Who said life was easy?

My brother and I are originally from the area that Sandy devastated and now reside in Kentucky running our auto garage business. When the hurricane hit, we could not believe the devastation that it caused and knew we needed to go up there to help in some way shape or form. We drove up there with our truck, some extra waters and coffee to hand out. When we got there I literally could not believe my eyes. It looked like a war zone there.

When we drove up, we saw a woman sitting there in her car just sobbing with her head in her hands. My brother and I went up to her to see if she was okay and asked if there was anything we could do to help. She said she has been picking up things that were left from her house being swept away. She then said that her business was also swept away by the storm a few miles away. Before I could say anything I just felt the tears come up and I couldn’t help but cry with her. We spent the day with her and some others, gathering anything that could be kept that was left behind.

As the day went on, one man shared that his daughter was suppose to have heart surgery and he had no way of getting there to see her. My brother and I dropped everything and drove him to the hospital. We got him there and had the chance to meet the rest of the family that was there. The man had shared with us that he had been in the auto industry for years and turns out we needed to hire an additional person. As we were leaving the hospital we told him we were located in KY but would love to have him and he replied with, “You have no idea what that means to me and I will gladly come work for you.”

My brother and I had no idea what we would find when we drove up to our old stomping grounds and turns out despite the bad, some amazing things happened that day. It may not seem like much to you reading this but the fact that we were able to help another person and create a job for them at the same time, that’s what life is about. There was a real reason that we needed to go and not to mention to help those who just want to get their life back together. Being a mom and pop means more than just being a business to help the community, it’s about being there for your community despite the relentless downs we face over and over. Here’s to those who continuously reach out and touch others around them on a day to day basis as a small business.

I Am A Mom and Pop

Justin & Trent 

I’ve always been a big fan of baseball thanks to my dad. We use to go to watch games at Wrigley field every year and we had the best time. My love for baseball carried over into what I do now.  I was never really one to actually enjoy school so I skipped out on going to college and started working with a local company that worked on ballfields to repair ones that were in bad shape. It allowed me to be outdoors and enjoy being around the game of baseball. I ended up working with them for a few years and loved every minute of it. I left that company and started my own business in Virginia. I’ve worked on numerous fields in the area and have loved every minute of owning my own business. I truly believe the lows you face are what make your business the way it is today. You have to go into starting a business knowing that you’re going to face some hard times just like anything in life.  I recently was in a car accident and am now paralyzed from the waste down. It was such a tough blow for me but the one thing that has gotten me through is not only my family but my business. I still look forward to each day to do what I love and meeting new people. Never feel sorry for yourself in business or life, get after it and make each day count. Don’t let everyone tell you how to run your business, go with your gut and do what’s right, then you can never go wrong.  I Am A Mom and Pop. - Barry Hunter 
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I’ve always been a big fan of baseball thanks to my dad. We use to go to watch games at Wrigley field every year and we had the best time. My love for baseball carried over into what I do now. 

I was never really one to actually enjoy school so I skipped out on going to college and started working with a local company that worked on ballfields to repair ones that were in bad shape. It allowed me to be outdoors and enjoy being around the game of baseball. I ended up working with them for a few years and loved every minute of it. I left that company and started my own business in Virginia. I’ve worked on numerous fields in the area and have loved every minute of owning my own business. I truly believe the lows you face are what make your business the way it is today. You have to go into starting a business knowing that you’re going to face some hard times just like anything in life. 

I recently was in a car accident and am now paralyzed from the waste down. It was such a tough blow for me but the one thing that has gotten me through is not only my family but my business. I still look forward to each day to do what I love and meeting new people. Never feel sorry for yourself in business or life, get after it and make each day count. Don’t let everyone tell you how to run your business, go with your gut and do what’s right, then you can never go wrong. 

I Am A Mom and Pop.

