How’s it goin’, Hard Knocks Community?💰

We're hitting up your inbox with a fresh new episode of the School of Hard Knocks Newsletter. Today, the spotlight is on Dan Honig, CEO of Discount Fence USA. Leading a $40M+ business, he's mastered scaling, operations, and customer service excellence. Dan's drive and persistence allowed him to build a thriving service-based company with long-term success.

Today’s Schedule

• No Fence Too High: How Dan Honig's drive and persistence allowed him to build a thriving fence business

• From the Hard Knocks Library: Who Believed in You: How Purposeful Mentorship Changes the World

• In Case You Missed It: In NYC, we interviewed millionaires on Wall Street

Let’s level up!🔥

No Fence Too High

While in his 20s, Dan Honig began his career in the car business. He often worked every day of the week at a Goodyear tire and rubber company in California. Later, he moved to Austin, Texas and started working at car dealerships.

In 2006, Dan had an epiphany. He saw people enjoying their Saturdays on boats having a good time and he realized that's the kind of life he wanted for himself. He was making around $100K a year at the time and was working like crazy. Then, Dan went on a vacation and never went back to his job.

From there, Dan tried his hand at a swimming pool business. Unfortunately, in 2008, the markets crashed and he almost lost everything. After six months of trying to make things work, he decided to pivot to home remodeling.

One day while watching TV on the couch, Dan contemplated what he was going to do with the rest of his life. An episode of the hit show Undercover Boss came on and the featured company was a budget blinds business. The owner built a $700 million company off a product that everyone needed. This motivated Dan to look for a similar product and start up a new venture.

Dan saw fences everywhere, many of which were falling down and in need of repair or replacement. Inspired, he jumped on the computer, started Googling fence companies, and came up with the company name of Discount Fence USA.

Although he was just getting started, Dan added "USA" to the name knowing that this was going to be big…and he was right.

In February of 2013, Dan built his very first fence and by 2020, he scaled Discount Fence USA to $20 million. To scale even bigger, Dan brought in a partner, sold half the business, and purchased a company in San Antonio. This allowed him to streamline operations and bring his own product in directly from the mills.

Now, Dan is working on product expansion through a new roofing company called MyNextRoof.com.

Inside the School of Mentors community, Dan shared his amazing wisdom and top tips for entrepreneurs in a recent live session. Here are four key takeaways:

Keep It Moving

One of the most common traps entrepreneurs fall into is "analysis paralysis." When you're just starting out, it's easy to get stuck in a loop of preparing, but not executing. Dan says the key to breaking through is to go out there and take action. In Dan's business, he tells new sales reps that once they close a deal, it brings momentum and gets the ball rolling.

While it's OK to spend time studying and learning the game, at some point you have to become a player. To reach success, sometimes you have to force yourself to make a decision and move forward. You might not have all the answers and you may make mistakes, but what you'll learn from the experience paves the way.

Swift Scaling

If Dan had to start over tomorrow from square one, the one piece of advice he'd give himself is to execute with speed. Every day, he gives his all and gets after it, no excuses. Dan likes to look at his businesses like they're his family. If his wife or kids called him at night, he would answer the phone without question. He treats his business dealings with the same priority.

Going all in on your business means staying on top of communication, no matter what. Dan says it's the quickest way to scale up. Taking a five minute phone call or answering a quick email doesn't take very long and you never know where those interactions may lead.

Clever Conversation

In business, tough conversations are par for the course. Whether you're dealing with a customer or a business partner, Dan says having a candid conversation instead of avoiding it is what fixes things quickly. Even if things are tense or awkward, actually confronting an issue brings the clarity you need to move forward.

When working to close a deal or get a "yes" from a potential client, Dan advises entrepreneurs to figure out what separates you from your competitors and ask for the business. Once you pose the question, sit back and listen. When you're direct, the other person will tell you what it will take to get them on board.

Becoming a master of difficult conversations doesn't happen overnight. However, through enough courage and practice, it becomes second nature. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. The worst a potential client will say is "no."

Don't Quit

Even in the lowest points of Dan's entrepreneurial journey, he says the thought of quitting never crossed his mind. He reminded himself of the last regular job he had and that was enough motivation to keep pressing on.

So many people break under pressure, especially when they're losing everything. However, in those pressure-filled moments, you gain strength and wisdom. When you put in the hard work and do the right things, it's only a matter of time before you succeed.

When times get tough, find that one thing that serves as your compass to keep you on the right path. Whether it's faith, family, or simply the drive to create your dream life, never lose sight of what it is you want. Stay committed - success truly is on the other side of failure.

Connect with Dan here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dan_honig/

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Words of Wisdom

From the Hard Knocks Library

In Case You Missed It

We visited Wall Street in New York City and asked millionaires how they would make $1 million dollars. We also asked them about the most amount of money they have made in a year and for their top career and life advice. We interviewed people in a variety of industries such as Medicine, Entertainment, and Finance. Check out the interviews here!

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