U.S. Navy veteran finding success as civilian business owner

Rich Palzewic

Staff

August 18, 2025

WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN – When Adam Lamb enlisted in the U.S. Navy in August 2005, he said due to military protocol, he needed to maintain a clean-shaven face.

When he decided to transition away from military life after 10 years of serving his country, he said one thing he was looking forward to was being able to grow a beard.

“After 2015, I pretty much stopped shaving,” Lamb said. “My beautiful wife, Gwen, told me I had to have a well-maintained beard, and it couldn’t be rough or have coarse hair.”

Lamb said that led to him trying “all kinds of different products” on the market, none of which did a great job or satisfied his wife.

“My beard was always itching, had breakouts and patches on my cheeks,” he said. “I bought the oils from local stores, salons and online. Samples were tiny and didn’t last long, and oils leaked in my pocket. I needed a fix, or my beard had to go. My wife [didn’t] like any of the products [either] – they were way too greasy.”

From there, Lamb said he and Gwen started researching and playing around with essential oils and different products to make their own stuff.

After creating some of their own concoctions, Lamb said a few people told him they liked how his beard looked and smelled.

“They asked me if they could try some, and they kept coming back for it,” he said. “In 2020, when COVID-19 hit, we were still making our own stuff off and on. Then in 2021, we had enough people say we should try selling it, so we got a business license, formed an LLC and gave it a shot.”

From humble beginnings, Lamb said, Wandering Sheep Beard Care was born.

“Though beard care is where we started, Wandering Sheep now focuses on more than just that,” he said. “The products have progressed from my face to my wife’s hands and feet and her friends’ hands and feet. The products have become all-over body products.”

A visit to Wandering Sheep’s website (wanderingsheepbeardcare.com) shows it carries products like beard wash, tattoo care [cream], lip butters, face lotion, scrubs and deodorant.

“We’ve definitely crossed the bridge from just being beard care in that male world,” Lamb said. “So far, Wandering Sheep has been more of a fall/winter project for us, but it’s looking like we’ll need to get bigger with more production.”

Since starting and subsequently growing Wandering Sheep’s product line, Lamb said the products have been “very well received.”

“We’ve made a lot of close acquaintances who follow us from our shows,” he said. “People in the beard world also like the way we package our stuff, because it’s completely different from anything anybody else does. Instead of having balm in a tin, it’s basically a giant chapstick you can rub on your beard.”

Lamb said the biodegradable tube looks similar to a glue stick.

“But it’s not glue,” he laughed. “The tube was uniquely decided upon because of its ability to apply the perfect amount of balm to your beard with no waxy mess on your hands. You paint it on, massage it down to the skin and then use a comb or brush to finish.”

As much as possible, Lamb said he sources the ingredients for their products locally.

“We source local beeswax from Cashton and hemp flowers from Holmen,” he said. “If I could get coconut oil from Wisconsin, I would.”

With the growth the couple has seen and the business’s projected future growth, Lamb said they are already pushing the limits on what they can do.

“We do it all in-house, utilizing half-gallon Mason jars in small batches,” he said. “It’s all done pretty close to order, unless we’re at a show, then we make our products a little bit in advance.”

In the future, Lamb said “we’d consider making our own semi-industrial or commercial kitchen in our house.”

“That way, we could solely produce our products in a little larger capacity,” he said.

Other benefits

Lamb said the other benefits of Wandering Sheep’s products are numerous.

“There are vitamins and nutrients in each of the oils, which either promote and help with good hair health and make your hair fiber stronger, both in your head hair or your beard hair,” he said. “The products also help promote not being overhydrated or underhydrated and promote healthy hair and skin overall.”

Lamb said over the years, he has found [that] some men are not taught a lot of personal care – something he said Wandering Sheep’s products can help with.

“We look at our products as kind of a self-esteem builder, too,” he said. “I’m taking care of myself. This is one thing you can do for yourself in helping mold and shape your beard and keep that hair healthy and smelling good.”

Men’s mental health

Having served in the military, Lamb said he is especially aware of the challenges veterans often encounter, which has inspired his strong support for men’s mental well-being.
“I know that taking care of yourself is step one – being positive about how you look and feel, getting up in the morning and making yourself presentable,” he said. “Also, in my 10 years in the military, I’ve seen many mental [health] issues and know there are a lot of people who go down a bad road and need help.”

Lamb said too often, men’s mental health struggles are a forgotten thing.

“That’s especially true with soldiers and the military – it’s a thing for us,” he said. “Some of the stuff we produce, like the Viking Butter, can help with anxiety or PTSD. Some of our stuff has CBD blends we’ve had positive feedback from – even parents who have given a thing of chapstick to their son/daughter who is 18 or in college and suffers from anxiety issues.”

At Wandering Sheep Beard Care, Lamb said they strive to keep prices affordable for customers.

“We also keep our shipping costs minimum so everybody can have our product,” he said. “If you’re in a spot where you need some help with that, we even help out there as well.”

The story behind the name

Lamb said he earned the nickname “Sheep” in high school, a playful nod to his last name.

“In our active-duty time in the military, my wife and I wandered around the world, so we became the ‘Wandering Sheep’ on Instagram through our family and friends,” he said. “It just kind of transitioned into the business name.”

Over his decade of service in the Navy, Lamb said they relocated frequently – both across the U.S. and internationally.

“That was everywhere from the East Coast in Norfolk, Virginia, back to the Great Lakes for a few years and then around the world to Guam,” he said. 

Head to Wandering Sheep Beard Care’s website for more details.