or the physical. We definitely hit it in the aspects of spiritual, physical, mental, social and conquering those mountains of life or those achievements that we're going after or you know the mountains that get in our way and we're struggling to climb them. We've built the community to help people do that. Yeah. We sell a product and it helps fuel that, but it's all about community and connection that we help people rise.

Yeah. The and I've got some questions later on about the community because I've worked in a couple different companies while you know watching the MTN OPS story grow and honestly I've really looked up to how you guys have really built out the I honestly don't know a company who does it better than MTN OPS. I appreciate like the community aligning with like the right spokes people to kind of lead those efforts in growing that community and so yeah, you guys are leading out in the front and it's fun to watch. But we're on a snowmobiling podcast obviously. So, as a snowmobiler, like why should a snowmobiler be interested in MTN OPS products?

So, there's the aspect of, okay, what could I use like while I'm while I'm recreating on a snowmobile? And then, you know, a lot of snowmobilers are you know, grinding, you know, they got their own businesses, their construction, you know, this life, right? So, yeah.

And it's very applicable even to our hunting audience or a mountain biking audience or, you know, the snowmobile audience there. We're all doing and living these passions that take effort. They take hard work. There's movement involved. I, you know, I'm not I'm not a super skilled snowmobiler, but I've done it enough to know the effort and the technique and all that goes into it and the wear and tear on your body and so we really want people with through these products to be fueled in the adventures that they take in life and be able to do them longer and better than they could without these. And it's a supplementation, right?

So, it's just adding to what you're currently doing with nutrition and fitness. I, you know, to get out on a snowmobile and maneuver that machine, you want to be fit. You want to be healthy. You don't want to get into a curious situation out in the wilderness or wherever you're at where you can't make it out alive. You know, and I'm not saying, you know, those experiences are going to happen to everyone. But when you're out enjoying those things in life, these activities, you want to do it with a healthy body. So, there's that aspect of it.

But then everyone that's out pursuing that through snowmobiling, through hunting, through fitness, whatever it is, they go home, they have life, they have business, they have family. We want people to keep up in those most important areas of life where there's relationships involved. And when you're living a healthy life from a spiritual and a physical and a mental and a social aspect, then you really can contribute in those areas of life that matter most. And especially within the walls of your own home.

So, if your listeners are, you know, mothers or or fathers or husbands or wives or whatever they are, like you want to keep up with the demands that children bring or that, you know, all the activities. I'm a father. We're super busy with our four kids. And so, I utilize the MTN OPS product just as much out on the activities in the mountains that I do as I do just for my daily work and my daily fatherhood and as a husband, you know, and keeping up with all those activities. So, it's you know, MTN OPS is all about fueling those passions, those adventures, the day-to-day work life grind that we all have responsibility over.

Yeah. So, as someone who's sitting here and maybe they're supplementing with you know, another brand. Yeah. Right. What would be kind of like I know you kind of answered it in that last question, but like what would be like the sales pitch of like what's unique or different about MTN OPS?

There's differences in product and then there's difference in culture and community that we've built. So when you look at the product in and of itself, you know, every supplement company is going to say we have the best ingredients and the best flavors. I truly believe that we do. And when you try our products, you're going to taste and you're going to feel the difference. A lot of products you might try and it's like, oh, I don't know if I'm feeling something. Is there a placebo? You know, I want to feel something. So, you're going to taste to feel the difference. We're very confident in telling people that.

But then on top of that, you know, if you're comparing yourself against everyone else that says you're going to say that see the same thing, what is the business doing in the community? What is it doing for the customers that's unique and different? And we take a portion of every sale on our website and we donate a meal to a child in need. And that's a huge initiative of ours. It's called our Operation Conquer Hunger because there's plenty of people in our communities here in the United States, throughout the world that could never fathom supplementing for their nutrition. Yeah.

They're looking for a meal or two each day, you know, and so we have an opportunity and a responsibility that I feel comes along with owning a business and building a resource to put those dollars to use. And there's a stewardship over that. So, you get to be part of a community that is really there to help you in life, but to help maybe those most vulnerable and in need that can't help themselves. And our customers are all a part of that. Every order that they place funds that opportunity to feed a hungry family or child.

Yeah. So during your your presentation today, I should have it memorized, but a conversation was brought up or a statement was brought up. Let me pull it up real quick. I think I wrote it down. People want to spend money in a brand that they can trust. That's what I got from that part. And I thought that is so true. Like with so many options, I mean, we deal with the same thing. We're not the only like wrap, you know, graphics provider out there. Same with you guys. But you're trying extremely hard to build a brand that is connecting with people to make them feel like yeah, you know, and trust them.

And if there's an opportunity where you can spend money, A, B, and C, right? You're going to go with that company that makes that gives you that know, like and trust aspect, right? Yeah. I think you guys have done a great job.

