Entrepreneurship and Hunting

[Gonefishin6]

I haven't seen much about this, so I figured I'd post!

I'm not sure if any of you have noticed, but it ain't cheap to have our kind of fun! I'd love to connect with more folks who are building their businesses in such a way that they are profitable while running themselves so you can spend the fall hunting and with family instead of at work!

I definitely don't have it figured out yet, but I'm 3 years into one business and I recently added a second side hustle with the goal of both running themselves by this fall! To be clear, I'm not looking for investors or folks to partner with, rather just some folks who are working towards similar goals- I'd be happy to share my mistakes so far with anyone who is curious about this, that's about all I can offer though!

 

[def90]

That only happens when you hit an 8 figure revenue stream.

 

[Gonefishin6]

I'd love to learn more about that statement!

 

[def90]

Basically, I do 7 figures in sales/revenue running my own business in the trades but that still isn't enough to find good help that I can rely on leaving for a week or a month at a time and not have my phone tied to my hip.

I think as a small business 7 figures isn't a big leap, a lot of one man shops do that in a year, once you hit 8 figures that is a big step towards running a company that actually has dedicated staffed positions that are capable of running themselves.

 

[Gonefishin6]

Basically, I do 7 figures in sales/revenue running my own business in the trades but that still isn't enough to find good help that I can rely on leaving for a week or a month at a time and not have my phone tied to my hip.

I think as a small business 7 figures isn't a big leap, a lot of one man shops do that in a year, once you hit 8 figures that is a big step towards running a company that actually has dedicated staffed positions that are capable of running themselves.

That's amazing, congrats man! The people side of things does make it difficult to unplug completely, and it's definitely the thing I'm struggling with the most!

 

[def90]

That all said, not sure how any of that helps you. I've been working 6-7 days a week for the last few years, I got out 1 day last September for archery elk just so that I could say that I did.

Anyone that wants to start a business and do it right from the start should read the E-Myth series of books and find a mentor or two in their field in order to avoid the mine fields that exist out there.

There is a difference in being self employed vs running a business. After 20 years at it I'm probably somewhere in between.

 

[Mcribs]

I got there but first 9 yrs were a grind. Not doing the fun stuff other people my age were doing. The 8 figures revenue benchmark is about right or a 7 figure EBITDA, that’s when you can hire people to do the shit you ain’t good at and have flexibility to leave for a while.

I guess there’s some tech stuff that can be automated, stay small and allow you to leave but most businesses need to be grown.

 

[Gonefishin6]

I got there but first 9 yrs were a grind. Not doing the fun stuff other people my age were doing. The 8 figures revenue benchmark is about right or a 7 figure EBITDA, that’s when you can hire people to do the shit you ain’t good at and have flexibility to leave for a while.

I guess there’s some tech stuff that can be automated, stay small and allow you to leave but most businesses need to be grown.

9 years is pretty quick, that's awesome!!!

 

[carlc]

Im a one man show doing residential excavation. I will be in Alaska Guiding and hunting for all of August and half of September. To do it, I got rid of all of my employees, as it was more of a headache trying to keep things lined out with them when I was gone. I work for one general contractor doing the complete excavation package on 5-7 custom homes a year, and do a handful of separate jobs as well. I bust my ass the rest of the year, but this way affords me the freedom I want, and I dont have to try to deal with employees and customers through an Inreach.

 

[Gonefishin6]

Im a one man show doing residential excavation. I will be in Alaska Guiding and hunting for all of August and half of September. To do it, I got rid of all of my employees, as it was more of a headache trying to keep things lined out with them when I was gone. I work for one general contractor doing the complete excavation package on 5-7 custom homes a year, and do a handful of separate jobs as well. I bust my ass the rest of the year, but this way affords me the freedom I want, and I dont have to try to deal with employees and customers through an Inreach.

That seems more do-able for sure, that's awesome man!

 

[Silveroddo]

Im a one man show doing residential excavation. I will be in Alaska Guiding and hunting for all of August and half of September. To do it, I got rid of all of my employees, as it was more of a headache trying to keep things lined out with them when I was gone. I work for one general contractor doing the complete excavation package on 5-7 custom homes a year, and do a handful of separate jobs as well. I bust my ass the rest of the year, but this way affords me the freedom I want, and I dont have to try to deal with employees and customers through an Inreach.

What part of the country are you in? You're probably in the .005% of guys in that field that have that figured out. Kudo's man, that's impressive. I'm self employed and a one man band in road maintenance/excavating and have it sized at the moment to where I try to get out west for a 10 days doing a family trip in August, I'll try to be out there in Mid September for 10 days, and again in November for 5 days hunting deer. Its doable but takes sacrifices.

 

[carlc]

What part of the country are you in? You're probably in the .005% of guys in that field that have that figured out. Kudo's man, that's impressive. I'm self employed and a one man band in road maintenance/excavating and have it sized at the moment to where I try to get out west for a 10 days doing a family trip in August, I'll try to be out there in Mid September for 10 days, and again in November for 5 days hunting deer. Its doable but takes sacrifices.

Im in Montana. Definitely fortunate! I have morphed my business a few different times, from general contracting, to fire mitigation and forestry work, along with excavation at the same time. I had between 3 and 10 employees for 12 years or so, but decided to downsize and simplify. Margins improved, and stress reduced. I run older, but reliable equipment, and do most of my own maintenance. My wife also has a good job that helps!

 

[RuggedYogi]

I set my businesses up so that I have a lot of free time and am able to enjoy the lifestyle that I want. I’m also different than most entrepreneurs and am not totally motivated by money, I place a great deal of value on free time. Growth is fine if it’s organic and is a good fit, but at this point I only want to take on more if it makes sense.

I pay my employees more than the competition. I like sharing the wealth and it also ensures that they are happy and aren’t actively looking to switch companies.

 

[BigredRusch]

You are coming at this from the wrong side. Reduce expenses long term and it’s a lot easier to support a family on 6-9 months of work if you change lifestyles or living situations. Food for thought.


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[dieselchessy]

What part of the country are you in? You're probably in the .005% of guys in that field that have that figured out. Kudo's man, that's impressive. I'm self employed and a one man band in road maintenance/excavating and have it sized at the moment to where I try to get out west for a 10 days doing a family trip in August, I'll try to be out there in Mid September for 10 days, and again in November for 5 days hunting deer. Its doable but takes sacrifices.

Im in Washington and know several folks in the Pacific NW who run excavation or framing businesses that take hunting season off. They also seem to take long summer vacations with the wife. They either don’t line up work or have a foreman that can keep things rolling. They do house pads, septic systems, driveways, snow removal, road grading, demolition, brush removal, tree removal, ect…
They seem to make good money and have plenty of play time.

 

[Slickhill]

I do not know the answers that you seek. But I can tell you it must be possible. I’m the first generation in my family to not be self employed. My parents, grandparents, and great grandparents were all small business owners, some had employees and some were a one man band outfit, no legacy business deals all self starters.

All of them vacationed, hunted, fished, rockhounded, etc all over the place including some international travel back in the day. None of them ever made anything approaching 6 figures annually much less 8. None lived like wealthy people but we didn’t reuse paper towels or anything super Great Depression style either.