In the immortal words of Bruce Willis (John McLaine): "Welcome to the party, PAL"
Sean... not fair to oldloser.
He is right. The founders of that company were some hard chargers who came up with a great idea, a great product and had amazing marketing. Is it the best coffee in the world? Who cares? They had a Prius with a gatling gun on it!!!
The issue was not with the founders and the guys who made BRCC what it was. The issue is that they accepted venture funding/angel funding from a group who probably promised them the world and an IPO and huge returns. And instead, stuck an Ivy League Douche-nozzle CEO in the slot that they bought. And rode their investment as far as they could right up until there was an 'Oh Shit' moment when their T-Shirt was on a kid that turned into a lightning rod.
I will guess here that the founders would have liked to invite Rittenhouse to the factory, let him shoot a tank, eat raw coffee beans off a hot SAW barrel, lift weights with bikini-clad models and celebrate his Git-er-Done moment.
But the outside investors got on the phone with their hand-selected Wharton/Harvard/Yale/Skull-and-Bones douche CEO and said "This is how it's gonna be, zippy." And the company flew itself into a mountainside of idiocy. Because that's how their investors... who owned 50.0001 percent of the stock due to their VC/Angel investment... called it. Once you are in the minority, shareholder-wise, you can't do shit.
IMHO, oldloser is right on. The founders deserve none of the vitriol. Sadly, they are probably stuck watching their company lose value and become IPO-impossible... because their VC folks fucked them totally. And their VC investors attitude is... "Meh, we destroy 40 companies, but 1 winner pays for 100 companies. So fuck those founders. We will make our money elsewhere."
So a bunch of guys who bled and sweated and fought for their country... then founded a great company... get screwed. And their VC investors get a tax writeoff and a great moment of wokeness. So all their friends at the Venture capital runny cheese and chardonnay parties will love them... could give a crap. Some might even be laughing. Going "We bought into that company to destroy them. Mission Accomplished."
Do you really put it past some of these venture funds? Do you?
Anyway... I hope the founders come out with something. Honestly, I hope they come out rich. But, sadly, the world of angel and VC investing makes Stalinist Russia look like Romper Room. And those who bailed on BRCC (me included) did NOT bail on the founders. We bailed on the scum-weasels who hijacked the company and tried to turn it into Black Rights Commie Comsomal (I know, that has a K) instead of an awesome veteran-owned business that, in a just world, would have made their warrior-founders rich.
Had they not been Fucked over by commies.
Sirhr