Max Berry and his team have taken Allegiance Flag Supply from a garage-based side hustle to a rapidly growing American manufacturing success story. With a background in hotel finance, Max brought a fresh set of eyes to the world of e-commerce, and it's clearly paid off. In just six years, Allegiance has expanded five times and now has over 60 employees in a brand new facility in North Charleston, South Carolina.
In this episode, I sat down with Max to dive into the journey of Allegiance Flag Supply. From the initial spark of inspiration to the challenges of scaling a business, Max shares his insights with refreshing candor and positivity. What struck me most of all was Max's commitment to building a brand with integrity and purpose. Whether he's talking about the importance of American manufacturing, the discipline of financial management, or the power of teamwork, Max's passion for creating something the right way shines through in every story and piece of advice.
You won't want to miss a single minute of this one.
Tune in to the full episode:
In the meantime, let's break down the best of the best from this week’s episode:
When you think about what makes a brand special, it's about the values they embody. And for Allegiance Flag Supply, those values are rooted in American manufacturing. Max puts it this way:
"We're really proud of Allegiance and what it stands for—American-made and being able to support American jobs. Our main value prop is really made in America, sourced in America. It's textile manufacturing, and especially here in the South, in South Carolina and North Carolina, we have such a rich history of being a hub for textile manufacturing."
I love how Allegiance has woven this commitment to American craftsmanship into every aspect of their brand. By tapping into the South's proud textile heritage, they've created something that feels authentic and meaningful. It's not just a flag; it's a symbol of the jobs they're supporting and the communities they're investing in.
Starting a business is hard. And one of the biggest challenges is making sure you're actually turning a profit. Allegiance has been laser focused on financial discipline from day one.
"We've always had that financial discipline from the start to always remain profitable. You have to know your numbers. You have to know what your COGS are. There's no way around that. If you're not putting anything to the bottom line, then what's the point? It's a business. You have to figure that out."
Preach, Max! I can't tell you how many times I've seen brilliant business ideas flame out because the founders got so caught up in the hype that they forgot to keep an eye on the bottom line. But Allegiance never lost sight of what matters most. By digging into their costs and margins, they've been able to make smart, strategic choices about where to invest and how to grow. And that, my friends, is how you build a business that lasts.
You know what they say: teamwork makes the dream work. And that couldn't be truer than when it comes to the co-founders of Allegiance Flag Supply. Each of them brings something unique to the table, as Max explains:
"It helps that all three of us have very different strengths and different personalities. Katie is very much in the brand—how do we look, how do we feel, what do we say, what's our tone? All of that. And then Wes is heavy in operations and also product development. I'm the finance guy, you know? Let's just make sure that we're selling well."
By leaning into what each of them does best, Max, Katie, and Wes have created a powerhouse team that's firing on all cylinders. And as someone who's been in the on the frontlines of building a business myself, I can tell you that kind of alignment is pure magic when you find it. When everyone's in their zone of genius, amazing things happen.
One thing that struck me away about Allegiance's story was how they've been able to turn even the most unexpected events into opportunities for growth. Max shared this wild and very timely example:
"We are seasonal, but everything that happened.. with the whole assassination attempt on Trump and then Biden dropping out of the race—all this stuff happened out of our season. And we had some of the biggest days of the year, which we shouldn't have from a seasonality standpoint."
In the midst of all that chaos and uncertainty, Allegiance was able to stay nimble and responsive, and it paid off big time. Sometimes the biggest opportunities come from the most unlikely places. The key is being ready to pivot and seize the moment when it arrives. That kind of agility is so crucial, things can change on a dime, and the companies that thrive are the ones that can adapt on the fly.