Meet Justin Caraway

We were lucky to catch up with Justin Caraway recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?

Persistence in the face of haters and nay-sayers is all about staying focused on my passions for scaling our brand and the community it shares. I’ve learned in the short time I’ve been involved in the fishing industry that there is always a person or group that will try to derail your vision, question your approach or try to put up roadblocks to stunt your growth as a company. However, those acts only fuel my desires to win and overcome the obstacles placed in my path. I believe in the value of what our brand has to offer. Whether that is the quality of our products, price points we are able to provide or shared experiences with our peers. Those beliefs alone keep me going.

I spent over 20 years in public service prior to entering this industry. I learned to have resilience early on. I remind myself why I started and who I’m doing it for, namely my family and our target customer, the blue-collar workers, of this Country, instead of allowing the negativity to slow me down, I listen to constructive feedback, improve where needed, and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Ultimately, it’s the positive support and feedback from our customers and the growth I’ve seen in my business that drowns out the noise.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I recently retired from being an elected Sheriff in the State of Texas. However, I started my venture in the Fishing and Outdoors Industry in August of 2023. In August of 2023 we were presented with an opportunity to purchase a Soft Plastics Fishing Company, Hag’s Tornado Bait, in Abilene, Texas. The company originated in 2008 with an original soft plastic, ribbed, straight tail worm, The Hag’s Tornado, and two creature style baits, with a focus on Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass.

Upon taking possession of the company and their assets, we changed the named to Hag’s Bait to be more expansive within the industry. We found the name change still paid homage to the original founder, Tommy Hagler, while allowing us to expand the brand into today’s relevant techniques and elite bait making materials. Unbeknownst to us, we would stumble into a fishing rod company the exact same year. This company would be transformed into our “Blue Collar Rod” Series launched in the Summer of 2024.

Since entering the fishing industry, we have created, manufactured and launched two new soft plastics bait designs and began manufacturing tungsten products overseas. I find a great amount of joy within this company and industry as it allows me to be creative and also promote our brand through a core set of values with connecting with our targeted customer base. Our goal is to provide “Elite Gear for the Working Class Angler”.

Growing up in a rural middle-class family, I witnessed the hard work it required to acquire material possessions for hobbies. My father and I fished a lot growing up. Whether that was in local ranch ponds or area lakes. I learned to appreciate new lures and rods I was provided. However, I was never able to purchase some of the “higher end” brands available at the time. When we first entered this industry, my mind was hyper focused on creating equal quality to the perceived elite brands within in the industry and sell them at working class affordable prices. Every angler deserves the right to have the best out there for an affordable price. Our brand, Hag’s Baits, is and will always be focused on the everyday angler, from kids to adults. We want our valued customers and supporters to know we have them in mind every step of the way with innovation, manufacturing and sales.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

My main three qualities or skills would have to be the ability to communicate and or connect with the people within my target market. Second, being able to self-start (being driven) and motivate myself through each process with the ability to make immediate corrections when I make a mistake. Lastly, learning that I could not do everything and allowing others to help me in certain areas. Time is your greatest asset.

The ability to connect and effectively communicate with peers, manufacturers and end customers is crucial in so many ways. First, effective communication also involves the act of listening. Listening to what others are doing within the space. Listening to suggestions from manufacturers when trying to improve products and finally listening to your customers’ expectations of products and service after the sale. In life I have always tried to surround myself with people that have more life experience, education and creativity. Then soak up every crumb of knowledge they allow and transform it into my own process. With this, don’t be afraid to share your knowledge with people. Share your mistakes and what you did to overcome whatever set back you faced. I can assure you everyone has failed at something, but few are willing to admit them and ask for help to resolve the issue.

It is important to stay driven and passionate about your business, idea or whatever you are pursuing in life. Sure, there will be people who question your vision or even try to make it harder for you to succeed within your space or industry. Staying focused even in the down days is crucial. I feel like I’m failing and going to lose it all most days. But take the time to regroup, focus on small steps of achievement each day and realize that great things take time to build. Know and accept that mistakes will be made along the way. Just learn to pivot faster and overcome the setback with another small step of achievement the following days ahead. Remember, your future deserves your best right now.

Finally, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP! This was and still is one of my biggest weaknesses. There were some things within business growth that are worth asking for help. For me, it was letting go of graphic design for custom packaging, branding and catalog development. The creative aspect of this was something I really enjoyed. However, I was still trying to grow the business into retail locations and expand the brand products. You will reach a point that the list of “to do’s” gets so great it may cause you to just shut down mentally. I can speak on this from experience. In the beginning, you wear many hats. You’re the content developer/marketer, brand identity, product developer, product tester, bookkeeper, order fulfiller, salesperson, call taker and the list can go on and on. I finally reached the point to ask for help on graphic design, photography, videography, product testing, cataloging and much more. Delegating and subcontracting specific tasks to field experts began making my life so much easier. Yes, this does cost you and your company money in the beginning. But you are saving the most valuable asset you have, time. While others are working on the jobs you subcontracted out, it allows you more time to focus on the many other tasks you must accomplish to scale. Spreading the work out amongst other professionals allows you the greater opportunity and advantage to capitalize on key growth points within your business.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

I truly feel the most impactful thing my parents did for me was instill a strong work ethic within me. Growing up in a middle-class household, I recognized that anything you wanted took effort initially and then a willingness to work toward the desired goal. Nothing came easy and no one was going to give it to you. It was essential to develop a mindset to withstand hardship with enough composure to maintain a steady course toward achievement.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hagsbaits.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hags_baits/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hagstornadobait
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/justin.caraway.54

Image Credits

Justin Caraway
John “Ziggy” Rees
Wendell Ramsey Sr
Brady Stanford
Brady Bush
Mark Olson