I was a five-year-old when my father began his research into the burgeoning world of shed manufacturing. Since we were not living in the mecca of sheds, we traveled to Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana where a few builders had started producing sheds out of wood, using more traditional construction techniques.

At that time, most of the outdoor storage industry was of the “metal shed in a box” category: Lowe’s, Montgomery Ward’s or Sears sold shed packages consisting of lots of metal sheets; thousands of screws, bolts, and nuts; and a 100-page instruction manual to guide homeowners in the assembly.   Several precious weekends could be spent assembling this new home for garden tools before experiencing the satisfaction of a finished project (not counting the anger fueled by skinned knuckles and missing parts).  To then have a storm come through and relocate the shed to the neighbor’s backyard was a sign that that particular model was doomed. True, it was only $129.99, but now the owner had to start over.

My father, Bennie Byler, knew there had to be a better way. And even though it would obviously cost more money, he felt confident that many people in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia would spend that money for something of greater quality and longevity. As a finish carpenter working with a local contractor, his attention to detail was to drive his success as the legendary Byler barn was conceived and then launched.

After an initial prototype (built from pine tongue-and-groove siding purchased from a shed builder in Ohio), he switched to buying a few models from Indiana for resale. (Setting up those models on the lawn beside our house nearly cost me my life – but that’s a story for another time.)  Noticing our free advertising in the local newspaper, people came to our backwoods location to scout out this new idea: a storage shed built more like a house, but portable; so it could be delivered to a customer’s home fully assembled.

The journey had begun. And the demand was strong. And with that, Byler Barns of Stuarts Draft, Virginia, was born: another business started by someone who was good at a trade – in this case carpentry – launching  a business where he could provide products to local clients through the skills of his own hands.

That was June of 1972. Knowing how to build a shed and embarking on the journey to growing a multi-million-dollar business were two quite different endeavors. Building a shed could be measured in hours. Establishing and growing a company would be measured in years. The two also required very different skill sets.

Now it’s 2021, and my father has been retired from the business for nearly ten years. The entrepreneurial journey has had many twists and turns. As a second-generation leader, the tasks I do on a day-to-day basis are very different from what my father did during those early days. It’s been years since I drove a nail, prepared a sales contract for a client, delivered a shed, or even balanced a checkbook. I now lead a team of people. And the transition from working in the business to working on the business has been arduous at times, painful at more than a few moments, and frequently exhilarating.

This journey has included education and re-education. We needed to adapt to changing economic situations, modifications to the products available to our industry, and revised zoning laws and building codes—not to mention market changes that required redesigning our product line to new client expectations.

There have been pain points:  the lawsuit due to an accident on our property, the shed that slid off the trailer on a mountain road and landed on a Honda Accord, lumber prices skyrocketing 400% in thirty days, and financial losses while trying to grow faster than cash would permit, to mention a few. What also became apparent was that while each of these events could have been disastrous enough to shut down the company, they were to become learning opportunities along the way.

Most of the growth of the company took place in the past ten to fifteen years. Thus the pace of change (and opportunities for learning) was at times daunting. As the president of the company, I learned to rely on coaches, seminars, books, industry friends, local business groups, and business mastermind groups to help me grow in order to lead growth in the company. Some of the major changes included the generational handoff from father to son, founder to second generation; growing from a backyard business to multiple stores and factories, acquiring other companies for growth, shifts in strategy, starting our own rent-to-own company, a failed ERP implementation, personal burnout requiring extended leave; and more recently, merging with another company to continue the dream of growing a nationwide presence with the technological platform essential to success in the future. These are topics for future articles.

Now comes a different stage in life. Having learned to grow a leadership team and observe them enjoying success in their distinctive roles, I’m turning my attention to serving leaders. In keeping with my recent certification with the John Maxwell team as a speaker, coach and trainer, I hope to bring value to others from the experience I’ve gained. While my business experience has been predominantly in the world of sheds, I have also had the opportunity to lead teams in churches and other non-profits such as NBSRA, the organization for the rent-to-own shed industry.  This column in the Shed Builder Magazine is one of the ways I want to serve the industry in which I’ve invested my life.

Let me know how I can serve. I welcome your questions, whether you are a small start-up or a more mature company working to fine-tune your systems and processes, grow your leadership team, or begin dreaming of your exit strategy. I am here to serve.

This article originally appeared in The Shed Magazine and is online here.

Brief Bio. Born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, I’ve spent the core of my career in the world of sheds, first with the family business Byler Barns and more recently as a part of Ulrich Lifestyle. From building, to delivery, to sales and management, and rent-to-own, I’ve worked in all facets of the business. I’m happily married with 7 children and 8 grandchildren. I’ve also served in pastoral roles during much of the past 30 years. A few of the hobbies that keep me sane are fly fishing, woodworking and travel. I’ve been to all 50 states and 38 foreign countries. Let me know how I can serve you.