April 8, 2026

From a Weekend Campout and G.I. Joe to Camping World: The FlagPole Buddy Story

From a Weekend Campout and G.I. Joe to Camping World: The FlagPole Buddy Story

Send us Fan Mail Beyond the Brand Is Sponsored by FlagPole Buddy Jennifer sits down with Dave and Christine Jahnz — and their spirited office manager Sasha — the team behind FlagPole Buddy, to uncover the origin story, the innovation, and the community at the heart of this beloved RV brand. Learn How: • A weekend in the desert, a bungee cord, and a G.I. Joe sparked an idea • The Hershey RV show landed FlagPole Buddy in Camping World •&nbsp...

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YouTube podcast player iconApple Podcasts podcast player iconSpotify podcast player iconPodchaser podcast player iconPodcast Addict podcast player iconDeezer podcast player iconPlayerFM podcast player icon

Send us Fan Mail

Beyond the Brand Is Sponsored by FlagPole Buddy

Jennifer sits down with Dave and Christine Jahnz — and their spirited office manager Sasha — the team behind FlagPole Buddy, to uncover the origin story, the innovation, and the community at the heart of this beloved RV brand.

Learn How:

• A weekend in the desert, a bungee cord, and a G.I. Joe sparked an idea

• The Hershey RV show landed FlagPole Buddy in Camping World

• FlagPole Buddy is as useful for remote workers as it is with flag flyers

• The full product lineup — from ladder mounts to Starlink Mini solutions built for Overlanders — are built to the highest quality standards

• FlagPole Buddy sets itself apart in a market that’s gotten crowded fast

Links & Resources:

🏕️ FlagPole Buddy: flagpolebuddy.com

📸 Instagram: @flagpole_buddy

👍 Facebook: facebook.com/flagpolebuddy

📖 Read the FlagPole Buddy story: learntorv.com/flagpole-buddy-story

📡 WiFi on the Road: learntorv.com/working-from-the-road

👉 More RV Life Resources: learntorv.com

👥 Join Our Free Facebook Community: Learn To RV: The Community

📸 Follow Our Adventures: @LearnToRV

📺 Watch on YouTube: Learn To RV Channel

🎙️ Podcast Website: learntorvthepodcast.com

💛 Support the Podcast:

Patreon (Join the Campfire Crew for bonus and exclusive content, early access, + swag)

Buy Me a Coffee (drop us a tip ☕)

💬 Do you fly a flag or run Starlink from your rig? Tell your campsite setup story in our Facebook community!

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WEBVTT

00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:11.679
To start off, I'd love for you guys to introduce yourself and give us a 30-second like what is flagpole buddy.

00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:13.199
Let's introduce ourselves first.

00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:14.400
I'm Dave Jans.

00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:15.679
This is my wife, Christine.

00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:18.239
I'm Christine Jans.

00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:19.280
I'm the president.

00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:20.640
She's president.

00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:24.800
And then outside the window over here, we have uh Sasha.

00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:26.719
There she is right there hanging out.

00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:29.120
She's uh like Sasha and I'm the problem.

00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:31.039
Yeah, pretty much she's a problem.

00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:32.240
Problem child.

00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:37.600
She's an office manager, manufacturing, not manufacturing uh just marketing and operations.

00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:45.600
So I run like the day-to-day and run our social media, and I wear the hat that's given to me for the day.

00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:47.520
She does almost everything.

00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:52.159
It's very hard though, because her head's really big, so we have to get some really big hats.

00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:56.880
You know, flagpole buddy suggests that all you do is flags, but it's gonna be so much more than that.

00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:04.000
So the idea behind Beyond the Brand is getting to know you, the company a little bit, and telling the story behind the story.

00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:13.920
Beyond the brand is kind of getting beyond just the products, although those are absolutely important and there's some great products out there, but I think so many people don't know what's out there.

00:01:14.079 --> 00:01:27.840
So the podcast is very dedicated to like talking about you guys, what made you start it, what made you get involved, but then you know, kind of an overview, and then we're gonna deep dive into like what your product line is and that sort of thing.

00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:28.560
Does that make sense?

00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:29.519
Oh, yeah, perfect.

00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:29.840
Yeah.

00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:30.480
Awesome.

00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:32.640
So let's take us back to the beginning.

00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:34.959
When you guys started, where were you?

00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:37.359
Did you already were you in the RV space?

00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:40.799
Well, I was born in a small town, Laporte, Indiana.

00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:42.799
Had no idea about RVs.

00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:45.280
This is we're talking 66 years ago.

00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:54.400
And I ended up in aerospace after after uh working in a foundry for a long time, and I ended up going to Purdue, Purdue University, yeah, go Boilermakers.

00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:57.120
Yeah, they're in the basketball suite 16.

