Before I joined the Army in 2007, I bounced around through a bunch of different jobs. Some people would probably say way too many for just a couple of years. I worked at Taco Bell, the Baltimore Sun newspaper, the farmers co-op, Pizza Hut, AutoZone, R&L Carriers, Ingersoll-Rand, and Tools and Accessories. All those jobs ended up becoming a part of me that I just can’t shake.
After 18 years in Army aviation, I always knew that when I got out, I’d come back to one of three things — based on growing up in Maryland. I figured I’d either open a lawn care/landscaping business, a snowball stand, or a tool company.
At first, I chased the lawn care business the hardest. It felt the most familiar and it didn’t take a ton of startup money. I went all in — got a professional logo made, ordered shirts and uniforms, and came up with what I thought was a clever business name: “Lawn Barber.” It combined the industry I was getting into with my last name.
Well, I learned real quick that it wasn’t as clever as I thought. The name was already used over and over again. I couldn’t even get the domain name because it was taken by a company out in the Midwest. There was even another Lawn Barber in a neighboring town. I could’ve done a DBA (“doing business as”), but that would’ve just made everything more complicated. The difference between lawnbarber.com and lawn-barber.com is huge when you’re trying to build trust. Nobody likes it when they get their yard done, then look at their credit card statement and see some random LLC name. It makes people wonder, “Did I just get scammed?”
The final nail in the coffin for lawn care — even though I genuinely enjoyed the work — was the seasonality and my age. Working outside in the elements all day really wears on you, and I’m not getting any younger.
A snowball stand had the same problem. It’s great in the summer, but unless you start selling coffee and other stuff in the cold months, you’re basically shut down half the year.
So I landed on opening a tool company.
I don’t have a ton of direct experience in the tool business, other than the time I spent at Tools and Accessories, plus working at automotive and construction stores. Of course, there’s also my 18 years as a 15B turbine engine mechanic in the Army. But I’ve always been fascinated with tools. There’s just nothing better than getting a new toolkit.
Now I’ve finally landed on Yorktown Tools. It feels like the right fit after all the twists and turns, and I’m excited to see where this goes. If you’ve been following along or thinking about starting something new yourself after the military, stick around — I’ll be sharing more about how I’m building this thing from the ground up, what I’m learning, and all the real talk along the way.
If there is anything I can do to help you or your company please reach out.
www.yorktowntools.com
757-940-5171