One of my frustrations for the longest time in the veteran space was a lack of agency. That’s one of the reasons’ I wrote the book Black Veteran Entrepreneur, and also why I’m excited about today’s guest Ruben Ayala, An Army Veteran, Green Beret, and Co-Founder of Triple Nikel, a veteran-owned streetwear brand promoting unity and honoring veterans of all shades and color. The name Triple Nikel is derived from the 555th Parachute Infantry Regiement, an all-black unit formed in 1943.
Ruben, along with his three co-founders, saw an opportunity to launch the brand, after George Floyd’s death, when so many other veteran brands took a polarizing position, alienating minority veterans like Ruben and I.
On the show, we discuss why so many of us felt alienated from the mainstream veteran narrative regarding social issues, how Triple Nikel is changing that, and what the future holds for Ruben and his team.