00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:02.879
And so after college, I ended up in Tucson, Arizona as an aerospace engineer for Hughes Aircraft.

00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:04.799
That company went down.

00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:11.680
I ended up here in California at a company that made turbine engines for uh aircraft, right?

00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:17.840
And I think within two years I met you, maybe three years of that.

00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:23.599
And Christine was uh in um accounting and all over the place.

00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:26.800
And at one time you were like even my secretary, remember that?

00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:27.919
That was kind of cool.

00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:29.280
She was right over the wall for me.

00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:32.639
So I could hear her flirting with guys on the phone on the phone, you know.

00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:34.400
And I was on the other side.

00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:35.919
I would never flirt with anybody.

00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:37.360
Yeah, it was a great.

00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:42.719
So we got married 35 years ago, and uh it's been bliss ever since.

00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:44.080
So that's awesome.

00:02:44.879 --> 00:02:48.080
I thought I heard Sasha back there mouthing off.

00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:50.319
Um not a word for me.

00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:52.080
I hear you back there, see?

00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:52.400
Okay.

00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:59.439
In um 2004, I kind of got tired of the corporate life.

00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:07.280
You know, you you you go up the ladder and do all that, you have to kind of climb over people and things, and it's not very fun.

00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:09.360
I was just like, this this sucks.

00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:10.400
It was just awful.

00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:20.639
So in 2004, I came up with this idea of how to hold a flagpole on an RV because we would go out to the desert.

00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:22.400
She she taught me all about the desert.

00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:23.120
I knew nothing.

00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:25.280
From Indiana, all there is is cornfields, right?

00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:25.840
Forever.

00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:29.439
So I knew a lot about corn and cows and things like that.

00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:32.080
So we went out to the desert and I just loved it.

00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:42.159
And we'd race out every weekend and we'd put our bungee our flagpole up to our RV, and then people would find our RV because of the flag we put up, right?

00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:49.840
And so at the end of the day, uh taking it down, you're cutting and doing all this stuff, and it's like, oh, it's a pain in the butt.

00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:55.439
So I'm sitting there thinking, okay, so I'm sitting there drinking and thinking, right, having some cocktails.

00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:57.520
Hey, some of the best ideas come from that.

00:03:57.680 --> 00:03:58.240
I'm just saying.

00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:00.080
It gets better.

00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:04.080
So I'm drinking, I'm thinking there's gotta be a way to do this, right?

00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:13.039
Hold this thing in two spots without having to climb up the ladder and put the pole down into something and hang on to the ladder and zip tie and do all that stuff.

00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:15.919
So I'm thinking back to my my childhood days, right?

00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:18.000
And there's this saying, GI Joe.

00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:19.199
I don't know if you remember G.I.

00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:20.079
Joe or not.

00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:20.639
G.I.

00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:24.000
Joe could hold just about anything, could grip things.

00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:25.680
It was like, how does this G.I.

00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:26.560
Joe grip things?

00:04:26.639 --> 00:04:27.360
And I can't.

00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:38.399
So I'm sitting there messing around, and I came up with this idea right here of actually taking taking a pole and angling it in and putting it in like that.

00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:39.920
So it's kind of like what G.I.

00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:40.800
Joe was doing.

00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:42.480
And so it's like, oh, okay, cool.

00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:49.519
So I made some and and I gave them to my friends, and then I said, and she said, uh, we should do something with that.

00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:54.319
And so I got a patent on it, and we started our little business out of the garage.

00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:58.560
And within a few years, uh it started going a little somewhere.

00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:04.879
And then Christine quit her aerospace job 2008 and went into the garage.

00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:05.279
Yes.

00:05:05.439 --> 00:05:08.000
So here's my wife at the garage working.

00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:13.199
So we had cameras all up and everything because people would come to the house and buy the product.

00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:15.519
And it was like, this is I don't really like that.

00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:22.959
So in like 2011, she was at a show with her friend selling, and it was uh Pennsylvania, it was the Hershey show.

00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:25.600
And she calls me, I'm in a meeting in corporate room.

00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:28.240
She calls me up, she says, Hey, this guy just came by.

00:05:28.319 --> 00:05:29.439
I'm like, Yeah, okay.

00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:30.480
Was he hitting on you?

00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:31.360
No, no, no.

00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:37.199
He says he's the owner of Camping World and he wants to get our product into his store.

00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:39.759
You know, not very trusting.

00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:40.399
I wasn't.

00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:43.120
And so I looked him up and I said, Well, what did he look like?

00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:46.240
And she says, Oh, he looks like this, and like, okay, that's pretty cool.

00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:47.279
It looks like them.

00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:53.279
And she said his name, and and it's just like this guy, Marcus Lamonis, owns Camping World.

