Hidden Gems: Meet Garrett McClure of Born & Bred Brand / Born Holdings

Today we’d like to introduce you to Garrett McClure

Hi Garrett, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My entrepreneurial journey started on the family farm outside Dodge City, Kansas.

I grew up the son of wheat & sunflower farmers in rural SW Kansas. Our days were spent tending the garden, caring for the brood of chickens, gathering eggs, and helping with the planting, maintenance or harvest of our crops of wheat, sunflowers or soybeans. But, as a young queer boy, I spent many of my days in the kitchen with my mother cooking, baking for the farm workers and the family; or preserving the day’s harvest.

As I grew up, the garden a large seasonal crop of white-and-yellow sweet corn became my main summer job. I would gather sweet corn, green beans, tomatoes and more to sell at the weekly farmers market. I loved sharing our hard work and was very proud of what we grew and the business I was building.

Ok, now the lessons are about to get interesting.

I think I was 11 or 12 when I had my first big summer season and made over $500!! I was so excited to have my own cash and the freedom that came with having money. But, towards the end of the summer, my father presented me with a handwritten invoice for land rent, seed, and water!! I was shocked.

At the time, I was pissed. I couldn’t believe my own father would do this. But now, this has become one of the inflection points in my life. This was an incredibly powerful lesson on how business and investing work. My father had created a real-life business education program for me. And I am forever grateful.

Perhaps, this is why I’m now obsessed with spreadsheets and forecasts, lol.

Fast forward 40+ years, and now I have completed the acquisition of my second marketing agency, Born & Bred Brand. And I have an M&A strategy, platform and acquisition & growth playbook. Today, I spend most of my days getting to know other agency owners & founders and we have conversations about partnerships, mergers and eventual exits.

This builds on my years of experience in the digital marketing world, my years of executive coaching and mentorship, and yes, even on those early lessons of entrepreneurship I learned on the family farm.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Running a digital marketing agency of any kind is a brave, and, many times, unpredictable venture. Add in there a global pandemic, and it has been a windy road full of the ups-and-downs that come along with any bold venture.

When you make a large purchase, there’s a lot of research and education that goes into that decision. If you are a homeowner, think back to signing those mortgage and loan docs when you closed on the transaction. For me, it was the most important decision I had ever made in my life. And a decision that would impact my life for years and year to come.

Buying a business is an order of magnitude larger when it comes to the stress, impact and weight of the experience. Especially in service businesses such as an agency. When you invest these businesses, you are investing in the people and clients. And those aren’t real assets that you can hold in your hand or sell if things go wrong.

These businesses and assets require a deep understanding of human nature, the market and an incredible amount of due diligence. And a kick-ass attorney.

I just completed my second acquisition 4 months ago. And I am in the middle of some big transitions with our operations. These are changes that I didn’t see coming both internally and from the market.

As a result, I’m currently spending most of my time deep in the operations, sales and fulfillment of the agency. I’m using my deep experience in the industry to help us transform some aspects of the business while I put my M&A efforts on the back burner. This is something important that I learned a long time ago – stay flexible, open and curious.

For now, I’m leaning on my positive attitude, pragmatic budgeting and belief on the team and our vision to push forward and grow this business.

I expect in the next 6-12 mos I have some great learnings to share.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Born & Bred Brand / Born Holdings?
We are a creative marketing agency advancing and growing the world’s most innovative healthcare companies

We have a bold vision to continue expanding as we bring other high-performing creating and performance marketing firms and professionals together to expand our services and impact on the world of Healthcare.

Our mission is personal to me and my co-founders. While I shared a limited view of my
early life on the family farm; there’s more to that story.

I was born with a cleft lip and severe asthma. In the first 24 hours of my life, I would be rushed to surgery for my lip and wouldn’t be able to nurse for months. Over the next 16 years, I would spend countless nights in the ER struggling to breathe and getting weekly allergy shots, trying to overcome my extreme allergies to the Kansas dust and allergies to wheat and most other things you find on a farm.

So, this is personal. And I have a passion for helping innovative healthcare solutions to actually succeed. We know it takes millions of dollars just to get the therapy, devices, or drug developed. And millions more for clearance or approval. And when you are ready to go-to-market, you need a team you can trust to get it right.

At Born & Bred, we are driven by a profound belief in the transformative power of healthcare. We have witnessed firsthand how advancements in health can change lives, inspire hope, and create lasting impact. Our founders are deeply passionate about empowering individuals and communities through innovative healthcare solutions.

We exist to breathe life into healthcare by championing groundbreaking ideas and bringing them to fruition. We are committed to We are committed to being the creative disruptors who propel healthcare brands forward, making a tangible difference in the lives of those we serve.
By targeting companies frustrated with traditional approaches, we strive to help them adopt transformative ideas that improve health outcomes and enhance quality of life.

In an industry with the highest potential for positive impact, we see our role as more than just marketers; we are advocates for change, working tirelessly to ensure that the best healthcare solutions reach those who need them most. Together, we can shape a healthier, brighter future for all.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Oh, yeah, I’m definitely a risk-taker.

Big rewards most always come after taking a big risk. Going back to the farm, you could create a great budget, plant the crop at the perfect time and do everything right to produce an incredible crop. But then, a tornado, hail storm or other natural disaster could wreak havoc on all your work and planning.

And when that happens, you do the best you can. And then you start again.

The same is true in my view of life. We plan smart, train, learn and do everything we can to be prepared, educated and in the best position to succeed. And then we go for it.

Sometimes it all works great. Sometimes not so much.

But in every “failure,” we learn. We get better. We get smarter. And we become more resilient. This is what builds our resolve. It builds our character and compassion. And ultimately, the compilation of our life’s experiences makes us who are today.

I chose to embrace all of my experiences. I chose to live in abundance and gratitude. And then I take the next risk.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bornandbredbrand.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garrettinspired
• Other: https://www.garrettmcclure.com/