Tim Duba of Protekt: Five Life and Leadership Lessons I Learned In The Military

No matter the size of the team, strong communication is the key to success. As the leader, you need to effectively communicate your company’s strategies and goals so your employees have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. At the same time, your employees need to be encouraged to clearly communicate any struggles they are facing, and the solution they believe will best solve the problem.

As a part of our series about “Life and Leadership Lessons Learned In The Military”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Tim Duba, Navy Veteran and Co-Founder of Protekt.

Tim Duba is Co-Founder and President at Protekt. His entire family (grandparents, parents and older brother) were military so joining the Navy was always the plan. Tim met Nick Norris when they were paired up on the first day of at the US Naval Academy. They were roommates then, and again on active duty. Tim exited the surface community and returned to the University of Florida’s business school. From there, he held several operations, sales and marketing jobs before entering the entrepreneur space.

No one could’ve guessed that Tim and Nick would end up marrying twin sisters and going into business together. After reconnecting with Nick after both had spent several years in corporate America, and felt a desire to take more control of their lives and passions. The brand was conceptualized and was based around the idea of remaining functionally fit to pursue their hobbies into their older years. After pitching their mutual friends and co-founders Mark Healey and Andrew Powch, Protekt was born.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?

I grew up in a military family. My dad spent his career in the Navy, serving for 26 years before retiring as a captain. We moved every two years because of his job, which I think shaped a lot of my personality. Three of my grandparents also served in the military and my mom was a Navy nurse; it was instilled in my brother and I a desire to follow in their footsteps and service. My family believed that before you can take advantage of all the opportunities this country offers, you should try to serve it in some way, shape, or form, whether that’s a career for just five years.

And what are you doing today? Can you share a story that exemplifies the unique work that you are doing?

As Co-Founder and President of Protekt, we are innovating and improving different iterations of wellness products by putting more thought into the ingredients and how they all work together in a symphony. Within the supplement industry, most products are not regulated so customers have a hard time figuring out what to believe with all the different marketing claims other wellness companies showcase. Since the inception of Protekt, we decided that we are not going try to copy things that are already being done well. We want to improve or invent. Our whole team is made up of athletes, and the idea of Protekt started as a conversation about the best performance enhancers we’d used. The top three answers started with three essential functions — good sleep, proper hydration, and a strong immune system. One in three adults don’t get enough sleep every night and this has become a serious problem in our country. Hydration is also deficient in America. Obviously, this combination can put your body in a weakened state and leave it open to failure. After looking into how many Americans were in a sleep and hydration deficit, our team started researching on how Protekt can solve these issues that help our minds and bodies properly function. With 77% of Americans taking supplements on a daily basis, Protekt’s mission became driven by providing essential, clean supplements under one roof so our customers can establish a health baseline for improved performance. We provide people with a reputable brand that wouldn’t compromise by using cheap ingredients or placebo marketing.

Prior to the pandemic, we knew we wanted to make all of Protekt’s products in America even if it cost more, because we could ensure superior quality control and, hopefully, more jobs here in the USA.

Can you tell us a bit about your military background?

I was a Division Officer on a surface warfare ship in San Diego. I learned a LOT about leadership, both good and bad, and about how hard it can be in a place with low morale. While I was good at the job, it was not what I had envisioned as a career path, so I decided to get out. When I left the Navy, I found myself with only a couple of weeks to make the jump into civilian life. I thought the transition to a civilian lifestyle would be easy and soon found myself driving a forklift at 84 Lumber in Florida a few weeks later. I started to spiral and began missing the things about the military that I didn’t have in civilian life, especially having a routine and the camaraderie I formed with colleagues. I was not truly fulfilled in what I was achieving after transitioning into civilian life, but traveled back to San Diego for a new job and was able to reconnect with my close friend and brother-in-law from the Naval Academy, Nick Norris. From family dinners and more time spent together while I visited, I found that he was very different from how I remembered him in the Naval Academy. Nick was no longer his happy-go-lucky self, but short-tempered and serious. At this time, Nick was also transitioning out of Navy SEAL team after doing multiple deployments in war zones and back into civilian life. What I saw in Nick was problematic, and I had seen the same things in myself.

Throughout our conversations, we came to the conclusion that we were both compartmentalizing a lot of our past traumas, disappointments and worries. He felt that he wasn’t the same, so he started researching natural remedies that could help. There was a multitude of medical procedures recommended to him, and he was seeking the best possible treatment solutions to be a better father, partner, and friend. He found that the most consistent thing across all the treatments he was researching was hydration, sleep, and digestive health. We both put a pin in learning these simple solutions knowing that there is a bigger idea that we can research further, then a few years later Protekt was established.

Can you share the most interesting story that you experienced during your military career? What “take away” did you learn from that story?