00:05:53.519 --> 00:05:55.439
So I he asked me to call him.

00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:59.680
So I called him and talked to him about it, and he says, I want your product in the store.

00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:09.920
But wait, before he goes on, um, Marcus Lamoni, I asked for a business card, and he actually is like, Well, I don't carry a business card.

00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:14.399
He's like, Can you give me a piece of paper and I'll just write my name and my phone number down?

00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:17.120
So right there, I'm like, hmm, okay.

00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:18.639
I didn't really trust him.

00:06:18.720 --> 00:06:20.560
That's why I called David and asked him.

00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:21.040
Yeah.

00:06:21.199 --> 00:06:22.879
And I was that makes sense.

00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:31.680
I mean, I was just an event last week where you know, a lot of the senior executives don't carry business cards, or if they have them, they have less than 10 in their wallet.

00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:32.879
And so, yeah.

00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:36.079
I must be a senior executive because I only carry one.

00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:37.199
I don't carry any.

00:06:37.439 --> 00:06:41.759
So you're more senior than so you'd be writing your name down on a piece of paper now, too.

00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:42.399
I would.

00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:42.879
I would.

00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:48.079
So the funny so the funny thing is uh he he said, I'll take uh uh I want to put you in the store.

00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:49.759
Okay, call the call the buyer up.

00:06:49.839 --> 00:06:52.480
And we've been trying to get in the camping world for years, right?

00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:54.000
So we knew which buyer to call.

00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:58.720
So we call the buyer up, and a day later she says, she says, I'm sorry, we can't do that.

00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:01.920
We're downsizing, we're getting rid of small vendors and things like that.

00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:04.160
And like, okay, well, thank you.

00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:07.199
And I sent a nice email to Marcus, thank you very much.

00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:09.759
You know, the RV industry is great, and blah, blah, blah.

00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:16.399
And the next day I get a call from the buyer, and she says, Well, I'll take two of everything and put them in our stores.

00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:19.040
Like, okay, so that's cool.

00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:23.279
So, so we're doing pretty good there, and then the garage got too big, full of stuff.

00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:26.800
We had inventory in the house, in the bedroom, and it was just crazy.

00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:29.920
So the camping world started carrying our products.

00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:34.399
So then it's like, Christine found this place out in Elkone, California.

00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:39.120
So then I moved in here, and and we've got some good employees.

00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:40.560
Sasha's, she's out there.

00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:41.839
Sasha, turn your ears off.

00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:43.519
Turn your ears off, Sasha.

00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:44.480
I don't want to hear this.

00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:47.839
She's really, a really, really good employee.

00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:51.759
She's got great personality, she's great with customer.

00:07:52.079 --> 00:07:53.120
God, you're gonna make me cry.

00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:53.600
Stop it.

00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:56.560
We have two out in the shop here.

00:07:56.720 --> 00:07:58.480
They're they're fantastic also.

00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:08.720
And then when we when we make uh bigger pallets to go into Amazon, our ejection mold shop, which is not ours, it's next door, they manage to pallet everything for us.

00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:15.439
So we don't have as many employees because we outsource a lot of the work from that standpoint that we don't have to.

00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:18.720
You know, employees are are some of the harder things to deal with, right?

00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:19.279
For sure.

00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:26.160
So, what would you say the problem that you ran into that nobody was solving when you created Flagpull Buddy was?

00:08:26.319 --> 00:08:40.879
I mean, because it's a pretty unique item, you know, it it holds not just a flagpole now, and we're gonna hop into what else it holds, but it's it's one of those things that you know is a pretty unique item, but there weren't a lot of other competitors out there doing what you're doing.

00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:41.919
No, there wasn't.

00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:43.440
And that's the k that's the problem.

00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:45.200
Uh it was the zip ties.

00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:52.320
So if you didn't, if you just put it in a tube down low, the pole would actually bang on the ladder.

00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:54.720
So at night, it was just crazy.

00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:57.279
A lot of sound people would go up there and take them down.

00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:04.240
But what I solved is is having an upper support without having to climb the ladder to get to it.

00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:09.039
Yeah, to keep keep you off the ladder, because ladders are they're very unsafe.

00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:15.120
More people get hurt on ladders than any of us really realize, because it's very common.

00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:19.440
At our extended age, once you fall off a ladder, you're gonna be able to do it.

00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:26.080
These youngins that work here, they're 30 years old.

00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:27.840
Yeah, they know nothing.

00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:31.919
They know nothing about getting hurt.

00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:36.879
If you fall off a ladder three or four feet high, it it hurts.

00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:39.440
It can be a life-changing event if you get too high.

00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:45.759
And then, you know, a lot of these guys are getting stubborn and they say, I'm gonna climb that ladder anyway, and the wife's down there, don't climb the ladder.

