I'm Not Building Wienermobiles My Whole Life

In our latest podcast, Travis LeFever explains how he spotted an opportunity to bring health care to people in underserved communities—communities like the one where he was raised.

Good Morning!

Here are today’s highlights:    

• The presidential election will have a big impact on employment law.

• Even in Philadelphia, $500 hair appointments are becoming routine.

• More businesses are issuing product refunds without bothering to get a return.

• Wayfair says its deal with suppliers allows it to avoid carrying inventory and to discount without damaging its margins.

THE 21 HATS PODCAST

This week, special guest Travis LeFever shares the unusual journey he and his co-founder wife, Amanda, have taken to build Mission Mobile Medical, which makes mobile health clinics in Greensboro, N.C. That journey started with Travis partnering in a construction business by taking out 39 credit cards to borrow $250,000. The business did well, and he eventually bought out his partner, but when Travis’s father died unexpectedly, he was moved to sell the construction business and look for something more meaningful to do with his life.”

• That extended search led him, somewhat improbably, to overseeing sales for a company that manufactured specialty vehicles, including the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. It was there that Travis had another life-changing experience when a nurse with a federal grant asked if he could build a mobile clinic to reach patients in underserved communities.

• That was the spark that led Travis and Amanda to cash in their insurance policies and start Mission Mobile Medical in 2020. The company, whose remanufacturing process allows it to create clinics in less time and for less money than its competitors, expects to hit $60 million in revenue this year.

• You can subscribe to the 21 Hats Podcast wherever you get podcasts.