OpsLens Deck of 52 Most Wanted Post 9/11 Frontline Leaders
In 2018, as a spin-off and salute to the original 2003 deck of 52 Most Wanted playing cards, let’s honor post 9/11 frontline leaders here at home. Once a week, for 52 weeks this year, OpsLens will post a card highlighting one of the 52 Most Wanted Post 9/11 Frontline Leaders. You’ll learn the top facts about their business or organization, as well as why they made the list, which comes down to impact, scalability, health, and unique value proposition.
I encourage you to look for these weekly updates, share the card with your network, and support or buy the products and services they offer. See the 52 Most Wanted Post 9/11 Frontline Leaders launch story here.
4 of Clubs | Googan Squad
Robert Terkla had no intention to leave the military in 2014 when he was medically discharged. He was living his dream, one that was grounded in a lifelong passion for the outdoors, including hunting and fishing—and when he wasn’t doing that, incessantly playing tactical shooting video games, such as SOCOM II. Yet with a medical discharge, there was no other choice. He needed to start a new chapter. And his post-military story has been an example to Never Fear Anything, which also happens to be the title of his 2018 book that offers a raw perspective of a U.S. Army sniper fighting in the nation’s longest war. Robert relied on the 10,000 hours theory and focused on what he knew—gaming, fishing, and hunting.
His first venture took place in 2014 when he bought in to a small operation, UMG Media, to take on the largest player in the eSports space, Major League Gaming (MLG). In one year, UMG’s profit rose 30-fold: they now rival MLG and are a driving force in the industry. Robert then went on to found LunkersTV, a YouTube channel that offered him the chance to share his passion for fishing and hunting. This endeavor swiftly turned into a million subscribers. From there, the Googan Squad came to fruition—a light-hearted self-deprecating reference that Robert embraces and leads, referring to rogue fisherman who lack fishing “etiquette.” This business now offers a line of Googan Baits that bass fishers across the country want in their tackle box. Along the way, Robert has been forthright in sharing how he made his way after the military, welcome candor that has been highlighted by a Medal of Honor recipient to other YouTube influencers.
Robert Terkla is a frontline leader and his ventures should be on your list of most-wanted businesses to support in 2018.
Frontline Leader (Founder): Robert Terkla.
Name of Company/Organization: UMG Media, LunkersTV, Googan Squad, founded 2012/2014, 2015, 2016.
Location: YouTube, of course. And, you can purchase Googan Baits just about anywhere you’d shop for bait, from online stores (Field & Stream, for example) to Dick’s Sporting Goods stores.
Post 9/11 Service Connection: U.S. Army, sniper.
Tours of Duty: Iraq and Afghanistan.
One sentence tagline &/or mission statement: UMG Media. LunkersTV, Googan Squad. Googan Baits.
Website: https://umggaming.com/ & https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt_ePtr2GAaHMvlVo6Jnq_g & https://googansquad.com/
