My Startup Nearly Ruined My Family - Putting The Pieces Back

[@joebib9418]

Having the honestly and the willingness to be vulnerable is tough, especially for us alphas who usually view that kind of stuff as weak, and who hesitate to admit we might have made a wrong decision because we're subconsciously worried it may reflect on our authority and position. But you showed what kind of man you really are by posting this video. I just wish I had bosses like you during my 40+ years career in construction. Great job, Mark -- thanks for having the courage to share. 👍And blessings to you and your lovely family.

[@RH77773]

GOD bless you Wyo Fam. I appreciate coming across your channel. Montana has been good for me after being a hellion down around wheatland area for most of my first 25 yrs (I'm 37). Couldn't help but choke up with you thinking about my own 4 children and wife. Up and coming from "handyman" and moving forward from there last few years has been hard on my family also. Definitely not close to the size operation you're representing but I can empathize with where you been. Love Wyo. Baby blue and yellow is the color of my blood but I'm so thankful for the opportunity I've received in Montana (most importantly my wife and children). Bless your walk. GOD continue to protect your precious family!! Amen and amen!!!✝️❤️

[@twissj]

I think you’re a great guy and you have helped countless fence businesses. Thanks you.

[@SuccessfulContractor]

I appreciate that. 👍🏻

[@brentdiehl6715]

You’ve got an awesome family man, thanks for being vulnerable

[@nicolaschirinos72]

Inspirational, I can relate a lot with what your and your family are experiencing. Thanks for sharing us. I think you and your wife are making the right decision.

[@mikeybohunicky2696]

These are the honest business/family/life stories that need to be heard. Business isnt easy and it really really hurts sometime. Thank you Mark, this is eductional and inspirational.

[@MrCleverFox]

Somehow, in the clutter of my KZbin feed, this episode got buried, and I am just seeing it today. I'm happy to hear that you are on a journey and not seeing this as a setback but a step in the right direction. You do a great job with your KZbin content! Glad you're going to continue to put out content. Keep moving forward man. You're a good dude!

[@ChunkyMonkaayyy]

Sounds like a win, just not a walk in the park like you were expecting. You setup a franchise in a different part the of the country and it’s self sufficient. That’s pretty fucking amazing bro. Now you’ll do it better next time, and even better the time after that.

[@SuccessfulContractor]

I appreciate that encouragement. 👍🏻

[@robertolson9554]

Nothing more important than family!!! We packed up our family 2.5 years ago and left NY for SC.. man.. so glad I found your channel (and the SWI Channel).. I'm in the early stages of starting a fence company in SC and your videos are a wealth of info to me. Oh and BTW.. I'm a fellow Olson... Maybe we are related... Keep the vids coming and good luck back in Wyoming !

[@congenius]

It is a tough time when the words we say HAVE to meet an action that reinforces our words. Congratulations on your continued and renewed sobriety Mark. Glad to see SWi Florida get the chance to run by itself and can't wait to see more of you on KZbin and beyond.

[@RockyMtnFenceofIdaho]

The lead in to this video should not be "we failed." It should be "we succeeded at the most important metric that determines true success - family" I cannot thank you enough for all you do for those of us who follow you. And for all the help you have given when I have reached out to you. I wish I had seen this while I was still in Nashville. I saw you guys there but did not want to bother you. Had I seen this, I would have had to thank you in person for being willing to be so raw.

[@stevenmoore3960]

Awesome video. I can 110% relate to how you are feeling. I started mine around the same time you started the FL branch. I had zero fence experience, however I did have a lot of experience being a superintendent and PM for large GCs and thought it would be easy. Man was I wrong. I learned the hard way through trial and error. I’m a perfectionist and I’m always trying to push the envelope and I almost pushed it until the motor blowed up. Looking back now I would have seriously reached out to you and worked for you for free just for the knowledge, because my first year in business I pretty much worked for free anyways. However I’m glad you and your family did what’s best for you all. Keep making your videos because they are the reason my company is successful or even exists.

[@SuccessfulContractor]

I appreciate those kind words!

[@zacboerman5265]

Man what a great testimony on putting the family first. Keep going and praying for a good transition with everything. Keep up the videos

[@davegray5343]

Not a fence builder but I really enjoy your videos. In my life character is what matters. This video and your immediate action to put your family 1st is a statement to the world about about your character. I also have to give props to your wife to have the courage to speak up. This is such a good lesson for your boys. Dads can cry! It’s ok! Marriage is a partnership.

