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About This Episode
When you look back on the past year have you taken risks or have you played it safe? What has been the fruit of those decisions? In this episode, Nathan reflects on how trusting God's providence throughout his entrepreneurship journey has enabled him and his family to take calculated risks that finally paid off after many challenging seasons. Nathan also looks ahead to 2022 and how his family plans to bless the community by putting down roots and living faithfully.
This December 31st, 2021 episode shares highlights from 2020 and 2021, their impact on Nathan and his wife's planning for 2022, plus information about workshops to help listeners live life on target.
Starting a Small Business with Next to Nothing
Early after leaving the military, Nathan and his wife lived in a house without central heat and air conditioning, barely paying bills each month. They were pointed to 1 Kings 17, where prophet Elijah asks a widow for food during severe drought. She has only enough for one last meal for her son, but faithfully prepares something for Elijah—and her flour and oil don't run out until the drought ends years later.
Nathan and his wife resolved that no matter how dire things got financially, they would continue to feast as a family and with friends. This meant being wise with financial resources while still making room in the budget for nice cuts of meat and having people over after church—even when it was hard.
Should We Take a Risk or Play it Safe?
In January 2020, the bank denied their cash-out refinance for funds to finish their mansion remodel. Nathan had slacked off in business expecting the windfall, learning never to count on cash until you actually have it. A series of challenges followed: Airbnb canceled all their bookings in March 2020 due to COVID, a client refused final payment, and another client postponed their biggest project on April 1st.
Despite the turmoil, they closed their refinance on April 13th, 2020, going from barely paying bills to having plenty of cash. The dilemma: sit on cash and wait for economic improvement, or "make it rain" and finish the mansion to get it rental-ready? They chose to do what was in front of them with what they had.
As added motivation, Nathan's sister-in-law needed a wedding venue mid-2020 when no venues were allowing weddings. They decided to allow the wedding at their property, combining a massive remodel with wedding preparations. They listed the mansion on Airbnb/Vrbo and immediately started booking up as the short-term rental market rebounded.
Clients started calling for remodels as people spent more time at home and couldn't tolerate their spaces anymore. All their businesses went from little-to-no profit to booming within months—fruit from 10 years of taking calculated risks and attempting faithfulness where God placed them.
Reinvesting the Fruit of our Labor in Family
While Nathan wanted to put profits into more projects and continue growing their real estate empire, his wife wisely recommended shifting focus with their oldest son being 12 years old. They decided to search for land to put down roots, build their family home, and grow their family while entertaining friends.
In mid-2020, they wrote a check for 20 acres. By the recording date, Nathan had a half-built barn and almost-completed 43-foot International school bus conversion, planning to move to the bus on the land and expand farm operations in spring 2022 with big barbecues for church and community using food grown on their land.
Nathan's family focus includes being 100% attentive at dinner table, reading the Bible and good stories to kids, working on the farm with them, meeting clients in person to solve problems for profit, and documenting the journey. He plans to be harder to reach—getting a dumb phone with the number given to few people, enabling larger portions of the day for deep work and complete focus on people in the room.
Take Time to Set Concrete Goals for the New Year
Nathan encourages listeners to set goals with family for growth and risk-taking in the new year. Don't accept no for an answer, keep looking for right partners when others play it safe, take calculated risks, and remember that faithfulness to family and loving others must be vital while building professionally.
He promises virtual and in-person workshops focusing on tactical readiness, proper theology of violence, gaining wealth and freedom through entrepreneurship and productive property, plus opportunities to visit their farm for firearms instruction and resilient family cultivation.