Our Unexpected Journey
I am not usually one to open my heart easily, even to those I consider close friends, let alone to the vastness of the internet. Nevertheless, a business coach recommended sharing the details of our personal story. He says the world is full of people ready to empathize with total strangers. Frankly, I'm not sure who even looks at the 'About' section of an Etsy store, but hey, it's worth a shot.
In June 2019, my husband Allen and I moved to Montana, my childhood home. We moved from Tucson, AZ, where we had a wonderful life. We both had our health, great jobs, a house nearly paid off and wonderful friends. We had recently gotten married in 2018 and were ready to "settle down", as they say. Allen's best man met the love of his life at our wedding, a friend of mine from high school. Together, we all decided to move to Montana and the boys started a business: Red Summit Machineworks. I got pregnant, Allen and I bought property and began designing a barndominium, Allen and his best friend/business partner worked on building the business, and we all enjoyed exploring the beauties of the Bitterroot Valley.
But within 6 months, my friend and Allen's business partner changed their minds. They moved to Colorado and disappeared, and what ensued was an ugly battle to split the business. A business that by nature requires a LOT of upfront, high dollar expenditures that left us in serious debt. Allen and I decided to keep the machines and the business and try to make it work. The betrayal hit Allen especially hard.
And here we are. We are struggling but still hoping to make our living running our own family shop, all while trying to build our home before winter hits and raising a baby. I am doing my part by trying to learn marketing/sales, learning CAD, and managing our website. I also started this Etsy store, trying to help bring in capital and get our brand recognized. Oh, and I still have my full time virtual job working for an Environmental Consulting firm doing data management and validation. I work out of the shop with my husband.
The shop dog and namesake, Summit, (Allen's business partner's dog was named Red... it's too late to change the name now...) can always be found at the shop with us. And unless Grandma (an actual angel on earth) is watching our son Jack, he is always here too.
So that's our story. We were stuck with something we were not prepared to handle without help, but we are persevering and trying to make it work. All we can do is move forward. Please let us know if we can help you with ANY metal laser cutting or bending needs! Thank you.
