An American Dream
A Q&A interview with Kelly Wegner,
co-owner of “Authentically American” brand & business.
“The American Dream is not a limiting one.” - Kelly Wegner
This is the month of celebrating our country’s independence and our freedom. The perfect time to sit down with an entrepreneur girlfriend who co-founded a “distinctly American” business with her husband who is a military veteran, and learn the story behind its special cause and mission. Though small in size, Dean and Kelly Wegner’s “Authentically American” business is making a big impact. It has been featured in Forbes Magazine, on Fox & Friends, Yahoo Finance and other media outlets. I see Kelly’s story as one of ‘faith within its fabric.’ I hope it will inspire you to step out and begin your own “American Dream!”
LH: You have a business of American-made apparel with a ministry type of purpose behind it. What inspired the business to begin with?
KW: My husband, Dean is a former Army Ranger. He graduated from West Point (U.S. Military Academy) Flight school-Ranger school and served 7 years in the military. One day, we had a brainstorming meeting with a fellow Westpoint grad [originally part of the business and now in a consulting role]. An idea came from this meeting that started with a name: Authentically American. It was the spark for what became our apparel products.
LH: It’s interesting that you started with a name, rather than a product. How did the name become the product?
KW: Dean has experience in branding and also apparel, so it was a natural choice to pair this kind of product with our passion to provide jobs on American soil. Here’s a statistic people may not know: About 30 years ago, 70% of apparel worn in the USA was made in the USA. Now, less than 3% of what we wear in America is actually made here. We have lost an entire industry! Especially now with the COVID crisis, we’ve realized our country’s dependence on overseas manufacturing. It’s amazing how we have fashion giants right here in the USA… we have talented designers and manufacturing capability…yet, we have lost an industry. We wanted to be a part of bringing that back to American soil -- bringing together the creatives, the manufacturing, and also providing people with jobs.
LH: Does your passion for creating American jobs come from Dean’s military experience?
KW: Yes, and his desire to help families of others who have served. Dean’s 7 years of service were during a time of peace, so he did not serve in war. But he feels a profound sense of duty to give back to those who did. In our country, we say we honor our veterans but unfortunately, many of our programs that exist to provide dollars that should go to veterans and their families, they’ve had to fight very hard to get. As a business, we give 10% of profits to veteran and first responder charities.
LH: What are some of the charities your profits are shared with?
KW: The Folded Flag Foundation. Reboot Recovery. A Soldier’s Child. The Center For Courageous Kids. [See links in reSOURCEs at bottom].
LH: Can you give me an example of what these types of organizations do?
KW: A Soldier’s Child is a great story. It’s for kids who have lost a parent to military service. This beautiful ministry was created by a man who noticed that the son of his neighbor across the street, who had lost his father to military service, had a birthday coming up but no one was planning him a birthday party. So, they started planning birthday parties for kids and of course, as people found out about it they wanted to support it. It went from birthdays to Christmas and then tutorials…more ways to meet the needs of families who have lost parents in the military.
LH: I love that! One of the things I’m grateful for as an American is that I’m blessed to be able to give to causes and ministries outside of our country, helping people who do not have the same opportunities we have here in America [more on this later]. But I also think it’s important to support those here in our own country going through loss, struggle and hardship. Was your desire to also give back to first responders a natural extension of Dean’s military service?
KW: Yes, it’s a natural extension of that. Many first responders have prior military experience, and they are still willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good. We also give to medical personnel, especially in times like we are in right now with COVID. For example, we launched a “Buy 1 Feed 1” program for first responders that had a great impact donating many meals.
LH: Tell us about your product line.
KW: We offer high quality, competitively priced American-made clothing products. We have a business side of partnering with iconic American companies who want American-made products, and we also have a consumer side (for smaller order customers) now available on our website.
LH: I feel it’s important to acknowledge, in the times we’re living in, that there is some divisiveness surrounding the word “patriot.” What are your thoughts on this?
KW: We welcome diversity and respect differences. We have customers who are political candidates on both sides of the fence, and as a company are a completely apolitical [meaning, an organization that does not identify with any particular party]. We don’t take stances on political issues. We just want to give back to the country that we love. The American Dream is not a limiting one.
LH: That’s a great way of putting it – I agree! And in terms of giving, as mentioned earlier I’m intentional about supporting causes and ministries both in and outside of America. To that end, I learned in our conversation that we have something in common with a ministry we both support – Compassion International. I would love for our readers to know how your involvement in this ministry led to your adopting a child from Ethiopia?
KW: We were sponsoring kiddos with World Vision and Compassion International, and we took a trip to Dominican Republic to visit two of them who live there. When we came back from the trip, the Haiti earthquake happened. We were asking the Lord, “How can we help? What is our role?” A church service I visited was sharing how they were responding to help Haiti, and my heart was really moved that we should adopt a child from there. As we explored that possibility, there was some corruption that happened causing them to shut it down for a few years. The agency we were working with asked if we would consider adopting a child from Ethiopia instead. She sent us a picture of a baby boy, about a year and ½ old and said, “This little guy probably won’t make it. He is sick and needs medical help. Would you consider adopting him?” We said YES! Adopting our son, Eskel, has brought SO much joy to our family.