No, I appreciate that. And I think the trust is built when you state to the world here's our mission and here's the core values that will lead and guide our mission and then they see you living true to that. You know they see you coming through for them. They see you treating them in the way that you say you will with the golden rule or with you know service or family. Our number one core value is recognizing God. So how do they see us actually living that in our workplace or on social media or at events? It's like, can they see that we believe in God, that we, you know, recognize his hand in all things?

And when they can feel that and see it, and it's all lined up, where it's like, okay, this makes sense. Then there's trust that's created. And when people are careful with their dollars, where they're being spent, then I personally am going to put it where I know this brand. I kind of can see the heart and soul behind it in the people. And so, I trust that what they're doing is actually going to benefit me. I trust the product. They wouldn't they wouldn't skimp on the product or ingredients. They're going to they're going to provide us what I need.

You know, they're going to put those dollars to use to help the, you know, feed the hungry and that type of thing. And so, it's got to you've got to show up in the way that you say you are on paper. It's got to be actually lived more powerfully than having words on a wall or on a website is watching a company live true to their core values. And then incredible trust is created, credibility is created, and longevity with those relationships is created.

Yeah, I love it. Love it. I mean, you guys, so there's been a ton of success, right? Like, you know, if you want to know how much success I think, you can just go to your homepage and see how many meals you've donated. And if you want to do math that way, you can say, “Yeah, these guys have sold a lot of product, right? You've been able to help a lot of people.” But what have been some un like what's been an unexpected challenge in scaling your company, MTN OPS, that you can look back and say that one definitely sticks out. And what was like how did you guys how or how are you overcoming that?

Yeah it's I think the initial challenge that we found still continues to be some of the challenge today but we've been able to refine the process and that is educating the consumer on these products and why they should take them. Look at the audience that we've gone after it's primarily been this hunting audience that didn't work out in Gold's Gym, they worked out in God's gym. They didn't go to GNC to shop for supplementation. There wasn't literally a supplement brand speaking their language. And so 70% of our consumers were trying supplements for the very first time because it wasn't showing up in the places they shopped. It wasn't in Cabela's.

It wasn't in Bass Pro Shops. It wasn't in, you know, their Farm and Fleet stores. Now we are. We're in those places. And so they're like, “Wow, what is this energy product? What is this pre-workout? What is this protein?” You know, it started to resonate with them. It started to look and feel like them. And so we had to educate. And education can be hard. It can make the process of selling to an individual a little lengthier.

But that is what we're continually focused on is finding the right way to make sure they understand why these products benefit them in the outdoors or in their family, in their work, you know, and and so when it's something they're going to consume, you got to make sure that they can trust that like there's education around this, there's science behind it, and then they can participate in it. But that's been kind of the one of the major challenges along the way is being introduced to new audiences and trying to educate them on why MTN OPS and what is it going to do for them.

Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And you guys you've got we've we talked about this a minute ago, but with the community that you guys have built the size of that community within a single space like hunting I think obviously helps build that that trust in you know word of mouth type of hey if so and so is using it and prime example was like my mom and dad you know, their monthly MTN OPS bill is greater than mine now in life, right? And so I've got I've gotten them hooked. I mean they got their themselves hooked, but they love the product word of mouth, right?

With the community that we've got here at Deviant Ink in the Sledder Cast and in the snowmobiling. There's a lot of athletes and you know individuals who are looking to you know be ambassadors for brands that they love and want to get behind. You guys are working with I mean name some of the I mean you guys literally working with some of the greatest crossfit athletes hunting you know professionals.

Yeah. And and we try to find that in the spaces we go into and snowmobiling fits in so well to what we're doing and where you play in the mountains and such. And so I'm excited about this relationship. But we go after individuals that do have influence that align with core values of MTN OPS. They want to be part of the mission. They see deeper into what we're doing and it's not just a transactional deal with the product where it's like yeah just do give me a code or give me some free product. We want them to really believe in it.

That we want them to see and taste the difference and then they we want them to believe in the mission of feeding hungry children and improving people's lives. We work with Cam Hanes who is a huge hunter athlete you know ultramarathoner but he does all of that in preparation for his hunts. You know he works out and he's this fitness like specimen that does that so that he can you know hunt ethically and go further and longer into the mountains than most. We work with Rich Froning who's 10 time fittest man on earth through the CrossFit games. You know these guys have millions of followers.

We work with individuals like Eva Shockey who is kind of the huntress of the hunting industry but now is as is a mother and taking care of her you know doing a lot of kind of the mommy blog stuff but she's an incredible huntress as well. We've worked with guys like Dale Brisbane in the rodeo space that's this you know cowboy comedian that he's different that way. He's an athlete, but he's a funny cowboy athlete, you know, and so, but they've all aligned with us as far as core values and mission goes.

