I’m a country boy from a small town called Lake Shore, Utah. I mention that because it’s where I learned the value of hard work. Growing up on a farm taught me some pretty important life lessons. After graduating high school in Spanish Fork, I started my first business called Country Garbage at the age of 21. Before that, I worked fast food at Kentucky Fried Chicken.

One day, I went to my dad and said, "Dad, I’d like to start a business and do something different." He asked if I ever thought about hauling garbage like we did for a Boy Scout fundraiser. I said, "That sounds interesting, what do I need to do?" So, I started knocking on doors, borrowed my dad’s truck, and used my FFA teacher’s dump trailer to haul garbage. That’s how simple it was!

When I started, I only had enough money to buy gas for my first route and envelopes for billing, but Country Garbage ended up paying for my education. I attended Utah Valley State College (UVSC) and managed three different routes by working just one Saturday a month. This allowed me to graduate debt-free. Making $30-50/hour instead of $8/hour at fast food was quite appealing too!

UVSC didn’t offer the degree I wanted, so I transferred to BYU, got my business degree, and graduated there debt-free as well. After college, I didn’t want to haul garbage anymore because I had bigger entrepreneurial ideas. So, I sold the business. It paid me while I ran it and paid me again when I sold it. Not a bad gig, right? That’s what I love about business – it pays you along the way, and if you run it well, you can sell it for a profit.

With the money from selling Country Garbage, I started Keystone Learning Systems. This idea came to me while I was a part-time sales guy for a tech company near BYU, selling software and going to school full-time. Keystone Learning Systems grew from 2 partners to 85 employees, becoming a multi-million dollar company selling software training worldwide. It was an awesome experience, and I had a great time with that venture.

I share this story to hopefully inspire you to start your own business if you haven’t already done so. Maybe you’re a college student yourself. I always encourage young people to get started now and not wait. Being an entrepreneur is hard work but from my experience it’s also very exciting and rewarding.