Becoming a business owner has always been a dream of mine ever since I graduated high school. I'm not going to lie, the main motivation for that at first was that I wanted to own a Ferrari before I was thirty years old ( I still want to do that ). After graduating high school. I spent all of college trying to figure out what kind of business I could start that would make me a lot of money. From a lawn care business to detailing cars, I did it all. All of which had no success, just lessons to learn. All of which, my main intention was to make money.
College was never my thing, even though I still graduated with a degree in business administration to appease my parents. My grades got progressively worse as I went because I progressively stopped caring. After graduating college, I worked at several different jobs starting with being a warehouse worker at 1st Phorm (Really putting my degree to good use, haha.) 1st Phorm is a really cool company here in St. Louis, but it just wasn't for me. I didn't want to work long hours for a job I wasn't passionate about.
After leaving 1st Phorm, I went back to my second love after fishing, cars. I worked for a Maserati dealership and a Porsche dealership after that. Each one of them had their own issues that I won't get into. I ended up getting burnt out on the whole car thing as a job. Don't get me wrong, I still love cars to death, and one day, mark my words, I'm going to have a pretty kick ass collection.
The question still remained, what business did I want to start to work for myself? Around the time I started working at Porsche Saint Louis, Erik came to me and said, "If you ever want to start another business, I'm in." We got to talking and thus, Hall of Fame Outdoor Co. was born. It was time to go. back to my first love, fishing. Our aunt Mary helped us set up an LLC, we were on our way.
At this point, we have two shirts, hoodies, and three different hats listed on the website. It has been an amazing learning experience. Erik and I are by no means successful businessmen yet. We have a lot to learn, but there is nothing we can't overcome. Thank God for the internet. There has been so many times we have had to take to google to find an answer to a question or some information we didn't have.
Starting and running this business has been the best and the worst thing I have ever done. Some days, I'm on top of the world. I know I am living out my calling. Nothing feels better than selling something you made to a stranger and knowing they are out wearing that in public. It is the best feeling ever. Most days however, are the complete opposite. We are always chasing the next thing. How can we make the website better, why didn't our Instagram reel get any views, why aren't we getting online sales. All these questions can add up and weigh heavy on your shoulders. Most days it is rather stressful, and it feels like I'm constantly getting kicked in the nuts. Often times I feel like quitting and trying to live a "normal life". Despite all the struggles, there is nothing I'd rather do. I know future generations are counting on me, as well as Erik.
When all is said and done, I know the money will never satisfy me as much as knowing I created something that will produce jobs for other people, and ultimately make a positive impact on the world. That's my goal more than anything. I want to die knowing other peoples lives we made better because of something Erik and I created. This business will grow to something so much bigger than ourselves, and I cannot wait to see what is in store
- Paul Hoffman, CoFounder of Hall of Fame Outdoor Co.