Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Griffith.
Hi Kevin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up dreaming about owning my own business. From selling Creepy Crawlers to friends in grade school, Grit newspaper to neighbors in middle school, and learning business from the inside out at Junior Achievement in High School, I became convinced having my own business was my destiny.
The direct path toward that opportunity came while in college. A neighbor with a business in his garage asked if I knew anyone who’d be interested in becoming his first employee. I raised my hand and said, yes, ME! With the founder already approaching retirement age, I saw how this company might just be what I was looking for! Eight years later this fledgling company had grown into a viable enterprise and I was given the opportunity to purchase it. That was in 1985. Forty years later we have 46 employees and distribute industrial and marine pumps nationwide through thousands of distributors!
Halfway through these past four decades of growth, I had developed an independent management team that gave my wife, Diana, and I the freedom to pursue the shared personal dream of having a wilderness retreat in an area with four defined seasons. (Where we live in Clearwater, Florida only has two: hot summers and comfortable winters.) We discovered that retreat near Dyersburg, TN in the form of a huge wooded property surrounded by other undeveloped tracks that could eventually be added. It was PERFECT!
What made the property especially unique was its 110-acre private lake totally surrounded by forests teaming with wildlife. I fell in LOVE! The peace I experienced while on the property was spiritual. Something about being surrounded by God’s creation invites you into a closer relationship with Him. Others that visited the property may not have understood the source, but experienced the same spiritual peace and connection. I wanted to preserve and protect this place. But how? As long as I was around, I could protect it. But, what about after I’m gone? I wanted to share what I experienced here with family, friends, and the community for generations to come! The business part of me knew that for that to happen, the property would have to be self-supporting or it would become a financial burden to the family after I’m gone. The farm already had a couple income sources: farming and a fledging fishing club on the lake. However, that was not nearly enough to pay its taxes, insurance, and upkeep. More income sources would have to be developed.
When a friend in Florida, who had experienced God’s presence on the farm, asked to have his wedding on our property, a light went off. Events! Events and weddings could become the income source we needed to secure our property’s future!
Now, many years later, we have 7 event venues and 13 lodging facilities (with more to come) that are providing a constant income stream to add to the existing farming and fishing club income. That has not only put us on a path to secure Fyrne Lake’s future, but has led us to become our community’s gathering spot to celebrate life events and experiencing God’s creation!
The continued success of our business in Florida has allowed us to create an animal rescue, called Paws to Care (that has saved over 10,000 animals from being euthanized) and a youth camp called Fyrne Valley (that ministers to kids and their families through sports, the outdoors, and life coaching). It is our prayer that God continues to use Fyrne Lake, Fyrne Valley, and Paws to Care to make a difference in people’s lives for decades to come!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest challenge I encountered in my professional career was me! Finding customers was the easy part. I quickly discovered that I could only keep so many of these new customers satisfied before I was overwhelmed. Even adding employees only went so far. I could train them to perform tasks, but unless I was willing to delegate authority to make decision, these employees would always be dependent upon me to answer constant questions. This is where many (I would say most) small businesses get stuck. Their owners limit their company’s growth by how much decision making authority they are or are not willing to delegate to employees. An employee without authority to make decisions makes the owner more necessary to the daily running of the business, not less. I was holding my company back, because I was unwilling to delegate authority. I thought no one can do this better than me! However, I was killing myself trying to be me to an ever-increasing number of customers and beginning to fail! With that hard to take realization, I pursued multiple leadership, delegation, and time management courses. They gave me the tools enabling me to remake my management style… training and then delegating decision making authority to a team of leaders overseeing all aspects of my company. This freed the company of my human limitations and freed me to pursue the dream of a wilderness retreat property with my wife.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Fyrne Lake Farms?
Located 10 minutes from Dyersburg in west Tennessee, Fyrne Lake Farms is a 2800-acre private natural park that offers a unique setting for outdoor weddings, special events, lodging, and fishing memberships for our mile long lake. We have 7 event venues and 13 lodging facilities that can accommodate a multitude of events including destination weddings, corporate retreats, reunions, proms, off-site trainings/meetings, birthday parties, etc. At our 200-acre sister property, Fyrne Valley, we host youth camps, community events, parties, sports training, and even baseball tournaments on our two new ball fields!
Fyrne Lake’s vision is to remain a pristine private park for generations to come. We maintain the property to the standards of a national park through encouraging wildlife, managing the lake, maintaining the land & forest, and minimizing development. To find out more visit our website at www.fyrnelake.com or our Facebook page.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
There are so many people that deserve the credit for the accomplishments I’ve experienced in life. However, I have to start with God! If it wasn’t for His constant presence and availability during my life, especially during the dark and challenging times, I would have given up many times. He encouraged me, He strengthened me, and He gave me guidance through the storms. He also led me to the main human I owe so much to, my wife Diana! She believed in me when I was doubting myself. And her amazing ability to understand people’s perspectives and motivations helped me through countless challenges with employees and others throughout our lives together. At Fyrne Lake, my event coordinator, Shannon, has helped guide me in an area I absolutely had no experience in… Hospitality Management! I have deferred to her on the creation of our event venues and the accumulation/customization of our lodging facilities. Shannon has created very unique spaces that lean into the spiritual presence at Fyrne Lake and please our clients over and over again!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fyrnelake.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fyrnelakefarms/
- Other: https://fyrnelake.com/index.html
