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They Didn’t Just Start a Business. They Built the One Only They Could.

Two family businesses built about 3,000 miles apart. Built their way.

Author

Eric Harrison
April 18, 2025

This edition of Underestimated is about founders who opted out.
Out of safe careers. Out of ordinary locations. Out of playing small.

Tyler didn’t wait for funding—he waited for his kids to go to sleep, then packed orders in the garage.
Collin didn’t just build a production company—he made it a business you can’t replicate.

They’re proof that you don’t have to chase every client. You just have to build something no one else can.

When Tyler Johnson brought home a toddler golf bag, he wasn’t thinking “company.” He was thinking, How do I carry my son’s clubs without juggling them in one hand while chasing him with the other?

That frustration turned into Charlie Golf Company. Tyler poured everything into it: design, samples, ecomm store, you name it.

“I still had a full-time job. I was packing orders in my garage after bedtime, answering emails while rocking a sick kid. It wasn’t sustainable. But I couldn’t let it go.”

This one’s went to the garage and just started building their dream. Check out Tyler’s story here!

Collin Strachan and his wife didn’t plan to settle down in Alaska. They were just supposed to visit. But after years of traveling in an Airstream, chasing contracts across the country, and living off-grid to survive the early days of COVID… the mountains pulled them in.

So did the business opportunity.

“You can’t compare us to anyone else. That’s by design.”

This one’s for anyone who’s ever thought about living off the land and chasing a dream. Read Collin’s story here!

If these stories hit a little too close to home, good.

You’re not the only one figuring it out as you go. There’s a whole group of us doing the same—comparing notes, trading wins, and building real businesses without pretending to have it all together.

Some of those people are already in Thrive.
Some aren’t yet.
You’ll know which one you are.

— Eric 👋

Thrive is where founders find their people.

Our members are vulnerable about their challenges, and passionate about helping each other solve them. It's the community I would have given anything to find when I was struggling to build my first business several years ago. If you're tired of pretending you've got it all figured out, Thrive is where you don't have to. Join us.