One of the most eye-opening stories from my time in the Navy was when I was in charge of the welding shop. We were the damage control people who are trained to solve a burst pipe or other problem while you’re out at sea. I had a great boss who was prior enlisted and was then recruited to into being an officer on the leadership side. He shared with me some very honest information knowing there’s a tendency for young leaders to hit the fleet and demand respect. Officers usually don’t bother to learn or respect the people who have been there doing the work.

We had been out at sea for what seemed like forever, and we were supposed to go home when our captain volunteered us to do a trip up the coast to Alaska. All the guys were super down about it and morale was really low. My boss heard me commiserating and pulled me aside to give me a lecture. He told me that it’s important, even when the command level is pissing everyone off, to keep it professional, understand the higher purpose, and keep my team motivated. Most importantly, to never let them see you down.

That was a great talk, but then we arrived to British Columbia, where the team was granted four days of liberty off of the ship. We found out that there was going to be angle iron dumped on our aircraft carrier deck and it needed to be put away before anyone from my team could go on liberty, so I started helping. The XO on his way off the ship in his civilian clothes said, “That’s inappropriate, they should never see you doing that kind of labor.” My boss happened to be standing 10 feet away and stopped the XO to pull him aside while telling me to continue helping my men. The XO was his boss and I know he got in trouble for overriding his XO and telling me to continue in front of everyone. He pulled me aside after the fact and told me that there would be times in my career when rank would go out the window. There was a dichotomy of “never be the guy complaining in front of the men” but also “never be the guy in a position of power trying to hold others back.” It was the best leadership example from my time in the Navy and showed me that the leaders I respected most exuded the person they wanted to be.

We are interested in fleshing out what a hero is. Did you experience or hear about a story of heroism, during your military experience? Can you share that story with us? Feel free to be as elaborate as you’d like.

There’s one story that stands out as I had a personal relationship with him. My goal was to join a combat billot and to deploy overseas. That didn’t happen for me but everyone else I was roommates with at the Naval Academy did. I had become friends with Travis Manion through my roommate, Luke Lazzon, who was also deployed into combat as an infantry Marine. Travis is the heroic first-person that comes to mind. He was ambushed while he was working in Fallujah in Iraq. The war was relatively new at the time, and we didn’t know a lot of people who had been killed in action. Travis was the first person that we were close to that died, and that was really sobering because, given the actions he took, I believe he knew he was going to die. He drew sniper fire out and saved many other team members but he and the team member he was trying to save were both killed. Everyone wants to believe that they are that kind of person, but I can’t imagine the courage it takes to know that everything you thought you had in the future is about to go away, because you know it’s the right thing to do. His mantra, “If not me, then who?” is something I think about often.

Based on that story, how would you define what a “hero” is? Can you explain?

A hero is someone that always does what’s right, regardless of the consequences. My wife’s stepdad was a Chicago Fire LT, and he was killed in the line of duty. Every person who came into contact with him said he made their lives better. Dying as a fireman didn’t make him a hero, but the way he lived his life and how many people he impacted before that moment made him a hero.

Does a person need to be facing a life and death situation to do something heroic or to be called a hero?

Certainly, sacrificing your life for others is the highest form of Hero. Hero is a word that’s often thrown around far too casually today… But I do not believe that is the only way… being a hero is the way someone lives their life for the greatest good as well.

Based on your military experience, can you share with our readers 5 Leadership or Life Lessons that you learned from your experience”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Life is short, do not waste a day.

Ranks and titles do not earn respect.

Listen more, talk less.

It is easier than we think to positively impact someone’s life. The reverse is also true.

We are all capable of heroic acts.

Do you think your experience in the military helped prepare you for business? Can you explain?

Yes, I think all life experience helps, but it’s how you learn the lesson and apply these lessons throughout your business and life. The Navy taught me that when everything is built around your next promotion, it creates a hole where there should be guidance and love. When your heart is set on improving everything in your control so that others can realize their potential, great things can happen. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the Navy showed me a lot about how NOT to run a business. I treat people a lot differently now after seeing how the military negatively treated people, but I still learned a ton. The Navy benefited my communication skills by teaching me how to be a mentor to others. I learned that I have a hard time getting what I need if I can’t effectively communicate it. It taught me to always bring a solution, not just a gripe.

As you know, some people are scarred for life by their experience in the military. Did you struggle after your deployment was over? What have you done to adjust and thrive in civilian life that others may want to emulate?

My struggle resulted more from the fact that what I set out to do in the military, did not happen. My lifelong goal was not realized, and it should have been because the opportunity was there. There were a lot of moments where I questioned what my role was in the military, and what was I accountable to? I had a lot of self-doubt and I felt I had let my dad down. As a young man, I wanted my dad to be proud of the person I had become. Then I transitioned into the civilian world before I could even take stock of how devastating that truly was. Watching my friends head to the frontlines while I was home was something that took years for me to reconcile.

