For years I’ve said that working for myself was the best decision I ever made. It allows me freedom in multiple areas of life and it’s extremely empowering to hustle for yourself. Up until last year I was still preaching that same message. However, I started to see a shift in my desire to keep being a “social media influencer” full time. I’ve made a decent living off of social media marketing alone, but there were just some things missing in my life and I had to be honest with myself.
I started spending a lot of time daydreaming about working with a team of people again. The thought of bouncing ideas off others and feeding my creativity, while working toward common goals gave me butterflies. I missed having a reason to dress up outside of trade show season, or at minimum get out of my workout clothes and put a little makeup on. When you look good, you feel good, and I was letting myself go. Part of that pressure was from seeing how others (always men) treated women that were a little bit of both worlds: feminine, but a tomboy. I gave into that pressure, at times overcompensating so that hopefully I wasn’t seen as a joke. I cared what other people thought, and I think everyone can admit that at some point they have too. I continued to shrink into this mold that I thought I had to be in order to be accepted, and guess what? Some people still didn’t like me. We’ll never be every person’s cup of tea, which is why we’re better off being ourselves, always!!
I’d say 95% of my contacts in the hunting industry now are male. Guys, you’re awesome, but women need women. I was desperate for more girl time in my life. I’ve been in a man’s world for so long that the idea of working with women again excited me - after all, I came from the beauty industry before I went into the outdoor industry full time. Here’s the catch though: how would I ever work for a company that A) genuinely wanted me to be out in the field hunting and B) didn’t interfere with everything I had busted my butt for since 2015 when I started Followherarrow?? I genuinely care about my partnerships and I wasn’t willing to give them up just because my potential employer had a better relationship with a competitor. It’s really common to see little circles of companies working together, kind of like cliques in high school. It didn’t seem realistic to step into a position when most likely there would be a conflict of interest somewhere down the road. In other words, I wanted this fairytale job to be completely separate from my personal business. That’s EXTREMELY hard to do in an industry as small as the outdoors.
I remember a handful of times I’d jump on the internet and job search, but I found something wrong with every position. The things I desired in a job felt like a fantasy. I’d walk away from the computer for a couple of months, then jump back on the next time I had a meltdown (usually after I was bullied on social media, if I’m being honest). My thought process was that if I could find something else to put my energy into and satisfy all the things I was missing, I’d be too busy to care about those hurtful people. This cycle went on, and even though my partnerships were growing and my income increased, I was wanting something more. I prayed a LOT, asking for direction and for Him to place me in an environment where I could use my full potential. I wanted to thrive.
If you’ve known me long enough, you’ve probably heard me say “one handshake can change your life,” and that’s really how our move to Utah unfolded. I went to SHOT Show in Las Vegas like I do every year, but I only had a few meetings to attend in 2019 because I handle most of my business at ATA. I was floating around the show room floor and when a mutual friend stopped to talk to the CEO of a company that I was very unfamiliar with, we swapped cards and parted ways. This is a very common thing at trade shows - I come home with dozens of business cards at the end of show season, and the stack seems to grow each year.
Before long, I was sitting in our 5th wheel back in Texas with my husband next to me and we were on the phone with that same individual. Fast forward a couple of months and we got a call from him inviting us to go on a filmed elk hunt with the archery tags we drew. September came and we were chasing bugles in Montana with him. Now I’m in Cedar City, UT working in the same office as him. So who’s hand did I shake that day?
...Jerrod Lile, the CEO of Huntin’ Fool! I started using their services after I met him and put in for more tags than ever before, which resulted in me drawing 3 tags for 2019: Wyoming antelope, Montana elk, and Kansas whitetail. Before I met him, I only put in for New Mexico and Colorado. The other states just intimidated me because I’ve hunted private land in Texas most of my life. I needed help - I needed someone to walk me through the process and break it down for me. When people ask me how I get the opportunity to hunt so much, of course some of it is based on relationships and getting invited to different places, but Huntin’ Fool changed my life as a hunter. They literally help you apply in up to 21 states, any species you can imagine, and help you plan your hunt from start to finish. DIY? Guided? Horseback? Drop camp? Whatever you’d like to do, they can help make it happen. It’s really cool to be apart of a company that wants others to succeed in the field.
I could write an entire article on everything that Huntin’ Fool is involved in, but for now I’ll just say that I’m honored to be the new Marketing & PR Manager for them, and it feels surreal to say that my husband is right next to me (not literally - he’s across the building) working toward becoming a hunt advisor, and gets to communicate directly with outfitters so that our clients get the best experience possible. Over 50% of the employees are (legit, cool, supportive) women and we work with multiple brands in the same categories: clothing, optics, ammo, firearms, packs, etc. All the things I desired, but thought didn’t exist are wrapped into this position. We are loving our new home, the community here, the mountains that surround us, and our new jobs! Like many other things in my life, I’ve been struggling to share this because it’s so special to us, and unfortunately not everyone can find it within themselves to be happy for other’s success. It’s weird to think we were leaving Texas a week ago, and today marks the first week of working with Huntin’ Fool! Someone pinch me!
If you made it this far in the article, I want to say a special thank you. It would be really easy to just say, “I took a job with Huntin’ Fool,” but the reality is that I took a (arguably dream) job with one of the VERY few companies I’d ever entertain working for - a 25 year company that supports hunting and allows me to continue chasing my dreams. In 10 months, we went from being clueless about this company, to moving our entire life to be apart of it. It sounds crazy, but all I can say is that when something feels right...chase it! And you may fail (we’ve jumped and failed before - see that story here), but you get back up and put one foot in front of the other. If I never took chances, my life would be so boring and I wouldn’t have opportunity to grow. I truly feel that way because you don’t learn from getting it right every time. Nobody gets it right every time. I have to say though, I think we got it right this time. And if not, well, we’ve proven we’re not afraid to jump again.
Anyway, what’s up Utah? I’m ready to write another chapter in the book. Let’s play!