BAMKO's Rise: Sales Culture, Acquisitions & Risk-Taking with Jake Himelstein

Jake Himelstein, President of BAMKO, joins Kings of Swag to share how he helped scale the company from $22M to nearly $400M in revenue. From global sourcing and sales culture to bold acquisitions and leadership lessons, Jake reveals what it takes to grow in the $30B promotional products industry. 🚨 Whether you’re a distributor, supplier, or entrepreneur, this conversation is packed with insights on leadership, risk-taking, and building a thriving company culture. 00:00 – 00:33 | Introduction: Meet Jake Himelstein & Bamko’s rise 00:34 – 02:44 | $30B industry and Bamko’s global sourcing advantage 02:45 – 03:22 | Beyond promo: retail packaging & product innovation 03:23 – 07:09 | Jake’s career journey: Deloitte to Bamko CFO 07:10 – 08:54 | From skeptic to believer: the Bamko dorm room story 08:55 – 10:28 | Sales-driven culture: why Bamko puts reps first 10:29 – 13:10 | Leadership lessons: executive coaching & letting go 13:11 – 14:29 | Risk-taking vs CPA mindset: growth through bold moves 14:30 – 17:02 | Leading through crisis: Bamko’s COVID-19 strategy 17:03 – 20:02 | The art of acquisitions: deals that transformed Bamko 20:03 – 23:06 | HR & culture: building a thriving remote workforce 23:07 – 26:11 | HPI & uniforms: JetBlue, Taco Bell, Walmart 26:12 – 29:09 | Parent company structure: cross-selling across divisions 29:10 – 32:28 | Growth strategy: sales reps, Latin America, and risk-taking 32:29 – 33:30 | Closing thoughts & Bamko’s entrepreneurial spirit #PromotionalProducts #Entrepreneurship #KingsOfSwag #BusinessGrowth #Leadership