[@plumbobmillionaire6246]

FairPlay to ya. Takes some balls to make all those steps and then to put it out there for the world to see. I’m sure your family our more proud of you than ever before

[@petecowden8282]

I very much appreciate your vulnerability in this video. Many of your videos have helped me understand that the business problems I have do not make me a failure. Keep it up buddy

[@NomadUnchained]

Stay humble , stay real. love watching your channel and look forward to seeing the growth continue.

[@keenanwalsh1049]

Just found your channel, love the honesty the realness and the advise you share in your videos. Keep up the great work.

[@SuccessfulContractor]

Thank you!

[@bhepp344]

Hey your a great businessman and put out great content we can all learn from. Thank you! Great family man too!

[@betterboss]

Startup life is rough no matter what but always makes you stronger

[@AndyGwynn-r3s]

Wow…really thankful everyone is ok!

[@HaroldRutila]

Just wanted to congratulate you on having the humility to debrief an entire multi-year event, and specifically its affect on your entire family, publicly, and with their input. If I understand you correctly, you left Florida, but left your business in tact and operational? If so, that's quite an achievement.

[@jimmyessien8619]

This channel is great. Keep up the good work.

[@SuccessfulContractor]

Thank you very much!

[@NoahDevine91]

So glad for the update and appreciate you guys being so vulnerable and sharing everything and you guys are gonna crush it and glad you are doing what’s best for the family and that you set up a killer team in Florida. I have been in recovery for 10 years and totally understand where your coming from Mark and congratulations on the sobriety we are all here for you guys 💪

[@michaelbacile8439]

I’ve been in central fl my whole life, I worked for a fence company for 7 years. The company is 14 years old now but I remember when they were struggling. Little shop in a small town of 2500 people. Homeowners were a good 70% of their business then commercial made up the rest. It wasn’t until they scored a contract with FWC (Florida wild life commission) that their business actually took off. They dropped most the residential stuff and put up literally MILES of game fence all over the state. Changed their entire business with one contract

[@dsulli7383]

Thanks for keeping is real brotha.

[@fergusonlandmanagementweld1039]

Folks don't realize how difficult starting a business is from scratch. It's so hard.

[@SuccessfulContractor]

So, so hard.

[@fergusonlandmanagementweld1039]

@@SuccessfulContractor and even harder to start a successful one....

[@ogdencontractingltd]

Running a business and a KZbin channel is an amazing accomplishment. I’m trying and I know. Thanks for sharing.

[@rogerbettencourt9654]

I didn’t hear anything that even resembles a failure. As Muhammad Ali said “Inside of a ring or out, ain’t nothing wrong with going down. It’s staying down that’s wrong.” If you shut down every branch and flipped burgers but put your family first, that’s the true and only measurable level of success. You’re the bestest Mark.

[@ogdencontractingltd]

This is a great comment. It’s not our circumstances but our decisions that lead our lives.

[@PhillTheGreat]

Starting, maintaining, and keeping a company is one of the most difficult things you can do.

[@Joe-em3iw]

You might think about coming to Hawaii big island, you will have so much work at top level prices you won't believe it. They are getting $65 per linear foot on 6ft white vinyl fence and they are slipping it over a 4x4 wood post. People have to wait months to get a fence because fence builders are all swamped. It's a good life here. I've been here 23 years in Hawaiian Paradise Park. I moved here from central Indiana and have never been back. I'm putting up 465 linear feet of white vinyl fence myself at my property. I had a guy drill 60 holes 2 feet deep and 12 inches round for a cost of $4500. They then set the 7ft 2 3/8 schedule 40 poles ($1700) in concrete ($1000) for $500 labor. I purchased adapters to transition from pipe to vinyl for $550 and $50 for screws. The fence itself cost $11,000 at big box. I save $10,000 by putting the fence together myself and even if it takes me and my son a week to do that, it's worth it. You guys are good. with the poles all set, you guys can put that up in one day. There are quite a few different terrains here. Where I live, the land is mostly flat and it's solid rock with about an inch of soil on top of that unless it's been ripped by a D-9 Dozer and then you have like 1 foot minus all tracked down flat which must be drilled down past the ripped material into native rock. Places where the land has not been ripped only need a hole big enough for the pipe to be jammed into the rock about 18 inches and no concrete needed. There are some areas where a guy might be able to put a point on the end of the pipe and jam it through rock in areas that are softer rock. We have rock that is solid blue and no way that would work but we also have rock that's weak and something like that would blast through it. I worked as a union laborer here for 10 yrs before I retired. It's not only fence, there is so much work here and not enough people to do it is crazy. Put an ad on Big Island craigslist to see responses. edit. just watched the rest of the video. You guys stay home. I mean, you can visit here and maybe do a job but your home is your home. I hated the cold in Indiana. That's why I'm here but I came alone and started a family here. That makes it a lot different.