And there's a there's a huge list of other individuals that we work with that we're privileged to work with, but it all comes down to them being able to trust us and us them or where it just is a mutual beneficial beneficial to the longevity of what we're all trying to create. And so this fuels their passions. It fuels their workload. It fuels their hunts. And and for us, it helps us get in front of their audiences cuz their audience trusts them, you know.

Nice. So, there's one thing you guys did and man, if you've got any like behind the scenes, would be awesome to hear here. But I was definitely tuned into Truett Hanes. So, Cam's son, right? The whole pull-up because he did that at the headquarters, right?

Yeah. Three times actually.

So a little background story here. So correct me if I if I go astray here. There was a pull-up a Guinness World Record of how many pull-ups you could do in a 24-hour period. Correct. Is that right? And did David Goggins originally hold that?

And he held it and I don't know I can't remember if David Goggins was an actual Guinness or if it was just a world record like by you know just by saying it on social and it was right around 430 and he did it

Pull-ups in a 24-hour period?

In a 24-hour period. Truett Hanes started at MTN OPS. He was working in our marketing department and I think it was the first three months of him working there. We've got a really cool gym down in our space there and he said I want to beat David Goggins' record. So it was awesome and we're like, man.

Did you guys have a connection to David Goggins at the time through the Hanes family?

Through Cam Hanes through Truett. So David knew that Truett was doing this. They were calling back and forth that day. Cam was there. We had a video crew. My family was there. This is during COVID. We all took signs that said you can do it, Truett all the you know all this fun stuff. And he did like 4,100 in 17 hours and so he beat David Goggins in a shorter amount of time and then he was done. Then there was somebody in Australia that came out with another record. Yeah. And so Truett the record was like 8,000 something, you know, 8,000 and five or one or something like that.

Almost doubled it. Almost doubled it.

And so Truett started working towards that. So he, you know, in the MTN OPS gym there, we've got this one bar that's just got tape and it's got his blood and sweat and everything on it and it's there's Truett written across it, but he attempted and the math just at one point was not working out. He was just not going to be able to do it. Fatigued and starting to feel sick and stuff and so he he closed it out. He wasn't going to break it and that was the case. And he just said, “Look, I'm going to I'm going to go back to the board.

I'm going to start working harder and in six months I'm coming back.” And and in 6 months he came back and he did 8,100 in 24 hours and beat that guy's record. So that's actually been beaten again multiple times since. So I think in this next month he's doing it again.

Oh wow.

Yeah. He's been he's been prepping for it again and he the guy is just relentless there. That's kind of in the Hanes gene. They just go after things. In fact, the day he was doing the 4,100 in our gym when I first just met him, I was so inspired and I told him like, “I need you to challenge me to do something right now because I'm feeling like I'm I work out and stuff, but like I need to do something.” And he's like, “Just run a marathon.” And I'm not a runner. I had some knee issues. I had a knee surgery and I but I told him, “Okay, done.

I'm going to do it.” And so I looked for the hardest marathon I could do in Utah was the Moab Trail Marathon. And it's the mother of all trail marathons is what they say on their website. So, I just decided I'll do that for my 40th birthday. So, I got 40 of my friends to go do it with me. And it was such a good friend. It was difficult. I had good friends. Most of them were like, “No way.” And I was like, “If you love me, you would.” And they So, they a lot of them signed up. We suffered through it. It was honestly an incredible experience. And a lot of people have run marathons.

But if you look at it statistically, it's like less than 1% of the world population has run a marathon. So, Truett was like, “You need to run a marathon first, and then we'll go to the next one. We'll figure out what's next after that.” I thought it'd be a one and done. I've ran quite a bit since, but I chose a hard one to go after because I was like, I'll never do this again. But it was a good experience.

So that's awesome. Yeah. Transitioning quick real quickly over to a new project. You published a book called The Conquer Code. Published this in June, July, August, July of 2024. I listened to it. Great book. We have a written copy of it now, so it'll be fun to go back through and kind of, you know, make some notes in there. But one thing that stuck out to me in the book was the I mean, you talk a lot about hardships and failures and how you can overcome those, right? But one thing is the non-negotiables in life.

Like I that kind of stuck out of like we all how powerful it is if each one of us have you know our set of non-negotiables and we they really are non-negotiables right and that's so easier to say than to actually do and so like can you share an example or like maybe how you tackle that like concept of you know, defining non-negotiables and how to, you know, how we can like actually stick to them.

Yeah. And the non-negotiables for us, there are core values. We created a set of core values even prior to MTN OPS. And I shared this morning, it's part of how I was raised. My parents taught principles in our home. So, it wasn't when I started a business like, okay, who should I be for this business? I want to be who I am wherever I am. And that's part of the non-negotiables. I'm not going to go into business and all of a sudden in the name of business I can be this jerk and I can be, you know, arrogant guy that's just, you know, overpowering everyone. I don't want that. That's not how I am at home. That's not how I am in the community.

