Closing the Gate on 2018

Closing the Gate on 2018

Last year was an absolute roller coaster ride. Filled with the same types of ebbs and flows I imagine most entrepreneurs face on their journey to creating a sustainable business. About this time last year, I was convinced I had made a mistake and KC Cattle Company was not going to make it. I’m pretty sure the only thing that kept me going was my stubbornness and “never quit” mentality I had drilled into my head during my time in the military.

In March of last year, I was still struggling to figure out what my next move was to try to get some traction with steady sales. My wife texted me one day while I was on a conference call and told me to come up to the house ASAP. I excused myself from the call and flew up to the house to see what the deal was. I walked in the house and she had tears running down her face paired with a smile as she informed me, she was pregnant. My immediate reaction was pure excitement. I gave her a hug assured her everything would be ok. As I walked out of the house and had a second to think about the news, the fear set in. I was a running a failing business and couldn’t afford to pay myself a dime. Not to mention, don’t you need some kind of training to raise a kid? I sat down later that day with my good friend after visiting some restaurants to drill up some business and told him I had nine months to get KC Cattle Company to breakeven or profitable point. I told my wife if I wasn’t there when we had our son, “I’m folding up shop and getting a big-boy job.” 
Since then, I have worked my butt off to grow KC Cattle Company into something I can truly be proud of. We have seen a moderate amount of success in 2018 and none of it would have been possible if not for my business mentors, our veteran employees, my family, our amazing customers, and the Lord’s blessings on my life. Almost every day in 2018, I would fall asleep to the same prayer, “God, if this is the path you want me to take, please, provide a path forward. If it’s not what you want me to do, give me a sign.” God has paved a path forward and so much more. My two favorite memories of 2018 were our beef giveaway to the homeless in Kansas City and the birth of my son. Jeremy’s birth will forever change my life. This life has been a journey and I’m thankful for the bad just as much as I’m thankful for the good parts. If it were not for the bad, most of the good would have never happened.

For 2019, our goals are as lofty as ever. We aim to start farm-to-table dinners and tours of what we do out here come springtime. We are working towards adding pork and chicken products to the website. Lastly, I am most excited about working towards starting an incubator for veterans interested in entrepreneurship. This will be in partnership with War Horses for Veterans Foundation. A tremendous non-profit located in our backyard. Together, we want to bring veterans out to present a rough draft of a business plan, pair them with a successful individual in their perspective industry, and workshop how to make their goals obtainable.

Again, I would like to thank all of you for your support. Happy belated New Year!

- Pat