00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:48.559
So that is the problem that we solved.

00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:57.679
We help people uh basically be safe, uh safer with their RV system, uh, with our flagpole system.

00:09:58.159 --> 00:09:58.720
For sure.

00:09:59.440 --> 00:10:00.159
Started selling.

00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:04.960
All right, so would would you was there ever a moment where you were like, This is it, I'm done?

00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:06.879
That was yesterday.

00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:09.759
Yeah, that's true.

00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:13.120
Sasha was mouthing off too much, and I said, That's it, I'm done.

00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:16.399
You gotta keep it light and fun in the workplace.

00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:16.799
Yeah.

00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:19.120
Goodness, don't have an HR department.

00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:20.000
Yeah.

00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:22.320
I am the HR department.

00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:29.840
So well, you know, I mean, being a small business, there's days that you just, you know, it it can feel insurmountable.

00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:34.480
Like some things just feel like they're against you, you know, show booth increases, all those things.

00:10:34.639 --> 00:10:36.879
And I mean, we've seen your teams all over the country.

00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:44.799
And so, you know, getting out there and getting your name out there is one of those things that as a small business owner myself, it's it's got its own set of challenges.

00:10:45.039 --> 00:10:48.879
When was the first sign you felt like you had something very real on your hands?

00:10:49.039 --> 00:10:53.600
Like, was it that moment with camping world or was it something else?

00:10:53.840 --> 00:10:59.120
I think it's when we actually got to move out of the garage and into this facility.

00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:00.240
That was huge.

00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:01.600
And that was all based on camping.

00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:03.039
Yeah, and that was yeah, it was.

00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:04.559
That that's when things changed.

00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:08.799
We did uh, I don't know if you're familiar with Courseite Arizona and the big RV event there.

00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:09.279
Yep.

00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:14.720
I remember, you know, before Kimmy took care of it, you know, I remember we we've been out there for years.

00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:18.320
Um, we haven't been out there since, well, it's been a bunch of years.

00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:24.399
So Yeah, we've been going to that probably 30 some years before we actually got into this business.

00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:29.360
We'd all go out with there with our friends and and put up flags and circle the wagons, right?

00:11:29.519 --> 00:11:34.559
And we could shop and shop and come back and yeah, show everybody what you got and that kind of stuff.

00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:42.960
But once we did our first show out there, which was pretty awful, it was main event, and we were in a canopy, a 10 by 10.

00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:43.200
Yeah.

00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:53.279
So we like went, then we went over to Tyson Wells, and we had our RV, and we sold off of it, and then we actually moved to the big tent.

00:11:53.519 --> 00:12:08.080
And the reason we moved to the big tent, because it was one of those days I'm thinking, I'm done with this, because we're outside and a storm came up, and all the all the the tents, the canopies, they just took off.

00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:18.320
Everything took off, and we're sitting inside R R V watching the canopies go and it's raining, we're not selling, we're miserable, it's cold, and I'm like, I don't want to do this anymore.

00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:22.159
But we said, okay, let's just try inside the big tent and see how that goes.

00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:23.440
And that went really well.

00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:25.200
So we do the big tent every year.

00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:29.759
We get you know three spots, and uh it's that's turned out really good.

00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:30.159
Yeah.

00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:31.279
So we that's fun.

00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:36.559
To think you started in a 10 by 10 outside, and now you're in three spots.

00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:41.039
Yeah, three whole spots, and you're in like the middle area of the big tent.

00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:41.919
That's awesome.

00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:43.919
Yeah, prime location in the big tent.

00:12:44.159 --> 00:12:48.080
When did you realize that flagpole buddy could be more than just four flags?

00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:49.840
I mean, because okay, so maybe you don't know.

00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:51.759
My background is in RV roofing.

00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:59.200
We own an RV roofing company, and so I can't tell you how many people mount their Starlink to the top of their roof, and I cringe every time.

00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:03.600
And so I tell everybody about flagpole buddy because you don't have to do it that way.

00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:04.399
Exactly.

00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:05.600
That's a good point.

00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:08.399
I think satellite dishes.

00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:11.759
Remember the the the um tailgators?

00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:12.240
Yep.

00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:20.320
I made I made a mount that attached onto our poles, and that was kind of uh like, hey, it's not just for that, for flags.

00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:25.440
And then when Starlink came out, I mean, as soon as I saw Starlink, I'm like, this is fantastic.

00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:30.720
So I bought the big first dish and and put that up on a pole, and it's heavy.

00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:40.320
I'm like, this is I don't like it, but I I knew that being a camper for all these years in RVR, the worst problem is these cell boosters.

00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:41.679
None of them work.

