Joe Simonds | CEO and Co-Founder of "Salt Strong" | Ep. 997

TOM ROWLAND PODCAST

LISTEN NOW ON ITUNES, SPOTIFY, OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS

Video goes live at 11:00 AM every Wednesday for Full-Length Episodes

How Salt Strong Was Built: Joe Simonds on Selling His Company, Staying Authentic, and the Future of Fishing

By Tom Rowland

If you’ve spent any time in the fishing world over the last decade, you’ve probably come across Salt Strong — the online club, community, and media platform teaching anglers how to catch more fish and live a better life on the water.
Today, I sit down with co-founder Joe Simonds to talk about how he and his brother Luke built Salt Strong from the ground up — and what happens when the company you built gets acquired.

The Power of Community and Faith

From day one, Joe and Luke focused on helping people create memories on the water — not just selling tackle. Through faith and perseverance, that mission became their compass even as the business grew to 60,000+ members.

From T-Shirts to Teaching the World to Fish

Salt Strong didn’t start as a media empire — it started with t-shirts. Joe shares how they pivoted from apparel to education after realizing their true calling was helping families catch more fish together.

Building a Business Without Investors

The Simons brothers bootstrapped their entire company. No outside funding, no shortcuts — just a clear mission, great content, and genuine connection with their members.

The Sportsman’s Guide Acquisition

In 2025, Salt Strong was acquired by Sportsman’s Guide — but Joe and Luke remain at the helm. In this conversation, Joe explains how the partnership came together, what it means for members, and why it opens the door to a bigger outdoor vision.

A Fishing Theme Park?

Yes — that’s really in the plans. Joe shares his lifelong dream of creating the first Fishing Theme Park — a place where anglers can gather, learn, and make memories that last a lifetime.

Reflections on Purpose and Legacy

At its core, this is a story about family, purpose, and impact. Whether you’re running a business or chasing your next personal best on the water, Joe’s message hits home: it’s not about what you buy — it’s about what you build.

If you have questions or suggestions for the show you can text Tom at 1 305-930-7346 or contact Tom through email: Podcast@saltwaterexperience.com

You can follow Tom Rowland on Instagram @tom_rowland

Learn more about Tom’s Television show http://www.saltwaterexperience.com.

The Tom Rowland Podcast is presented by Star brite!

Clean and protect with Star brite, a leading manufacturer of appearance, maintenance, and performance chemicals and accessories, serving the marine, RV, automotive, powersports, hardware, and home care industries for over 50 years. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and with its manufacturing plant in Montgomery, AL, the company produces “Made In The USA” products, including its flagship ethanol fuel treatment, Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment.

Check out Star brite’s Website Here: https://bit.ly/TomRowlandPodcast

This episode has been brought to you by Waypoint TV. Waypoint is the ultimate outdoor network featuring streaming of full-length fishing and hunting television shows, short films and instructional content, a social media network, Podcast Network. Waypoint is available on Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, IoS devices, Android Devices and at www.waypointtv.com all for FREE!

Join the Waypoint Army by following them on Instagram at the following accounts

@waypointtv  @waypointfish  @waypointsalt  @waypointboating  @waypointhunt  @waypointoutdoorcollective

Find over 150 full episodes of Saltwater Experience on Waypoint