So, I'm not going to be it there. I'm just going to I'm going to create a set of core values. They're principles that are truth and that's how I want to live by. Am I perfect in those? No. They're things to strive to live by and so you work on it day in and day out and you become better and better at it. But for instance, we have a set of very they're pretty bold core values. Our number one is recognizing God. Even in the work workplace, we strive to acknowledge his hand in all things. And there's people that ask us, well, how do you do that? And in simple terms, it's like recognizing good.

When you recognize the good in others, you recognize God because all good comes from God. And I recognize that many people have differing beliefs when it comes to God. And I respect and revere and honor that. I just happen to have mine. And as I'm able to start my own business, I'm going to recognize that his influence can be involved. And so, one of those is, you know, at the Western Hunt Expo, it's a very large event. You've been there, you've seen our booth. It's gotten bigger and bigger over the years until the point where we're one of the main attractions there and a lot of people come to see us and there's a lot of products sold.

But, we made a decision a long time ago. I made a decision in my life that Sunday would be a Sabbath day to honor God and to to honor and respect my relationship with him. And honestly, when it comes down to it, reputational risk, in my opinion, especially as I've gotten older, has become the biggest thing. I don't want I want to associate with the right people, and I especially with God, I don't want my reputation with him tainted. And so, we made a decision to not exhibit on a Sunday, you know, and that was an interesting decision because not everyone understood why that would be the case.

And but we got permission at the Hunt Expo to not exhibit on Sunday. And you know, people came on Sunday and the booth was closed down and there's a little note that we're with family and we're with God today and we didn't do that to say, “Hey, look at us. Look at what we're doing.” It was the non-negotiable. We had set that as a standard and as a principle that we would live by. And we weren't going to let the world determine how we actually like responded to that. And everyone can respond to that or that core value in a different way. But that's just what we had decided.

I went to lunch with an individual and they said, “Hey, isn't there risk in that? You've got a day where there's a lot of people there to buy your product and you're not there for them.” And my response just immediately was my the bigger risk is always with God in my opinion. So those core values and those principles are all about helping us live in a manner that would be pleasing to God, helpful with his children and build connection with those around us and especially with him. And so that's why we say non-negotiables like we don't want that connection to be interfered with.

Yeah. So in the Conquer Code book right you do talk a lot about your faith. And you know, I haven't polled our audience. I don't know exactly, you know, where that breaks down, you know, within, you know, our community, but but the book is good. And so, we share the same faith. So, it's easy, you know, it was easy for me, but there's a lot of people who don't share your faith, right? And so how could how would you pitch the Conquer Code to that individual who may not you know be on the same level or have the same faith or you know really care about that but like still grab value from the Conquer Code.

Yeah. And the Conquer Code it's a journey of an individual of myself and my family and it brings in our connection with God. I would say almost on every page being the source of strength to make it through some very trying times. We went through some very we call it our seven years of famine where just everything financially around us crumbled and through some entrepreneurial investments and some opportunities that we you know took on that just didn't go our way. And so for anyone listening, you're going to have if you haven't already, you're going to have moments like that. You've maybe had them already.

And if not, like you're not you may be going through it right now. It's not an uncommon story, but the way that we approached it, I feel like sometimes can be uncommon, but the way that we got through it was through our faith, through recognizing that there was support along the way from a higher power. And I approached the book stating right from the beginning that I recognized that many of the readers are not going to be of our faith because many of the primary audience we went to with the book was MTN OPS. Many of them are Christian, but most of them not of our faith. And so for them, we a lot of us we believe in the same God.

We may just believe a few different things, you know. And so there's some common ground we could work on. And then from there you know, I respect what they believe. I don't and if they wanted to share with me, I would listen all day long. I'd probably ask a lot of questions because I'm curious. But I just stayed in there like I'm going to honestly share what my faith means to me. And what I found is there's a lot of individuals not of our faith that are curious to know the life of someone like us and why did we go on missions? Why do we do this? Why do you know why is this important?

And it gives them kind of a safe read to read it and say, “Okay, I kind of understand where they're coming from now. I kind of understand why they do this or why they do that.” And you know, that connection to God and that source of strength, it's important to me, too. Or maybe it should be a little more important to me or it's not important to me. But I see what this family went through and the cool things that they're doing through an amazing brand, you know, with the in partnership with their team and so there's a journey along the way that I think most people can say, “Hey, I've been in those shoes.” It's relevant to a lot of people.

And then some of the perspectives that we gained through that we're putting to use now. Like being a family that was we had hunger issues. We went through these struggles and these trials, it opened our eyes to the need that was around us. And now we've taken that, we've applied it to our Operation Conquer Hunger, where we're feeding hungry children. We're helping the person that we once were. And there's something super powerful in that. And I think all of us can agree, we can we can use life's perspective moments to help us learn and grow and to return to those that maybe are going through it with empathy.