00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:53.519
I tried every one of them and I couldn't get them, maybe a little bit of work, but you know, if you don't have a cell signal for coming your direction from somewhere, you're never gonna pick it up anyway.

00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:56.720
So when I Starlink, I'm like, you can go anywhere.

00:13:56.960 --> 00:13:58.720
Wow, this is gonna sell.

00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:04.480
This was that a customer-driven idea, or was that something that you were like, no, this is what we have to do next?

00:14:05.039 --> 00:14:06.399
No, that's all that's me.

00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:10.080
Yeah, I was just just like this this has to do this.

00:14:10.240 --> 00:14:11.679
We've we've got the system.

00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:14.399
We this this is a natural for that.

00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:16.399
And I've tried to put other things up there.

00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:24.320
I put lights and things like that up there, and uh those are okay, but it's not a big it's not the seller that the Starlink is.

00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:24.879
Right.

00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:34.799
So what would you say makes your Starlink mount different from just like propping the dish up on the ground wherever they are, other than the fact people aren't gonna drive over it?

00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:37.440
Well, that that is I've heard stories.

00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:41.360
I've heard stories of uh deers taking them off with their horns, right?

00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:44.559
They get near them and they get caught in the cable and they run off.

00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:48.639
Kids ride their little ramps right over them.

00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:50.720
You hear all sorts of stories.

00:14:51.039 --> 00:15:02.960
And then, you know, the other problem is that if you're parked next to somebody in a campground and you want to put it out, you got to make sure you put it in front or back or somewhere because the side of the RV will get in get in the way.

00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:08.159
And so it's I don't know, putting it up above the rig just kind of made sense to me.

00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:08.960
For sure.

00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:14.879
So do you think the Starlink product line has changed how like people think about Flagpole Buddy as a whole, then?

00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:16.159
Yeah, yeah, I would hope.

00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:20.960
Yeah, because there's uh there's times I says, Well, why don't we change the name to Starlink Buddy?

00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:25.840
Well, I mean, I think Flagpole Buddy's well branded, so you know there's that side of it.

00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:32.399
What do you do you have any other campsite problems that you're looking at that you could, you know, probably solve with a similar item?

00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:34.639
We're always thinking of new issues.

00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:35.759
Oh, I come up with all things.

00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:37.600
Oh my gosh.

00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:42.159
My latest one, this would this is uh you're familiar with the Starlink Mini?

00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:48.080
Okay, so this is my I have uh my production, I have 40 3D printers.

00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:50.480
So I do my own production in-house.

00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:54.639
So I can design anything, and the next day I can test it out.

00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:58.000
And if somebody wants something special, I can design it for them.

00:15:58.159 --> 00:16:05.120
We have like there's uh when we started, there was like one ladder out there, and it was a one-inch diameter ladder.

00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:06.480
So I hard-tooled for that.

00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:09.120
And then I'm not saying there's a bigger one, two inch.

00:16:09.200 --> 00:16:13.279
Now there's square ones, now there's rectangular ones, now there's octagonal ones.

00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:15.519
There's 14 variations we have.

00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:16.320
Wow.

00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:19.279
So I've designed and we print those.

00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:26.080
So whoever wants something, if somebody calls and says, Hey, I I got this kind of ladder, and I said, Well, measure it, boom, I'll make you amount for it.

00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:26.720
Not a problem.

00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:30.080
So things like this is one of the newer, my newest things.

00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:34.159
This is what uh we call the fist, as you can key.

00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:38.399
It's uh it's a fist, and it holds a Starlink mini.

00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:42.799
So what you'll do It's on the suction cup.

00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:45.279
Not quite all the tight, but it's on the suction cup.

00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:48.320
And what you'll do is you go rotate it to wherever you want.

00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:50.159
That's really cool.

00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:53.519
So now you'll put it on the side of your RB anywhere you want.

00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:57.919
You can put it on your van, you can put it on the hood of your car and tilt it this way.

00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:00.080
It goes just about anyway.

00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:08.319
It's that's one of our one of our big items now is these industrial strength suction cups with our proprietary white material.

00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:10.079
Well, and they hold really well.

00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:16.720
We've been in a windstorm up to 70 miles an hour with them, and I mean we've gone out to check it and it's still holding strong.

00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:18.319
It is a great suction cup.

00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:20.000
It really does what it's supposed to do.

00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:25.599
What would you say surprised you about how the community, like the RV community, responded to your product?

00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:27.440
Does anything surprise you, Dave?

00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:29.279
What did you say, Sasha?

00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:31.599
Does anything surprise you?

00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:32.559
Uh uh no.

00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:37.440
Um, I'm surprised that I'm not surprised by much.

00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:38.880
Some things that don't sell.

00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:40.960
I am surprised at what doesn't sell.

