Jack Wiles: RAF Regiment, SFSG & Building RB Club From Scratch | Combat Fuel Podcast
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In this episode of the Combat Fuel Podcast, we sit down with Jack Wiles former RAF Regiment and Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) soldier, and now founder of RB Club, a rapidly growing rugby-inspired clothing brand.
Jack spent 10 years serving in the RAF Regiment and SFSG before deciding military life was no longer the direction he wanted to pursue. He talks openly about joining the RAF Regiment almost by accident, his experiences during training, moving into SFSG, operating alongside different military units, and why he ultimately decided against pursuing Special Forces selection.
But Jack’s story after the military is just as interesting.
During a deployment, he taught himself how to sew and began making kit and wash bags for the lads around him. That eventually developed into an idea to turn old rugby jerseys into handmade bucket hats — laying the foundations for what would later become RB Club.
Jack explains how he left the security of a military wage, sold almost everything he owned, and committed to building a business without having any formal background in fashion, clothing, marketing, or e-commerce.
We discuss the reality behind building RB Club — from packing hundreds of orders himself and developing products months in advance, to nearly losing the business through poor advertising management and then turning things around.
Jack also shares why he believes military discipline has transferred directly into entrepreneurship, why he still struggles to feel satisfied after major successes, and his ambition to build RB Club into something completely different within the rugby clothing market.
In this episode, we cover:
- Growing up in South Wales
- Joining the RAF Regiment
- RAF Regiment training and military culture
- Serving for 10 years
- Moving into SFSG
- The realities of serving within the Special Forces Support Group
- Why Jack chose not to pursue Special Forces selection
- Learning to sew while deployed
- Making kit and wash bags for other soldiers
- Turning old rugby jerseys into bucket hats
- Leaving the military and taking the risk of starting a business
- Selling his belongings before transitioning out
- Building RB Club
- Going from handmade bucket hats into a full clothing range
- Product design, quality control and manufacturing
- Packing more than 500 orders himself
- Building a veteran-owned brand without relying on the veteran label
- Nearly losing the business because of poor advertising
- Learning Meta Ads, marketing and e-commerce
- Scaling RB Club and developing future clothing collections
- ADHD, work ethic and relentless ambition
- Military discipline in civilian business
- Customer service, authenticity and building a community
- The future of RB Club
This episode is for anyone interested in RAF Regiment life, SFSG, military transition, veteran-owned businesses, entrepreneurship, rugby culture, clothing brands, e-commerce, discipline and building something from the ground up.
Guest:
Jack Wiles
Former RAF Regiment & SFSG | Founder, RB Club
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/_rbclub/
Website:
https://rbclub.co.uk/
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Disclaimer:
This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical or nutritional advice.
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🎬 YOUTUBE CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction & Jack Wiles 00:45 RAF Regiment, SFSG & RB Club 01:45 Why Jack Joined the RAF Regiment 02:40 Growing Up in South Wales 05:00 Childhood, School & Finding Direction 10:00 Joining the Military at a Difficult Point in Life 15:00 RAF Regiment Culture & Military Banter 18:00 RAF Regiment Training 21:30 Military Fitness & Life in the Regiment 24:30 Moving Into SFSG 27:00 The Reality of Life in SFSG 30:30 Why Jack Didn't Want Special Forces Selection 32:00 Learning to Sew on Deployment 33:30 The First Rugby Bucket Hat Idea 35:00 Leaving the Military & Selling Everything 38:00 Military Work Ethic in Business 40:00 Turning Bucket Hats Into RB Club 42:00 Building a Rugby Clothing Brand 45:00 Product Development & Refusing to Compromise 48:00 Learning Fashion & Manufacturing From Scratch 50:00 Selling Hundreds of Products in a Day 52:00 Never Feeling Satisfied With Success 54:00 ADHD, Work Ethic & Business Pressure 56:00 Nearly Losing RB Club 58:00 How Bad Advertising Almost Destroyed the Business 1:00:00 Turning the Business Around 1:02:00 The Future of RB Club 1:04:00 Events, Rugby Clubs & Building the Brand 1:06:00 Running Almost Everything Himself 1:08:00 Creating Content Without Expensive Equipment 1:10:00 Authenticity, Customers & Social Media 1:12:00 Advice to His Younger Self 1:12:40 Final Thoughts
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