And so, you know, I if there's that kind of common ground, then I hope people will read it and find a greater strength through their savior Jesus Christ, through their God. But if they don't believe that, I think they'll still see like, “Yeah, I can see how life's bumps and bruises and everything can help us grow, help us develop and help us gain some perspective that will be beneficial for us and others.”

For that young entrepreneur that, you know, that that guy who's struggling with his construction company or plumbing company or you know, whatever brand it is. What kind of advice would you give to that individual who might be, you know, maybe silently, secretly, you know, keeping it to themselves more of, you know, they're in the grind, they're in the struggle right now?

Yeah. I in my book, I talk about like I talk about ego and when I was going through the struggle, I didn't open up enough. And what I would have found had I opened up to those around me was there was people that had were either going through it at the same time or had been through it and they could have supported me along the way. So, if you're in that, look for mentors, whether they're people you can talk to like in person or if they're online and you can see, hey, they've gone through something I'm going through. Look for mentors though that align with you on a value set, those non-negotiables. Decide what those are for you in life.

And don't detour from them. Like figure out like this is something I want to do and these are going to be the decision-making guard rails. This is how I'm going to make decisions. Because then when a moment arises where I've got to choose this or that, you can go to that and say, “Well, this is who I am and this aligns with it. This doesn't and it will detract from my brand, from who I am.” And and so when you're looking for mentorship, when you're looking for those that are going to give you feedback, go to people that have the same values as you so that they give you feedback that aligns with who you are. Yeah.

And you know, your non-negotiable may not be the same as mine. But the key I think the key there is putting in the time to figure out what would be like what are those and yours should bless me and mine should bless you like the way that you live true to who you are and the core values you've set up it should be in a manner that blesses those around you and so they can be different but I'm so grateful for the way that you live because it blesses my life it shows me an example it helps me with perseverance whatever it may be and so they don't need to be cookie cutter they should definitely be true to you but they should be principles of living that help benefit those around us and ultimately then that returns to benefit your own life.

So, love it, Trevor. Okay, so let's circle back real quick. So, we kind of touched on the types of ambassadors and you know, professionals that you guys work with, right, to help share the message of MTN OPS and grow the brand. You've seen a lot of them, right, come through and you know there's a lot of a similar type but in a different industry that are that we work with that are listen to the podcast. If you take a look at like the ones who do it the best. What are like a couple of the things that you've noticed that stick out that are like these traits that these, you know, few people hold make them really stand out. Yeah.

As like a the way they carry themselves or as like a promoter or you know someone who cares for and shares you know the brand story.

Yeah. I think somebody that's trustworthy and it's not somebody that's just open for business to everyone. I'll take a paycheck from anyone because I've got this influence and now all of a sudden they're a walking billboard for anyone and everyone that will pay them something. We've found that working with those that really join in partnership where they say you know what my brand and your brand we align.

We're after you know we maybe our mission statement is different maybe our activities are different but we're going after the same heart and soul of this and and so it's finding those individuals that are trustworthy because they're living true to their own brand and they align with the brands that they're actually promoting. And so you know and then there becomes this engagement with their audience that's true and it's meaningful and their audience can seek out inspiration or education or whatever it may be from them because they can trust that individual. So we look for people that that yeah they're living that way.

They're living that way in their personal life. They're living it that way in their pursuit or their passion whether it's snowmobiling or hunting. But you can kind of see it in all realms of their life and they're willing to portray that to the world. Yeah. That they are who they are wherever they are. And I would just say, yeah, influencers can sometimes they can change their hues based off of the need or the desire or the want from the marketplace. And it's just like no, there's so much more longevity when there's partnership that is just who they are and the product and services align with that. So yeah.

So, what I guess what I'm hearing from you is if you're out there striving to be an influencer or be an ambassador, it's figure out who you are, who and who you want people to think you are and be true to that.

Yeah. And be consist like be consistent. Show up. Yeah. Cuz think of if you're if you're somebody and you're this way, but you're now trying to be this way for that. Like I don't know. Life is too short. That sounds so suffocating to me to try to be something that you're not swapping, you know, switching. Yeah. And it comes across, it comes across on social media, it comes across in person, on television, wherever it is, like people will always be second-guessing and wondering about you.

And so if you just are who you are and those characteristics are actually good, if you're a bad person, it's just like, oh, this guy's bad, then you should change. But if it's just like, hey, if there's a solid set of principles that they live their life by and it just comes through and who they are, then man, it's incredible to work with them. Humble people, you could have an influence and still be very humble. I it's interesting that some people it goes to their head and some people want that fame. And I look at some that have grown in their influence just because they are humbly doing what they do and love most in life.