- Barry Hunter 

This may look like a simple tool to you but it’s where my entrepreneur journey first started. My grandmother handed me this when I was 13 and said, “get to work.” My parents passed away when I was 3 and I lived with my grandparents and little did I know that they would be the ones who completely shaped my life and inspired me to do what I do now.  My grandmother owned an arts and craft store that sat on the corner in small town of Rhode Island. When my grandfather passed away, I started running the store with her to make her mind feel more at ease and to help out anyway that I could. I saw the hurt in her eyes and I wanted to do anything I could to take that look away. She really let me become a part of the store, learn how a business functions and how to really speak to the customers. She was such a joy to be around and everyone that came to the store would come back the next day just to say hello to her. As I became more involved in the business, I realized how much I grew to love crafts that soon led me to design and then to remodeling homes. My grandma passed away right after I got out of college. We had to close her shop when she became ill and since I was so busy with school. The last thing she said to me before she passed was, “what are you waiting for, go out there and be amazing.” What she was referring to was that I was using school as an excuse as if I didn’t know what I wanted to do or I wasn’t good enough to do my own thing. I did use it to hide behind and wasted 4 years before I could face that truth.  Right after that I launched my own business and have never looked back. I get the chance to travel and remodel homes across the country. If it wasn’t for my grandmother taking the time to teach me when I was young and believing in me then I would not be where I am today. I am proud to be a small business owner and would much rather support local any day over the corporate big guys. Let’s continue to inspire each other and take the stand.  I Am A Mom and Pop. - Brent 
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This may look like a simple tool to you but it’s where my entrepreneur journey first started. My grandmother handed me this when I was 13 and said, “get to work.” My parents passed away when I was 3 and I lived with my grandparents and little did I know that they would be the ones who completely shaped my life and inspired me to do what I do now. 

My grandmother owned an arts and craft store that sat on the corner in small town of Rhode Island. When my grandfather passed away, I started running the store with her to make her mind feel more at ease and to help out anyway that I could. I saw the hurt in her eyes and I wanted to do anything I could to take that look away. She really let me become a part of the store, learn how a business functions and how to really speak to the customers. She was such a joy to be around and everyone that came to the store would come back the next day just to say hello to her. As I became more involved in the business, I realized how much I grew to love crafts that soon led me to design and then to remodeling homes. My grandma passed away right after I got out of college. We had to close her shop when she became ill and since I was so busy with school. The last thing she said to me before she passed was, “what are you waiting for, go out there and be amazing.” What she was referring to was that I was using school as an excuse as if I didn’t know what I wanted to do or I wasn’t good enough to do my own thing. I did use it to hide behind and wasted 4 years before I could face that truth. 

Right after that I launched my own business and have never looked back. I get the chance to travel and remodel homes across the country. If it wasn’t for my grandmother taking the time to teach me when I was young and believing in me then I would not be where I am today. I am proud to be a small business owner and would much rather support local any day over the corporate big guys. Let’s continue to inspire each other and take the stand. 

I Am A Mom and Pop.

- Brent 

All it took was one summer for me to realize what I suppose to do with my life. My dad started a landscaping company when I was young and for a long time I always said I would never work for his business. One summer when I was 15, he was was short handed and needed someone to help him for the day. Of course he volunteered me since it was my summer break and he thought I should be working instead of cruising around with my friends. I was not looking forward to it by any means but now that I look back on it, it’s the day that completely changed my life. That day my dad and I grew closer than we had ever been and he showed me all of his tricks. It was a true bonding experience I will never forget and now is a great memory for the both of us. We now work together and constantly push each other to be better both in business and life. We had some rough patches with the economy being so bad but it’s only taught us more about our own business. When times are tough you have to figure out how to make it work even if it means having less. I hate the way that people look down on small businesses or “mom and pop stores” because we’re the ones who create the jobs for everyone. Even the big companies were once small. I’d rather be a mom and pop that has less than over someone stealing money from others. It’s funny that many government people don’t ask us how we feel, they only assume our thoughts.  We continue to work hard because it’s what we know and we don’t just sit around, we make things happen. Thank you to my dad who constantly encourages me to be the best I can be both in life and business.  I Am A Mom And Pop - Craig Hughes 
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All it took was one summer for me to realize what I suppose to do with my life. My dad started a landscaping company when I was young and for a long time I always said I would never work for his business. One summer when I was 15, he was was short handed and needed someone to help him for the day. Of course he volunteered me since it was my summer break and he thought I should be working instead of cruising around with my friends. I was not looking forward to it by any means but now that I look back on it, it’s the day that completely changed my life. That day my dad and I grew closer than we had ever been and he showed me all of his tricks. It was a true bonding experience I will never forget and now is a great memory for the both of us. We now work together and constantly push each other to be better both in business and life. We had some rough patches with the economy being so bad but it’s only taught us more about our own business. When times are tough you have to figure out how to make it work even if it means having less. I hate the way that people look down on small businesses or “mom and pop stores” because we’re the ones who create the jobs for everyone. Even the big companies were once small. I’d rather be a mom and pop that has less than over someone stealing money from others. It’s funny that many government people don’t ask us how we feel, they only assume our thoughts. 

We continue to work hard because it’s what we know and we don’t just sit around, we make things happen. Thank you to my dad who constantly encourages me to be the best I can be both in life and business. 

I Am A Mom And Pop

- Craig Hughes