00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:43.920
We have some lights that don't sell.

00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:44.880
Really cool.

00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:46.640
So like a sparkler, right?

00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:52.480
It fans out and it's solar powered, and you can crush it down and store it.

00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:55.200
And it's like make it into all different shapes.

00:17:55.359 --> 00:18:00.240
Yeah, you can make it into heart shapes, you can make it into a scorpion, all sorts of things.

00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:02.559
And I'm I'm just like, I don't get it.

00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:04.079
It doesn't, it's not selling.

00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:09.839
So if it means anything, I don't think I've ever seen one of those, and I've been a full-time RVR for 13 years.

00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:13.200
So maybe it's that people don't know that it exists.

00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:14.160
That's true.

00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:17.519
And they did just come out in January of this year.

00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:18.400
So what?

00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:19.359
It's only March.

00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:23.680
I know, but it you know so so they could find those on the website?

00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:24.240
Yes.

00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:25.599
Okay, gotcha.

00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:26.000
All right.

00:18:26.079 --> 00:18:31.839
So what would you say your is your core customer and has that shifted over the years?

00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:34.000
Yes, it has shifted.

00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:44.799
Uh when we first started out, it was the uh just the RVer that was going on vacation or you know, maybe a couple of weeks on the road, that kind of thing.

00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:51.039
But what happened was COVID, that pandemic really, really put us on the map, I think.

00:18:51.200 --> 00:18:56.960
Because at that point, the only place to go where you could be safe without having to wear a mask was your RV.

00:18:57.119 --> 00:19:00.640
So your whole family's in your RV, they're traveling all over the country.

00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:02.799
They couldn't make enough RVs.

00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:06.319
And with RVs, they want accessories.

00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:07.119
And guess what?

00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:09.119
You know, one of ours was an accessory.

00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:13.359
I look at us like a um a golfer, right?

00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:20.880
You go to the golf club, right, and and the resort, and you're talking to your buddy, and he says, Hey, I got this new titanium bubble.

00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:21.920
Wow, look at this.

00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:22.960
This is so cool.

00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:26.640
Next thing you know, he's got it, and the other guy's got it.

00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:28.559
And it's the same kind of thing with our product.

00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:33.119
The guy putting up his flagpole does that like that, and they says, Hey, how'd you do that?

00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:34.240
That's really cool.

00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:35.839
And I says, I want that.

00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:37.200
And so then they get it.

00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:38.720
It's kind of like that.

00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:42.240
It's a mentality thing, it's not a necessity item at all.

00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:44.640
People, you know, it's a nice thing to have.

00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:49.279
So I kind of'm like, okay, that people, those groups were great.

00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:53.680
But then after COVID, what happened is everybody wanted to work on the road.

00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:56.880
And so the Starlink thing just boomed.

00:19:57.039 --> 00:20:06.559
And so now our market is kind of changing to younger people who are full-timers with their families on the road and using the Starlink.

00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:08.160
Jeez, um, yeah.

00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:14.480
Well, and I mean, I think to a lot of people, even people that fly a flag, maybe don't fly a flag as much anymore.

00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:23.279
You know, I think that a lot of that has changed over the years, and you see that at the shows, you know, where there used to be, you know, hundreds of flags up, people don't take the time to do it.

00:20:23.359 --> 00:20:28.240
But boy, do they set up their Starlink because you can't have it without watching TV or something.

00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:31.200
So, you know, you know, for us it's a work thing too.

00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:32.319
So we understand that.

00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:39.359
For someone that maybe has both the flag mount and the Starlink mount, what does that campsite like setup kind of look like?

00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:41.200
Because I know for us it's really easy.

00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:50.000
I think it probably takes us eight, eight or nine minutes to set everything up from start to finish by the time you actually, you know, turn Starlink on and it finds the thing.

00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:52.240
So like the setup itself is very easy.

00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:53.599
It's a breakdown for us.

00:20:53.680 --> 00:20:56.559
We have the three-pole system where they click together.

00:20:56.640 --> 00:21:00.240
Um, so we have a bigger one, and we don't have the mini mount yet.

00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:03.599
Um, we have a mini mount for our truck, but not through you guys.

00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:05.519
And so that's a different type of mount.

00:21:05.599 --> 00:21:15.279
And it's actually because my husband will go to job sites where he's off-grid a lot of times, and that's sometimes the only way he can keep in touch with us from wherever he is.

00:21:15.359 --> 00:21:16.720
So we have one on the truck.

00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:29.119
But I bet that that one that you just showed would be a good mount for that because he could do that wherever he wanted to, so not not only that fist, but there's a few other flat mounting options now.

00:21:29.200 --> 00:21:36.240
So there's the fist, the sidearm, and a flat mount for suction cups on it that has done really well.