And those are the ones I, you know, I'm attracted to. I want to follow an individual that's that way because they're constantly learning. They're constantly applying. They're receptive to people. They want others to succeed. They're not they don't feel put down or you know, there's no scarcity mindset. It's all abundance. And so you that just exudes from people that positive mentality and thinking of abundance is powerful. So, but you see it all out there. And I don't know. I feel like a lot of people can sift through the

It's getting easier, too, right?

Yeah, it's definitely getting easier to sift through that.

No, that's great. You stepped out of your role in... you said August?

In July. In July. Yeah. Actually, it was August. We had the 10 year anniversary, launched the book in July, and then August 1 started my new role.

Your new role. And I don't maybe just share like what your new role is.

So I've been the co-founder and CEO since the inception of MTN OPS and I've now just hired my replacement a new CEO comes with incredible experience. He was the CEO of Onnit, the Alpha Brain, Joe Rogan supplement brand, and we were friends for a few years so I had a trust level with him and a relationship. So it made it a lot easier to say okay I can trust this guy to take over my position. But I'm now you know acting as founder and chief visionary officer which you know keeping the vision on track for the brand.

The audiences we are with now and the ones that we want to go with in the future that that complement where we're at with the hunting you know so it's snowmobiling and hiking and biking and fishing and the outdoor activities that we want to add to it. Making sure that stays intact. And then I'm out speaking. I'm out doing you know podcasts like this. I launched the book all in an attempt to drive awareness to MTN OPS and the things that we're doing.

I have so many people like in an event today where it's a smaller group, but it's a power powerful group of guys that we were with and you know I had a few that have been MTN OPS customers for I don't know nine 10 years that came up after and they said I didn't know the backstory to this. I didn't know the heart and soul of this. This makes me so much more excited about the orders that I place and the product that I'm attached to. And so I'm trying to get out and share that this is what we're actually doing in the world and in the community and the whole community that joins us is part of it.

It's what's fueling this our ability to do good. It provides a resource for us. And so I'm out there trying to preach the good word of MTN OPS, you know, and help people understand that this is so much more than your before and after physique. That yes, there's a transformation physically that we take people through and it's incredible. But through that whole process, there's a spiritual element, a mental element, a social element. People want connection in life. And so we're bringing people together in a very powerful connection way to connect. And that transformation occurs on so many levels.

So one of the things that you're doing right now, you got you have your own podcast now called the Conquer Cast. Who should listen to that? Like what type of conversations are you having on that podcast?

Yeah. I mean, what I want to do with that, people might think that it's just all about hunting. Sometimes we're telling the hunting stories and lessons learned in that, but I'm bringing people on that are they're from all walks of life. There's athletes like a Rich Froning that's been on. There's the Iron Cowboy that's been on. There's individuals within the walls of MTN OPS that run certain departments of our organization and they're on. But it's all in an attempt to help equip people with tools to conquer more in life. Our mantra is all about conquering. So, we've got the Conquer Cast, Conquer More program.

We've got the Conquer Code book, Operation Conquer Hunger, and the Conquer Cast is a platform where we want to share people's stories on the mountains that they've conquered, how they've done that. And so anyone listening that you're going to probably hear a moment where it's like I'm going through that right now and or I'm going through something different, but the tool that they use, the way that they approach this portion of their life is something I can add to my conquer toolbox. And and so they it's been super inspiring. And I've just been grateful for those that have come on.

I want you to come on as well and tell your story and what you've gone through and what you've experienced in life, how you've conquered. And when all is said and done, like as a conqueror, what's the legacy? What's the message we're trying to send to our children or our grandchildren or our, you know, those that are watching, you know? So, yeah.

That's cool, man. So, you're into how many episodes do you guys have now?

Released I don't know if this last week was the six. We release them every Wednesday and we've got about 20 in the can. So, they're ready to go.

That's a healthy can right there.

It's a healthy can. And I started like, we got the podcast studio ready to go and I was so excited and so I just started recording and then I was like, wait, I got to hold off a little bit. I think I had I think I probably had 15 before we actually even launched the first one. And I you know, the marketing team got everything put together, ready to go. And so now I'm kind of back on the schedule of interviews. And I love bringing people into the MTN OPS office because it's this old historic rock and timber building built into the mountain on Mountain Road. It's just super fitting for the brand. But we've got a gym there as well.

And so I'll bring a lot of the podcast guests in. We'll do the podcast and then we pull together what we call our warrior Wednesday at MTN OPS where the team gets together for a group workout. And so that participant in the podcast can come down and work out with the team and get a feel for the team members that are there as well and do some activity together that's more physical and tough as a team, but we conquer together. So that's fun.

That sounds awesome.

So, every Wednesday, ladies and gentlemen, make sure we're also tuning in to the Conquer Cast.

We publish every well, every other Wednesday.

