Behind the Beard: Jeremiah Newton of The Bearded Bastard and Newton + Co

Behind the Beard: Jeremiah Newton of The Bearded Bastard and Newton + Co

What started as a side gig, turned into a thriving multi-brand business for serial entrepreneur, Jeremiah Newton.

Founded in 2011, The Bearded Bastard is a line of handmade beard grooming products in natural, adventurous scents inspired by Jeremiah himself and his trademark handlebar mustache. The brand has certainly made a name for itself over the years having been seen in major publications like Men’s Health, GQ, Esquire, Huffington Post UK, and Outside Magazines. They even recently teamed up with the Men’s Health subscription box for the promotion of the King Arthur film.

Being the entrepreneur he is, Jeremiah also launched a second business a year ago called Newton + Co which offers grooming products that extend beyond the beard.

Taking his passions to the next level proved to be quite the success for Jeremiah, and what he sees next for his brands is nothing short of that. “Expect beauty and magic.”

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What is your background and what were you doing right before starting The Bearded Bastard?

I’m a serial entrepreneur. My ventures in having fun and being myself have always led to making money. Right before I started TBB, I was recently divorced and about to get a job at a hat shop. I had created mustache wax to keep my Dali mustache in place and people started begging me to make them some as well. So I sold it on the side and it grew from there.

What has been the most unexpected part about having your own business?

Having to grow as a person in order to communicate with others and to create lasting communities.

How do you deal with competition? How do you remain true to your brand?

I don’t pay attention to the competitors because the only real competition is within yourself. I’m always pushing myself to be a better person and create better products. The only caveat is to listen to the pulse of what’s happening in the world.

I’m on the autistic scale so I embrace the chaos in my head and listen. I create in the madness of my creativity. If I stay true to that and follow that, then I know I’ll always remain true to my brand even if we have to streamline and outsource certain aspects of my business out of practical necessity.

Tell me about Newton + Co and why you decided to launch it.

TBB was a side venture that just blew up. I love the bearded culture and community but I have so much creativity and needed a way to express that. My heart is in scents and design. I didn’t want TBB to limit our scale and products. Sometimes my designs wouldn’t fit within TBB so N+CO is the manifestation of my growth as a person. I wanted to offer people my vision of high quality, all-natural grooming goods and beyond without having to be tied to the beard market.

Favorite thing to do in Austin after a stressful week?

Adventure with friends to find the new cool food spot or bar that Austin was embracing as it was and is blowing up.

What do you see for your brands over the next five years?

Expect beauty and magic.

What is the one piece of advice you have for those wanting to start their own business?

Get a good CPA and/or tax lawyer,  and get an amazing mentor who can show you the 360 degree side of business.

 

You can follow Jeremiah’s entrepreneurial journey and his beard on Instagram at @tbbinc and @newtonplusco or shop the products on thebeardedbastard.com and newtonplus.co

 

Images courtesy of The Bearded Bastard.