Losing the camaraderie was also very difficult. The greatest memories and the greatest friendships come from shared hardships. You miss that the most when joining corporate America because I knew people who claimed to be my mentors would gladly step over me for a promotion, and that’s not how it works in the military. A high majority of the people I worked with in the military would have sacrificed themselves if it made my life better.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Protekt has discussed creating a sustainable collagen protein sourced from the north Atlantic sea life. We try to not do anything that’s already being done well so the differentiator with the formula we are considering is that it’s the purest form of collagen. Because it’s a pure formula, it can be mixed into hot to cold liquid and will dissolve almost instantly, compared to other collagens that clump up and have an interesting aftertaste. This is exciting for Protekt as well because it is also a completely sustainable formula. Your skin is your largest organ, and Protekt wants to create a supplement to keep the skin healthy.

What advice would you give to other leaders to help their team to thrive?

Based on my experience in the Navy, I think it’s important to always stand up for your team. For a team to thrive, each member needs to feel that camaraderie and know that the person standing beside them has their back. That positive morale will only push a team forward to achieve success.

What advice would you give to other leaders about the best way to manage a large team?

No matter the size of the team, strong communication is the key to success. As the leader, you need to effectively communicate your company’s strategies and goals so your employees have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. At the same time, your employees need to be encouraged to clearly communicate any struggles they are facing, and the solution they believe will best solve the problem.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My wife is an easy choice because she met me in my junior year at the Naval Academy ready to launch my new career, and a few years later saw me at rock bottom. She was a true teammate throughout the good and bad times. When everyone was placating me while I was going through bad bouts of anger and spiraling, rather than feel sorry for me or let me vent, my wife was the person to tell me I’m better than this. She was always my compass and true north, and I knew I was always going to get the truth, which is what I needed to get better. I learned a lot about grit and respect from her, and she helped me see my true potential as a person.

On the business side, I am grateful for my dear friend Nick Norris and childhood hero, Mark Healey, who are also Co-Founders of Protekt. I’ve known Nick for many years and have always admired his tenacity. Starting our journey of creating and founding Protekt, his drive has continued to push me towards creating the best possible formulations for our customers, since they have also helped him in such a profound way. I’d also have to spotlight my other co-founder, Mark Healey. Having not come up in a traditional branding or marketing role, I’ve experienced bouts of imposter syndrome and a lack of confidence in my qualifications. While visiting Mark in Hawaii, I had opened up about some of those concerns and he told me he could sense some of that trepidation. He gave me some tough love, reminded me that people will always have an opinion but they shouldn’t always be given weight, and then told me that in all his years as a professional athlete, I was hands down the best marketing and brand strategist he’d worked with. He told me to stop counting myself out. It was his understanding and support that helped me to establish my confidence to pursue Protekt at a higher level.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

My success has led me to create a wellness company that is working daily to improve the lives of its customers. At Protekt, we strive to provide our customers with a holistic approach to their supplement routines, that will truly provide good hydration, good rest, and good immune support. These formulations have done wonders for me and my co-founders, so we look forward to creating a positive impact on the rest of the world.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

If you try to fix something on a mass scale, it’s almost always impossible. You’re going to have people working against you and people with bigger plans and budgets. I know that when I’m focused on being the best version of myself, I’m the most helpful to those around me. When I’m doing the simple things to feel and perform better, I have more patience and bandwidth because I’m following my passion. The movement I would inspire is that I would love for everyone to prescribe to these routines of improving their hydration, sleep, and immune systems. Feeling good is something contagious. People feed off your energy and I believe this world needs a LOT more positive energy. It seems like a lot of the common politeness that makes a community unified has disappeared after the pandemic with everyone now keeping to themselves and being impatient with each other. The bigger picture starts in our own neighborhoods. If we can’t create a sense of community with our neighbors and friends, it won’t work on a global scale.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Men are respectable only as they respect.” Ralph Waldo Emerson. From my time as a kid through the present-day, this quote is the culmination of what all my mentors have ever told me about respect. It’s the golden rule for a reason!

Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)

I’d like to have lunch with Richard Carter. No one will know who that is but there are a few people in my life who I admire deeply who speak so highly of him. Richard is the father of our teammate Mark Carter, and in 1982 he took up his father’s dream of ranching over 40,000 acres along the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming. After all the stories I’ve heard and knowing the kind of life he has led, I hope to one day sit down and learn more. I admire stories of old-school Americana and grit, especially when the drive and purpose are not centered around fame and fortune.

Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was truly uplifting.