Oct. 9, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Silencer Central.

Jan. 31, 2012.

Brandon Maddox left a voicemail that would change his life.

He called the number for Dave Ramsey’s radio program, which prompted him to leave a message detailing what he’d like to discuss on the air with Ramsey.

The show called back 10 minutes later.

 “He loved your question,” they told him.

Shortly after, Maddox was on the air with the financial and leadership guru, describing the professional crossroads he found himself navigating.

He’d gone from a full-time leader in the pharmaceutical industry to part time, cut his six-figure salary in half and had to decide whether to go back to his full-time job or continue his side hustle helping clients purchase firearm suppressors.

“If I were in your shoes, you’re attempting to go full time with something you love. You love the gun business, you love the firearms world, you want to show people how to do this and how to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” Ramsey said during the call. “Nobody said you have to drop all your (pharmacy) licenses, (but) I think you need to do what you love.”

It was advice contrary to Maddox’s upbringing. The son of a college professor and the husband of a wife who’d also grown a successful pharmaceutical career, risk-taking was not inherent in their family.

“It was the transition point, and Dave was the first person who said, ‘Do what you love to do; do what you’re passionate about,’” Maddox said.

When Ramsey spoke, Maddox had learned to listen.

“It’s a huge thing in the South, where I’m from – his  billboards are everywhere,” Maddox said. “I’d always read the books and listened to the show. And as I went about growing Silencer Central, there were many times I thought: ‘I wish Dave could see this. He’s the one who convinced me to do this.’”

Maddox got to live that moment recently when he hosted Ramsey and a group of friends and colleagues who stopped by Silencer Central during a hunting trip to South Dakota.

It happened starting with mutual friend and TV personality Willie Robertson, best known for his appearances on “Duck Dynasty,” who mentioned to Maddox that Ramsey is a loyal hunter in South Dakota.

A little cyber-sleuthing led Maddox to find an email address for Ramsey’s assistant, and he made the invite. Schedules didn’t align last hunting season, but this year Maddox started early and upped the ante.

“I said I’ll give everyone on his trip a free silencer if they come do a tour here,” he said. “We’ll do all the paperwork, and they don’t have to do anything else.”

Ramsey later told Maddox he put the offer to a vote among his friends, and “100 percent of them said it was worth stopping in Sioux Falls,” he said.

When they flew in, Maddox was there to greet them and ended up riding with Ramsey to Silencer Central’s headquarters, which isn’t far from the airport.

“I told him the story, and, of course, he didn’t remember the call, but you could just feel the pride as he learned what the business had become,” Maddox said. “He was like: ‘I can’t believe I told you that, but I’m glad I did. This is so exciting.’ And then, when he walked in the building, he said: ‘I just love the smell of success. I’m so happy to be here.’”

The Silencer Central team delivered a VIP experience for the guests, helping them find suppressors – which then led to many of them buying more.

“Some of my team even got a little choked up when I said none of us would probably be here if Dave hadn’t convinced me to take the risk,” Maddox said. “And many of them love Dave Ramsey, too, so it was a really cool experience. One of his guests was a motivational coach, and he told me after that he felt the joy in the building and could feel what we’ve created, which was really great feedback.”

He and Ramsey also talked about connecting the Silencer Central team with some of Ramsey’s leadership programs and the potential for a  partnership around their shared commitment to charitable giving.

“He was great and just a genuine nice person,” Maddox said. “I could tell he loved seeing what had happened since my call, and being a firearms collector, he could relate to what we were delivering for the industry. I could tell the whole group was engaged and loved it. It’s a 22-minute flight on a jet from Sioux Falls to Pierre, where they were off to hunt, and I bet they were talking about it the whole way.”

To learn more about Silencer Central’s latest collaboration with the Buck Commander group led by Robertson, click below.

‘Buck Commander’ buddies partner with Silencer Central to co-brand newest product