LH: Wow. To me, that’s a beautiful example of another aspect of the American Dream! When I hear that term, I think of being able to build something out of nothing. Having the opportunity to pursue what you want to pursue. But there’s more to it than that, especially in your story. On one side of the coin, you and Dean wanted to build something as entrepreneurs that you were passionate about – something that happens to have an ‘American’ reason behind it. You wanted to create jobs on American soil; you wanted to bless veterans’ families; you wanted to bless first responders who serve our country. To do this, you created a product that is American-made. The flip side of the coin is that what you are doing for others is also part of the American Dream. These people you’re able to bless with your business, as well as having the means to give a sick baby boy from another country, who needed a home, a better chance at life. Eskel now has the opportunity for his own American Dream! And we just never know how his American Dream might one day tie to his Ethiopian heritage. It’s an “American Dream ripple effect!”
KW: The Lord has commanded us to “Love God and love your neighbor”…so that’s what we strive to do. Not that we always get it right, but everything is rooted in hearts desiring to do the greater good.
LH: Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. I hope your guest blog inspires people who are reading it to think about their own personal American Dream, and have the courage to take the first step in doing it. Whether it’s opening a cupcake business, starting an Etsy store, building and selling furniture (as my husband I did with our furniture store for several years) – whatever that thing is that they haven’t had the courage to step out and do.
In closing, I’d love to share some of your personal “faith entrepreneur tips” that you’ve learned from pursuing your American Dream. Let’s discuss and I’ll put them in bullet points for our readers.
Tips from Kelly: What I’ve learned as an American Dream Entrepreneur
PRAYER IS ESSENTIAL... for guidance and direction. The Lord has provided for us every step of the way — the right people, the right opportunities, and the right resources.
INVITE FAITH TO THE PARTY INSTEAD OF FEAR. There’s a reason the Lord tells us more than any other command in Scripture, “do not fear.” We’ve chosen each time to invite faith. For example, we recently launched a NextSeed Campaign, inviting people to give in spite of the advice we heard during this Covid season we are in. We were told that right now, nobody is giving. “It will probably fail. This is the worst time to do this…people are scared.” But we prayed about it (because prayer is essential!), and we felt led to do it anyway. Which leads to my next tip…
TAKE THE RISK. Not only did we hit our maximum target early, we had people calling and saying, “Did we miss it? Can we still give?” It just goes to show the generosity of people’s hearts even in times when you least expect it.
TRUST THE LORD WITH OPEN HANDS. God will provide and meet our needs. Always! Correctly identifying our needs can be the trick part. The 11th hour might be upon you — find a quiet place and listen for His whisper. God has good things for you…and even in the midst of chaos, He is always calm.
FAILURE IS INEVITABLE, BUT NOT DETRIMENTAL. You’re going to hit moments of failure or road blocks, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the road for your dream. What do you do? You wake up. You pray. You take the next step. Do the next good thing. Don’t be paralyzed by failure. Hang on to knowing the Lord will not fail you.
TEAMWORK IS VITAL. Initially, it was just us. But we had to invite people in to help us, recognizing we didn’t have the expertise for certain things. Teamwork is invaluable, and letting them run with their individual giftedness and talent is key. It may take time to clearly identify the lanes, but it’s a wonderful thing when it happens. So, be intentional about that.
MENTORS MATTER. Seeking wisdom and direction from those with more knowledge and life experience has been both enjoyable and necessary. Find a guide…or a few!…and learn from them.
GIVE BACK. We’ve always said our business is very much God’s business first. When the Lord blesses, we give back! There are so many creative ways to do this — whether through business profits, time, products, organizing a movement to meet a need, or a combination of these ideas.
About Kelly Wegner
Kelly Wegner is a wife and mom of four kiddos who is passionate about God, family, and country. Together with her husband, Dean, she co-founded the Authentically American brand apparel, a company that provides Made in the USA co-branded apparel which donates 10% of profits to veteran and first responder focused charities.
Kelly’s reSOURCEs
Authentically American media coverage: Fox & Friends, Yahoo Finance and other media outlets
Authentically American podcast: Inspiring stories of great Americans
Charities that Authentically American gives back to - Check out their causes and support if you feel led to:
The Center For Courageous Kids
Compassion International - Sponsor a child
World Vision - Sponsor a child
Kelly’s favorite book recommendations:
Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life… and Maybe the World , By Admiral William H. McRaven
The Greatest Salesman in the World, By Og Mandino
No Wonder They Call Him Savior, By Max Lucado
Outliers - The Story of Success, By Malcolm Gladwell
The Case for Faith and The Case for Christ, By Lee Strobel