I had the idea for Trinity Forge several years ago. I started thinking of a different kind of business than what most consider. I thought of a business that made unique, high quality, hand made items. Premium goods to be sure but there is always a market for unique and premium; it just takes time to find that niche market. An artisan business can be highly successful, it just takes a lot of time and effort for people to find you.
I was working as a millwright at steel mill in 2019 when I overheard a conversation that changed my thinking a bit. I overheard a couple of old guys, who had been at that mill for almost 30 years, talk about how something had become a problem and how management messed up and how if management would’ve just listened to them then the problem wouldn’t have ever happened in the first place. Maybe they were right, but it’s irrelevant because they weren’t in charge of making decisions.
There is nothing dishonorable in staying at a company for 30 years. Manufacturing has provided great careers for people and has lifted more people out of poverty than any other industry. Manufacturing is the base for a national economy and is vital to the nation. However, what I overheard that day was some dudes who’s bodies were suffering from old age and who, undoubtedly, gave up some dream in order to stay where they were for as long as they did. That is an assumption on my part but I believe it to be accurate. Family comes first and maybe they had to sacrifice their dreams for their family. Made they grew to comfortable in their work and let go of their dreams or perhaps they didn’t have any dreams or didn’t think them worth pursuing. I have things that I wish that I would’ve done in life when I was younger and now I can no longer do them and I regret the choices that I made to not even step out of my comfort zone and try.
What occurred to me is that my time is slipping away. I have wanted to start a business since high school and never even took the chance. I realized that if I didn’t at least try, then I would most likely never know if I would’ve been successful and if I didn’t try then before I realized it I would’ve been a 65 year old man in a locker room explaining how the boss was wrong and I was right, so I bailed out of a secure, well paying job and started Trinity Forge. I put ever single dollar that I had into the idea, including retirement money, and went full time into business for myself. It was a scary thing to be sure, maybe even reckless, though I don’t think so. I have learned a lot that I never would’ve learned otherwise and I have grown in ways that I never could’ve grown. I have met people that I would never had met and created relationships that I never would’ve created had I not made the choice that I made. It’s been an adventure. Now I know that most folks would criticize my decision and label me a fool, maybe they’re right but I don’t think so. I took a chance that most will never take and gave up the perception of security in exchange for freedom and have no regerts about taking that leap of faith.
So that brings me to my current situation. Though my business is growing, it isn’t growing enough to support a family. Changes need to be made and I need to go in a new direction. That new direction for me is to go back to being an employee for someone else which means that I go back to sea as a vessel engineer, back to my old occupation of 18 years before briefly going to work at the steel mill. I am going back to sea and though I never thought that I would say this, I am actually excited about it and I am hopeful for the future of my business and my life.
Does that mean that I have failed and that I need to give up the dream of owning a business? Hardly. Initially, I felt like I had failed but after some reflection, I realized that the only way to fail is to give up entirely. Doing so would let down all the folks that have followed me and encouraged me and I won’t do that to them. I see it as more important to honor their time by continuing with my dreams than to give up and let them down.
One of the greatest emotions that I get from making things is the excitement that people have when the purchase a thing that I made. The feeling of joy is irreplaceable and there is no way that I can give that up. I created Trinity Forge as a way to bring people together. I wanted to build things that would bring joy to people’s life by making things that had meaning to them. I can continue to do that.
This move will actually allow me to go back to what I wanted to do initially and allow me to build what I want to build instead of what I have to build. Is it more risky as far as the business is concerned? I don’t know, but the only way to know with any level of certainty is to actually do it. Personally, I see it as a positive and I see good things in the future for the business but time will tell. I see being able to support the groups that I want to support, namely my family…, and I see it as a way to grow capability, and more freedom.
So if there is something honorable that you want to do, then take the chance. See where it goes and see where going down that path in your life will take you. Research the idea. There is nothing new in this world so look for those that have done something similar to what you want to do. Pray over the idea. Gain as much information about your dream before making the leap and then if it is an idea that could end up improving your life, then take the leap. You won’t regret taking the leap but later in life you will regret never taking the leap. May God bless you.
Kind Regards,
Nate