00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:41.279
And we are actually working on we talk about a change of customer.

00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:44.240
We are starting to dabble in the overland community.

00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:51.680
So a lot of those off grid or vehicle users that are using the mini, we have quite a few tailored options for that.

00:21:51.920 --> 00:21:52.720
That's awesome.

00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:59.680
So, is there a sequence like that you'd recommend if someone were looking at, you know, a flag pulp buddy mount for their Starlink?

00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:04.880
Where would you you'd first probably start by asking what kind of Starlink system do you have?

00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:05.359
Yes.

00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:06.799
So walk me through that.

00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:09.440
Sasha does Sasha, you take care of this.

00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:10.400
So go ahead.

00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:18.720
If you called me and said that you had a Starlink and you're looking to put it, usually a customer's gonna tell me if they're looking to put it on an RV or what they're looking to put it on.

00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:20.880
I'd ask you what generation you have.

00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:26.240
And then if it's going on an RV, my first option to you is gonna be a ladder mount.

00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:27.599
Because that's our bread and butter.

00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:28.640
It's what we're known for.

00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:32.400
And it's the easiest option to set it and forget it, right?

00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:38.720
Especially if it's part somebody who's an older crowd, who's a full-time RV, or you put it up and you just have to take your pull up and down.

00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:39.920
Easy peasy.

00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:46.160
Um, my next option would be on an RV, would be suction cups, because now you can move it around the ladder, right?

00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:58.640
So if you're somewhere where there's tree coverage or for whatever reason you're not getting good service, um, you can move it around the ladder to wherever's best or move it around the RV to wherever's best for you.

00:22:58.799 --> 00:23:09.119
Now, if you're somebody who's taking your Jeep out, you have a mini and you need something on the RV and you also need something on a vehicle, you could easily have your ladder mount.

00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:12.079
Again, that's where I'm gonna tell you to go first.

00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:19.440
But then we can put a flat mount or the sidearm or the any of the suction cup options onto your car.

00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:28.160
So I think they're all a good complementary to if you are an RVer who goes out, you'd have like the core item and then you can add something else to it.

00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:37.519
If you're not a big RVer and you're just an overlined kind of person, you go out, you're a weekend warrior, you're off the grid, or what have you, the flat mounting options are gonna be the best.

00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:44.720
Nobody really wants to put 13 feet of pole onto a forerunner or a Jeep or what have you.

00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:45.279
Right.

00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:47.039
No, that makes perfect sense.

00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:52.559
So, what would you say is something that people consistently get wrong about the flagpole buddy?

00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:54.640
I know it's a tough question.

00:23:55.200 --> 00:23:56.480
Get wrong.

00:23:56.720 --> 00:23:58.720
Do they confuse you with other brands?

00:23:58.880 --> 00:24:03.039
Do they Yeah, it's so it's not that they confuse us with other brands.

00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:09.680
It's going back to when Flagpole Buddy started, it answered a problem that wasn't being answered anywhere else.

00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:19.119
Now everybody thinks they can answer that problem, and the market is oversaturated with things that are not up to park for the price.

00:24:19.359 --> 00:24:26.240
So thankfully, Flypole Buddy's been around for the amount of time it's been around, has a proven track record of you get what you pay for.

00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:35.440
So that price for product discrepancy, because there's so much of it out there, that would probably be one of the bigger issues.

00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:36.240
Yeah.

00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:36.799
Yeah.

00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:38.319
No, that makes perfect sense.

00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:48.000
So if someone was on the fence about getting a Starlink mount specifically, what is one thing that usually like seals the deal for them to get a mount with Flypool Buddy?

00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:58.400
Convenience, customer service, warranty, the fact that you talk to a person and not AI generated human, AI generated, not human being, I guess.

00:24:58.559 --> 00:25:00.319
We're people and we're not just a business.

00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:06.079
And usually that all of those things, along with the quality of what you're getting, is why people shop with us.

00:25:06.319 --> 00:25:08.400
Well, and mine has lasted forever.

00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:12.640
I mean, I I would actually have to ask my husband how long we've owned it.

00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:17.920
I mean, it's it's we've had it since at least 2022 when we got our Starlink mount.

00:25:18.079 --> 00:25:20.000
It looks brand new, just like we just bought it.

00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:22.160
So it's not like it's weathered or anything.

00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:24.160
The quality is 100% there.

00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:29.119
What would you say the community means to let a brand like yours in the RV world?

00:25:29.440 --> 00:25:30.160
Dave Christine.

00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:31.759
Oh, community is huge.

00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:37.920
I mean, we are customer-based and we always want to help the community.

00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:44.079
Yeah, being R Vers, we understand what the RV are needs, and so we can try to help them.

