09/18/2018
Ever since I was a young teen, while working on the family farm 👩🏻🌾, I always knew I wanted to own a business of my own one day. I remember sitting at my small desk in my father's farm office, opening envelopes and preparing cheques for him to sign at 9 years old. I would practice my signature on opened scrap envelopes, in hopes one day I would have my very own leather chequebook to write cheques out of. Ever since I was young, I visited endless farm auctions, estate auctions, equipment dealerships, equipment & agricultural conferences, supplier meetings, and visits to the bank. My father had a difficult time with his mobility, so as a child I was always asked to 'run in' to the bank, deliver a cheque, pick up supplies while he sat in the truck and waited for me to return. I started to understand how those documents, cheques, and assets were affiliated within his business and as I started started to piece together how 'business' worked...I got the itch to do the same.
In grade 3, I started buying cases of regular sized OH! Henry Bars 🍫 (peanut butter flavour - which was a new flavour at the time) from a neighbour boy whose grandfather was a wholesale wheeler dealer in Toronto. I told him I would pay him 50 cents a chocolate bar, so he would make $12 a case, and he received the cases basically for free from his grandpa. I knew that attending a country elementary school, we didn't have convenience stores close in proximity to the school, and all students were bused in, so when it was lunch time, the lunch box trades became intense. Chips, chocolate bars, gum, sour candy, dunk-a-roos, fruit roll-ups and pop were high trade items and it was all based on what your parents purchased and placed in your lunch. So I became familiar with the 'market' we'll say.
So I would meet my friend on the bus, he would give me two cases of chocolate bars the beginning of the week, and I'd put them in my Adidas duffle bag and hit the school yard first thing Monday morning. Everyone had money on Mondays to place their milk orders, along with pre-paying for their pizza, subs or hot dogs for that Wednesday. I knew at 9 years old, that I had the right product (new flavour), had the supply, I understood my market, payed close attention to best buying times and knew that kids were flying $2 brown canadian bills for a chocolate bar in 1994. Let's just say everything was going well until my teacher informed me that I wasnt't able to continue my school yard sales and lunch room sales. My theory was that hockey teams could sell chocolate almonds and cookie dough and if Girl Guides could sell cookies, why couldn't I sell chocolate bars... I had a farm to buy one day! 😉 Anyways, that's just one little sales story from the business vault.
I started to understand quite quickly that my time was worth something. It could be traded for someone else's time or utilized to make money. I remember picking strawberries for the neighbouring farmer for 25 cents per quart, and hired to unload endless wagons of small square hay bales and picking milkweed in fields where the spray didn't work... all for ice cream and a few loonies. But I knew money could buy me the things I would envision in my head. I could save to buy a new bike or a 'ghetto blaster' for my bedroom, maybe a walkman or a Brett Hull GT Snowracer. I started to understand that it took money to buy the things I wanted, the things that Santa wouldn't always deliver.
For many years I thought I would farm alongside my father, and continue the family farm tradition, but the universe had another plan for me, and even though I didn't understand in my early 20's why I couldn't have that dream, when many of my farm friends did, my life went down another career path, and now I understand why...
In 2006, I entered the heavy equipment industry as a summer intern and knew I was at home. Being around heavy equipment, wearing my work boots everyday, jumping in my truck and helping people build their businesses and dreams with the products and services we provided, was the ultimate high.
Even though I toddled back to the farm and tried to farm with my father, it just wasn't the right fit. At that moment I knew that if i wanted a farm one day, it was all on my shoulders to go make it happen on my own.
I worked for that heavy equipment company until 2012. Something happened to me within the industry that I sincerely loved, and it was difficult to move past, so I decided to take a break from the corporate world and started a small rental company which sells safety apparel & arborist supplies, which most of you know as Yellow Iron Equipment Inc. Just a small company that is:
Passionate About Customer Care: Our existence is possible because of our customers. We demand our customers receive professionalism and respect at all times. We believe by understanding our customers unique needs, this will ensure we deliver customer focused products and services
The Truth: Integrity is at the heart of our relationships; we are relentless by trusting, respecting and empowering our employees. Each and every one of us is held accountable by doing the right thing. We maintain the highest standard of professional and ethical practices.
Respect: We listen to everyone as individuals and value others perspectives through regular two-way communications. Others ideas and viewpoints are thoughtfully considered as if an individual grows, we prosper.
We Thrive on Teamwork: We thrive on best practices by proactively engaging others to achieve job satisfaction and process fluidity.
We insist on Safety: Unsafe practices are non negotiable in our work environment. Safety is always our number one priority. We are committed to our customers and employees to sustain a safe environment.
Those were my core business values I wrote in 2012 and I stand behind them each and everyday, even when I represent another company.
My business plan changed significantly in 2015 when we had our business & shop fire. We lost everything - offices, inventory, tools, parts, several pieces of equipment that was inside the building, but also my dreams of owning a small business.
To be honest, it was very difficult to start over, when your dreams are burnt to the ground. I kept a couple items that survived the fire, which I found in the rubble in my office. I salvaged a metal sign that reads 'SUCCESS'. I cleaned it up and saved it knowing that it would be in my new office one day (Picture below). A lot of great memories within those four walls. I thought I lost my spirit in that fire, but I knew the workboots had to get back on, and we managed to get through it the best way we knew how.
The one thing I know is that I never gave up on my visions and my dream. And even though I've been operating on a smaller, quieter level of business since 2015, I'm grateful for my team in the background, I'm thankful for the opportunities that were presented and excited for what the future holds.
A big thank you to our rental & apparel customers since 2012!
There will be a newly updated website launched soon.
www.yellowironequipment.com
Please like our page if you haven’t already done so. Thanks so much 🙏💛