Okay. And just during, you know, the snowmobiling season. So, that's great. Well, we got a fun, a lightning round. I kind of spiced it up a little bit for Trevor. Usually, we end like each episode with the same two questions. And I'm giving you one of them. I already gave you a heads up of what that the one question is, but we usually always ask everyone, you know, if they have a brand new snowmobile, what are three aftermarket modifications? If you only get three of them, what are you going to go put on your snowmobile?

And it's been fun to see, you know, what everyone if you're in the snowmobiling space, what are people putting, you know, beefing up their sleds with, but we're doing it different with Trevor today. So, I actually I texted my parents. I'm like, “Hey, I'm sitting down with the one of the founders of MTN OPS. You got any questions for him?”

From your parents? This is awesome.

And so, yeah, they replied pretty quickly. And so if you'd be so kind. Okay. My mom would like to know when the original peach will be back.

Oh no.

Cuz it's a Peach Zing now, right? Peach Zing. Anyways, she was like that. She was consuming peach.

What's your mom's name?

Cindy.

I'm going to take this back to the product team and make sure that they know that Cindy needs this original peach back. I don't know, but I'm going to find out and then I'm going to let Cindy know. And the first bottle will go to her.

So that's hilarious. Yeah, big peach fan there. And then so my dad, he's always like he any new flavor. He's like I'm getting it. But he's like he said, “How do you know what the flavor Blue Ice is?” Am I missing it? So I don't see where it tells me what the flavor is, like you have a name but there's no flavor. And there's some marketing behind that, right? Where you're giving people it's kind of like the mystery flavor of the Airheads where it's in the white packaging and you're like I don't know what this white Airhead is.

But that one is actually similar to a White Monster like a Fresca that's that flavor. We don't put it on there because we don't want to say you know White Monster flavor or whatnot for trademark issues but we just we created our own flavor name you know and we've got a fiery pineapple that's more of like a habanero pineapple. We come out with names like Bugleberry where it's fitting for the hunting industry and we launch it in September during the hunting season when all the elk are bugling. It's kind of like Willy Wonka like who's ever heard of a schnozberry? It's like who's ever heard of a Bugleberry?

Well they don't exist but it's our it's our marketing way of saying hey this mixture of coconut, strawberry and pineapple is Bugleberry.

Yeah. Do you guys ever say it's those three or is it kind of like let the consumer decide?

Every once in a while we'll come out and say but a lot of times it's like no that flavor almost starts to create its own like entity its own brand where it's like Bugleberry like whatever it is it tastes good cuz sometimes you tell people it's these two flavors and they're like oh I actually don't like coconut or I thought that was more pineapple. So it's like yeah cuz just try it first.

Yeah. Mentally, our mind's so powerful. You can tell somebody what something is and that's what they'll taste.

Yeah. Or it's just like, “Yeah, I really like this or I don't.” And I have no reason to say why. I don't know what it is. You know, we don't do that with every flavor, but it's kind of fun for the customer to say, “This is this what's going on.”

So, I told you last night I was going to give you guys a new product today. If you go back into the archives here, we did a podcast with Matt Dutch. He's famously known as Muskoka Freerider, one of the most popular snowmobile professionals and YouTubers out there. Super cool dude. But I was sitting down at Hay Days and we had an interview going on and I had MTN OPS there and I said, “I'm going to make you a concoction.” This is like my trademarked concoction of MTN OPS. Handed it to him.

I said, “Hey, I want to taste test like rate it, you know.” And he compared it, you know, he was like he was I think Monster or Red Bull, you know, trying to go that route with, you know, comparing it to that.

What products were these that you're mixing?

So he I think he rated it a nine.

Wow.

And so what it is, and if you guys could just make this so I don't have to buy two bottles, this would be great. It is Green Apple Yeti and Ignite Blue Raspberry. So when you mix those two together, you get a turquoise color.

Okay, cool.

So when you know you got a turquoise color, you've done it right.

We've done it right. The chemistry is there. The science is there. That's awesome.

And that taste is so good. Blue raspberry green apple.

Yep. What would we call it?

I don't know. I've never put a name I don't even think I've put a name to it. It's just always it's just my mix.

I was thinking you were gonna you were going to call it like the Trevor something, but if you call it the Trevor something, then they're thinking your name,

But yeah, I don't know if you guys have any formulas that combine both of those two.

And the thing is interesting cuz it's Ignite, which is a daily energy, cardio, brain function, and then Yeti is a true pre-workout. So, you're doing half and half.

I'm doing half and half.

So, you're still getting like a couple hundred milligrams of caffeine, but it's interesting because you're adding the nootropics to the pre-workout like creatine and glutamine.

You're probably like, you shouldn't do that, man.

No, it actually sounds awesome. It sounds awesome, actually.

It's a good flavor. I've been doing it for like anyone who works around me knows, I have a bag. I have the two of them. I have a like a funnel and it's just boom.

Do you do that before rides and stuff when you're going out or is it in ride during ride or before ride or how do you do that?