[@markHolmes81274]

I would love to join this team. I've been trying for 6 years to lift my company up to compete with and be on the level with SWI. The time is coming for me to make a change soon.

[@workenhard]

Thank you for shining a light on the struggles of a small business and the toll it takes on the people around you. Theres too much toxic positivity around going into business. Theres a lot of failures for every winner out there.

[@Overfl00d]

I believe in you.

[@EBC253]

Nothing like hitting a water line, throwing some hands, then slangin some slurs baby. Florida!!!!

[@kevinherlihy2379]

Respect ❤

[@realestateupdateswithrachel]

What would you charge for a cost analysis on 260 units (2/2 and 3/2 and 4/2 ) on 15 acres

[@SuccessfulContractor]

1,000,000

[@ChunkyMonkaayyy]

Dang I didn’t know there was another channel.

[@SuccessfulContractor]

Yes SWI Fence

[@joerivers4216]

Great video

[@guyincognito1985]

Perhaps your greatest success was building a strong, beautiful and supportive family? There's no price tag that can be attached to that.

[@ChunkyMonkaayyy]

I used to have to “jumpstart” my Dewalt 12v batteries. Otherwise the charger wouldn’t recognize them.

[@SuccessfulContractor]

It’s sketchy.

[@929RRCBR]

In reality you were not successful as you tried to depict. Mark, I think you are a great guy, but you actually deceived the viewers in my opinion. Since you are being honest with this video maybe you need to hear the truth from out here. I have watched every one of your episodes, some hit home hard like the bucket video, but I always seen it differently due to the money backing you had, so most of the time it was taken with a grain of salt. Most other replies are blowing smoke. You started this with financials most don't have access too, I'm not taking away from your prior 2 companies Olsen fencing which BK'd like most small business ends up doing, SWI Wyoming is a great success BUT, I Guess you're lucky to have a place to fall back on. Most contractors are all in on one business and don't get to fail with 9% loss and then move away and keep it running. I really question how successful you really were with the financial backing you had. Most of us following you know your struggles as being the only person running everything. I have always believed this to be the truest part of your videos. You admit you never took a salary and that can't happen with a true start up. Show me one start-up company in the fencing industry that carried 200-300K of product on the books or even as a new company to have the credit to cosign that much product the first year or even the second (you never did say which way you were able to acquire the product). The equipment you have for a start-up is not common new trucks, skid steers, trailers and post pounders, top of the line welders and such. If people tried to follow your path, they would have been bankrupt the first year. I like most bought used trucks, purchased product per job, hobbled tools together to get another few jobs out of them, used car trailers for dump trailers for haul off, as the owner out there digging as many or more holes than the crews did just keeping the work flowing on top of all the other duties. I understand money isn't the be all and you proved that. One of the biggest hurdles that straps companies are financials. Our start up budgets didn't include high end paid subscriptions, websites that track flow, sales, inventory and the likes, I looked at all the ones you use and think they are high priced to this day. We didn't hire salespeople we quoted jobs first few years, did inventory on a piece of paper not a handheld scanner, I know more than 15 local fence companies in my area, not one started as you did, even the huge ones that are their own product dealers. In the end because i could go on, note... I'm not a hater but wanted to give you, my opinion. concept was good, real-time issues have helped many people. just wish you didn't betray yourself as a true start up. you were an expansion of SWI Wyoming and used those connections, credit and their money to start this and failed. I am sure the rest of SWI Wyoming owners are relieved this is almost over and can stop covering the bills over there.

[@JorgeRios-n4s]

Hey man can you help me grow ur business over here in the valley rgv ! La joya tx , peñitas , mission , mcallen Edinburgh, pharr weslaco man i can make it happen it can really change the valley from demoing all them 80 90 fences!!! Rios power