Good Business with Clay Vaughan
Good Business with Clay Vaughan is a podcast about building companies that actually matter. Not just ones that grow, but ones that last. Ones that honor God, care for people, and create real value in the world.
Every week, Clay sits down with entrepreneurs, executives, and leaders who are walking that road in their own way. The conversations aren’t fluffy or surface-level. They get into the hard stuff—how to lead through chaos, how to build culture when it’s easier to cut corners, and how to keep purpose front and center when profit is shouting in your ear.
It’s a show about the kind of business most people want to run but few actually figure out. You’ll hear wins and mistakes, stories and strategies, but more importantly—you’ll hear what it looks like to run a business that’s both good at what it does and good for the people it touches.
If you want to grow, lead well, and make an impact that outlives you, this is your place.
Good Business with Clay Vaughan
From Six-Figure Consultant to Building a Premium Apparel Brand
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What makes someone walk away from a six-figure consulting career to start an apparel company with their best friends?
In this episode of Good Business, Clay and Luke sit down with Daniel Propp, co-founder of Custom Supply Group, to talk about entrepreneurship, business partnerships, founder fears, scaling culture, faith, leadership, and building a premium brand in one of the most competitive industries in the world.
Daniel shares his journey from studying mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama and working at Alvarez & Marsal to taking the leap into entrepreneurship alongside two childhood friends. Together, they unpack the emotional realities of building a business, navigating partnerships, hiring, scaling, culture, fear of failure, and why relationships matter more than revenue.
This conversation is honest, practical, and deeply encouraging for founders, entrepreneurs, operators, and anyone considering taking the leap into building something of their own.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
Why Daniel walked away from consulting to build an apparel company
The hidden emotional challenges founders face
Why fear of failure stops most people from starting
How childhood, faith, and immigrant parents shaped Daniel’s work ethic
What makes business partnerships succeed or fail
Why communication is everything between co-founders
How bitterness and comparison quietly damage teams
Why founders must define roles clearly to scale
The danger of trying to “look smart” instead of asking questions
Why culture matters more than products
How premium brands avoid the race to the bottom
The future of education, AI, and entrepreneurship
Key moments:
00:00 From six-figure consultant to apparel founder
02:00 Why Daniel left engineering and consulting
04:00 Growing up in a Russian-speaking immigrant household
06:00 Faith, sacrifice, and learning work ethic from his parents
08:00 Advice from Alvarez & Marsal leadership before leaving
11:00 Fear of failure and people-pleasing as a founder
15:00 Starting a company with childhood friends
18:00 The realities of business partnerships
20:00 Bitterness, comparison, and communication between founders
23:00 Do partnerships slow businesses down?
27:00 Defining company culture and shared vision
30:00 Why founders need structure and SOPs to scale
33:00 Learning sales from scratch in a brutal industry
37:00 Why the apparel industry is a race to the bottom
40:00 Building premium apparel instead of commodity products
43:00 “Fans first” and creating partners instead of customers
45:00 Scaling beyond founder dependency
54:00 The biggest mistake founders make: refusing to ask questions
57:00 Identity beyond business success
1:00:00 Daniel’s thoughts on AI and the future of education
1:03:00 The question Daniel leaves for the next founder guest
Standout Quotes:
“The biggest pain point was trying not to look dumb.”
“If at any point this business gets in the way of our relationship, we’re shutting it down.”
“You have to work extra hard when you’re building with people remotely because the lies start to creep in.”
“I am not a businessman first. I’m first and foremost a child of God.”
About Daniel Propp:
Daniel Propp is the co-founder of Custom Supply Group, a premium B2B apparel company creating brand-forward custom apparel for businesses, events, and organizations. Before launching the company, Daniel worked at Alvarez & Marsal after studying mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama.
Learn more about Custom Supply Group:
https://customsupplygroup.com
If you enjoyed this episode, share it with another founder, entrepreneur, or business owner trying to build something meaningful.
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