Author: Faiysal Kothiwala
Published at: Aug 15, 2025
(5 MINUTE READ)
Ten years ago, I was mixing beard oils in my basement.
Today I'm still mixing beard oils. Just with better equipment and way more gray in my beard.
The Beard Struggle just hit its tenth year. Ten years of getting my ass kicked, learning hard lessons, and building something I never imagined.
Here's what a decade of mistakes taught me. Now I have the privilege of sharing them with you...
I've watched naturally gifted guys crash and burn because they thought being smart was enough.
Meanwhile, the guy who wasn't the sharpest in the room but showed up every single day? He's the one building something that lasts.
The man who works hard will always beat the naturally talented man. But only if he's working on the right things.
This one used to mess with my head.
Some people just don’t get what we stand for. Others say we take masculinity too seriously. Some think the whole brotherhood thing is marketing bullshit.
You know what I realized? Good.
This brand was never meant for everyone. This brotherhood is for men who understand what we're really about. And I wouldn't trade that for a million extra customers.
The ones who get it? They're sending me pictures of their eight-year-old sons asking when they can start growing beards like dad. They're writing me emails about how taking care of themselves changed how they show up for their families.
Lesson 2: It’s impossible to please everyone, so don’t waste your time trying.
If it's easy to make, it's probably forgettable.
We could've cut corners a thousand times. Cheaper ingredients. Faster production. Push products out the door because people were asking for them.
But whether it's our oils, our community, or our word - we don't do shortcuts.
Does it make life harder? Hell yes. But when you reach for that bottle in the morning, you know it's going to work. When you join our community, you know you're getting the real thing.
That's worth every extra hour, every additional cost, every sleepless night perfecting the formula.
Lesson 3: You’ll never regret anything you gave 100% to.
We're not Tom Ford, but we do know something about how a man carries himself through scent.
Your scent isn't just fragrance. It's presence. It's how people remember you when you're not even in the room.
I've had men tell me their wives associate our oils with feeling safe. Fathers say their kids know they're home just from the scent walking through the door.
That's not some marketing campaign. That's real life. That's legacy.
Lesson 4: Your scent is a part of your identity. Never compromise on who you are.
The discipline to oil your beard every morning is the same discipline that gets you to work on time.
The same discipline that makes you show up for your family. The same discipline that makes you reliable.
Taking care of yourself isn't vanity. It's practice for taking care of everything else that matters.
When you learn to show up for yourself first, you become the kind of man others can count on.
When you respect yourself enough to maintain your appearance, you're practicing respect for everything else in your life.
Lesson 5: Taking care of yourself is the first step towards taking care of those you love.
When masculinity comes from discipline, service, and purpose, it builds homes. It builds families. It builds futures. It builds communities.
I'm tired of good men being told to apologize for wanting to be strong and reliable. The world needs more men who take responsibility, not fewer.
Be the man people can count on. Your word means something. Your presence makes things better. Your strength protects what matters.
That's not toxic. That's necessary.
Lesson 6: True masculinity is a force for good. Be proud of who you are.
The messages I see between you guys hit different.
When someone's going through a divorce, you show up with real advice. When a brother finally lands that job he's been chasing, you celebrate like it's your own win.
When life knocks a man down, you help him get back up.
No ad agency can manufacture that. No marketing budget can buy genuine care.
Lesson 7: Life can be cruel and unfair sometimes, but you never have to fight alone.
Every good thing that happened had people behind it.
My wife believing in this when it made zero financial sense. My team grinding through eighteen-hour days when we had no money.
You guys standing by me when time got tough.
The strongest men I know aren't lone wolves. They're surrounded by people who make them better, and they do the same for others.
Lesson 8: Success is a team sport, even when your name is on the door.
Character isn't what you do on stage. It's what you do in the dark.
When you're alone with your thoughts, your choices, your temptations - that's when you find out who you really are. When nobody's watching, nobody's judging, nobody will ever know.
Do you keep your word to yourself? Do you do the right thing even when it costs you? Do you stay disciplined when discipline is hard?
Lesson 9: The man you are in private is the man you really are. Everything else is just performance.
Ten years isn't the finish line. It's barely the beginning.
I'm hungrier now than when I started. More driven. More focused on what actually matters.
We've got more work to do, more brothers to serve, more young men to show what's possible when you don't quit on yourself.
This decade taught me that success isn't reaching the top. It's becoming the kind of man who keeps climbing, keeps building, keeps serving something bigger than himself.
Lesson 10: When you live in service of others, your work is never done.
FINAL THOUGHTS?
Ten years ago I had no idea what I was doing.
I just knew something was missing. Men walking around lost, apologizing for wanting to be strong.
I thought maybe I could help a few guys. Make a small difference.
Now I know what we're building. A brotherhood where good men can be proud of who they are.
Thanks for showing me what was possible.
Skål,
Faiysal
Ready to join something real?
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