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Today, we are joined by Rob Kyne, who started a landscaping business when he was only 10 years old. He grew this business and sold it before he headed off to college. After this experience, he really thought he would head into consulting and work a corporate job. However, upon graduating during the dot com bubble, it was difficult to find a job. So he fell back on what he knew and moved to Portland, Oregon to start another landscaping business.
Rob scaled the business over 20 years. Even though he was achieving successes, he felt he had zero work-life balance. During a short time period, his father had a seizure, his mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, his mentor passed away, and COVID hit. This forced Rob to re-evaluate his priorities and he didn’t feel like he was in the right frame of mind to lead a business.
Rob decided to take a step away from the business and go on a sabbatical. He traveled through the west coast in an RV with his family. He was able to unplug and live in the moment with his family. After returning home from two months on the road, Rob knew that he did not want to go back to work. He began to value his time and relationships above all else. He worked with his business partner to sell his portion of the business and walk away.
Over the past two years, Rob has decided to stay open to whatever opportunities get thrown his way. He has gotten back into golf, traveling, home schooling his kids, mentoring, volunteering, etc. Also, he purchased a property with 4 acres with plans of having a space for people to gather with food trucks and a tap room. While he doesn’t know what is in store next, he knows that he will not go back to a full-time job.
Check out the conversation as we dive into the following:
How hiring people is the most important part of growing a business
The difficulties of turning off thinking about work even when off the clock
The importance of stepping away from a business to reflect on what is most important
How hard it was leaving the strong relationships he built with the people at his company
How his wife cared more about his time with the family than his salary from the business
The importance of being open to change and new opportunities
Listen to Rob share his story and get inspired with his amazing advice to people thinking about following a similar path. Check out the full conversation on YouTube or Spotify by clicking the links below.
Know someone who should be on Why I Quit? We’re looking for all types of stories and people to feature at the top of the show. To nominate yourself or someone else, email dave@foundersapproach.com and tell us your name, where you’re from and what you want to talk about.