00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:46.559
And the RV, uh I got lucky, I think.

00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:50.640
Uh, well, one, I got lucky with you, but the other I got lucky.

00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:59.039
The industry we're in, not knowing, not intentionally being in this industry, but the industry is a happy industry, right?

00:25:59.119 --> 00:25:59.920
People go RV.

00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:05.920
We've done some trade shows, uh, we've done some fairs, right?

00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:10.240
That's awful because people go to fairs and most of a lot of them aren't happy people.

00:26:10.559 --> 00:26:14.640
And uh so it's like I I don't want to be on round unhappy people.

00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:20.720
I spent 30 years in corporate life being around unhappy people, and and I don't want to do that anymore.

00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:24.000
Uh we don't do any other shows but RV shows.

00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:34.319
We once in a while you'll find this critankerous old man, but usually after you get through it a little bit, he'll laugh, laugh and smile, and and especially at the at the girls.

00:26:34.559 --> 00:26:39.359
I I'm just kind of there's I don't know, just to be a bother.

00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:40.319
Be there.

00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:41.759
No, not true.

00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:44.720
All right, so where can our listeners find you?

00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:48.720
Where's the best place to go shopping for a flagpole buddy or learn what it is?

00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:51.440
One, two, three.

00:26:51.599 --> 00:26:52.720
Five flagpole.

00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:57.680
And that'll be linked in the show notes.

00:26:57.839 --> 00:27:00.400
You know, do you guys have socials too that you have?

00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:02.400
Are you on like Facebook, Instagram?

00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:06.400
Yeah, it's flagpolebuddy on both Instagram and Facebook.

00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:08.400
And so it's a great place to follow along.

00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:09.519
Great, perfect, awesome.

00:27:09.759 --> 00:27:22.720
And I think the last thing I want to say is if if uh anybody wants to donate to my GoFundMe page, I have a GoFundMe for an RV game, phone an app game to play on your phone.

00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:23.680
Fun.

00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:26.400
It was it's it's the game is really cool.

00:27:26.559 --> 00:27:28.559
I just need some funds to get it going.

00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:32.319
And because I gotta pay somebody because I know how nothing about coding.

00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:34.160
I love the backstory.

00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:35.519
He has wanted to do this.

00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:39.440
I've been a part of Flypole Buddy since what 2022.

00:27:39.920 --> 00:27:45.119
And this was a thing much for much more time before my time here.

00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:48.160
And um, for one reason or another, right?

00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:59.440
It's a lot of work to make a game, it hasn't happened, but a little enticing for uh customers with this game comes rewards, promotions, discounts, things for the customer.

00:27:59.519 --> 00:28:02.319
It's not just a game, although it is a really fun game.

00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:04.079
It's a win-win for everybody.

00:28:04.319 --> 00:28:10.480
So if there's a developer out there right now listing, you know, that you know, yes, call us.

00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:12.000
Yeah, exactly.

00:28:12.319 --> 00:28:13.759
So that's awesome.

00:28:13.920 --> 00:28:18.960
Well, thanks for tuning in to this episode of Learn to RV the podcast on our Beyond the Brand series.

00:28:19.119 --> 00:28:21.119
I just want to thank you guys for joining us.

00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:29.519
You know, Dave, Christine, and Sasha, you know, Flagpull Buddy is one of those names in the industry that is well known, and we'd like to keep it that way.

00:28:29.599 --> 00:28:32.079
So we'd like to keep you in business as long as we can.

00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:46.880
If you do have questions about Flagpull Buddy, how it works, and you happen to be near me, I'm happy to show you my mount, not in a weird way, but it's it's it's a great tool and it stops you from growing into your roof or into the side of your coach, which you really don't want to do in the first place.

00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:50.400
So flagpolebuddy.com, stop by, see their stuff.

00:28:50.480 --> 00:28:52.400
I I think you said you're on Amazon too.

00:28:52.559 --> 00:28:55.200
You can get Flagpull Buddy pretty much wherever.

00:28:55.359 --> 00:29:02.960
If you are at a RV show or rally, ask the vendors, they'll show you how it works, even if you already own it and you're not using it to its full capacity.

00:29:03.279 --> 00:29:04.880
Sasha's been great to work with.

00:29:05.119 --> 00:29:12.720
I've been dealing with her for a couple months now, trying to get this episode recorded, and she is constantly replying back to me right away.

00:29:12.799 --> 00:29:18.400
And so if that's the type of team that they have, then that's the type of team you're gonna have all the way through.

00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:19.519
So thanks, guys.

00:29:19.680 --> 00:29:22.640
Thanks for being on Beyond the Brand, and we'll see you around the campfire.

00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:23.599
Sounds great.

00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:24.160
RV