I'll usually I'll usually have one like, I'll be sipping on it before and then I'll take it with me. So I have a you know I'll bring water too, but I just like to have a little bit of flavor there.

I got to try this. I for some reason I was thinking that our Yeti green apple was not in line anymore. So, I'm gonna I'm gonna go buy some. Well, I don't usually buy it, but I'm going to get some and try it out. Blue Raspberry Ignite, Green Apple.

It's got to be Ignite. Maybe it's just the my the way I taste it, but the Blue Raspberry Yeti tasted different to me than the Blue Raspberry Ignite and so I liked it the best when it was the Yeti.

Can't wait to try it, man.

So, there you go.

That's awesome. You're kind of a mixologist over there. And I love trying stuff at home. I'll take a lot of our product and mix it in like to a sparkling water or whatnot just to give it some fizz. But I love mixing different flavors of all of our product. I even like our immune sticks. I'll mix them into my Ignite or into my Enduro or my Yeti. So in the morning when I'm trying to get, you know, chug it all down, I'll mix like three or four products together and it's fun to see what the flavors do to each other. It's really good.

Cool. Okay. All right. If you could only consume three MTN OPS products for the rest of your life, what are the three?

Easy. Yeti. Hydrate, for hydration. And then Slumber at night. I would start my day with Yeti for energy. I would drink the Hydrate throughout the day and then I would use Slumber to put me to bed. Then I do it again the next day. Yeah. And it's pretty much what I do. And then I add other products to it. So yeah.

Okay. And I just tried Hydrate for the first time this morning and I didn't I think I was thinking there was going to be like a salty taste with the electrolytes.

Yeah. No, it was we work really hard with our flavor technicians because a lot of them, you know, there's some big companies out there at Costco selling and they've got 14 milligram or 14 grams of sugar. Ours has one gram of sugar and it's called ribose which actually hydrates the cells of your body. So it has a function outside of just being a sweetener. And we've worked really hard to not make it salty. But, it's we've had some of our ambassadors say like the peach mango one up there. I don't know if that's what you try.

They said that's like beverage by far their favorite of all time, not just MTN OPS product, not you know, take all beverages. And they're like, “This is my favorite flavor.”

Yeah. No, I concur. So, okay. What's your favorite flavor of all time?

That one. No, actually, Rocky Mountain Rickey, which is a lime rickey, and we sell it in Ignite, Yeti, and Enduro, and that is by far my favorite.

That's my dad's favorite. Rodney Glenn, that's his go-to right there. All right, sweet. Top the top selling product at MTN OPS, Ignite.

Ignite. Ignite is product number one. So many people just want energy for the day and so and this is a healthy way to get your energy and the flavors are unreal. So, yeah.

Is there a top selling flavor? No matter what product line it is, but is there a flavor that is the top selling?

I right now it kind of fluctuates. I would say pineapple's been a huge one in the past. Bugleberry's been a big one. And Tiger's Blood has been a big one. If you like snow cones, you like Tiger's Blood, then that's big. But a lot of people are intrigued by that outside of Utah and I don't know if it's Idaho does Tiger's Blood snow cones. Utah it's kind of a big thing. You go outside, people are like, “Tiger's Blood. What in the world? What is that flavor?” But, yeah, it's really good.

So, okay. Well, we're at the last question. This is one that is a carryover. So, what's one thing that those who are listening to the Sledder Cast podcast don't know about Trevor Farnes? What's that little secret?

Yeah, I've got quite a few fears in life. Actually, there's plenty. And I've found a way to just conquer them by facing them. And one of them is public speaking. And I do quite a bit of it now.

And so you wouldn't know that was like a fear of yours.

Yeah. Right. But and it's an interesting fear. It's not like I'm like, “Oh my gosh, I'm so scared to do this. I don't want to do this.” It's not that. It's more of an anxiety of making sure that I deliver something to people because they're giving me some of their time and attention, which I through life's experiences, you recognize and you realize how important and how valuable that is. And I don't want to I don't want to waste people's time. Yeah. And so I want to deliver something that can be felt and then applied in their life. And if I miss the mark on that, then I haven't given them, you know, what they should get with their time.

And so I feel a lot of anxiety over that.

So, well, there you go. There's the there's the one secret. And if you've been following Trevor or MTN OPS in the last couple years, that would be something that you just wouldn't know. There you go. Just conquering it. Trevor's had a busy morning. He's driving back to Salt Lake today. You just came like you flew in from the SHOT Show. Came up to Island Park. Hung out with everyone the last day and a half and now you're heading back down to the grind. But appreciate your time here on the Sledder Cast podcast.

It's a kind of a little different than some of our other episodes, but I think you have to do that in order to, you know, keep things interesting and learn about new companies and new people and how they do things and how they've had success. So, I really appreciate your time, Trevor.

Thank you. Thank you, Trevor. It's been an honor.

Appreciate it. Awesome. Thanks.