Darren Tompkins on military service business growth and better balance

Founders Journey Podcast · May 7, 2026 · 1h 1m

We sit down with Darren Tompkins to trace the path from Salem, Virginia, to military service, college, and business ownership. He talks about growing up with financial strain, a painful divorce, and the pressure that shaped his early years. Yet he also explains how sports, movies, comics, and music gave him structure and relief. That context matters, because it laid the groundwork for his entrepreneur mindset.

What Darren learned from service

Darren walks us through his Army years, including deployments, ROTC, and the leadership pressure that came with returning to school later than most…