Thoughts from a Vetrepreneur: Grayson Guyer of Lost Highway Kennels
Vet·tre·pre·neur(vettrəprəˌno͝or): a military veteran who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial and personal risks to do so.
Navy veteran Grayson Guyer is a one-man show, which is how he likes it. As the CEO, COO, CIO, CMO, and Head of Innovation at Lost Highway Kennels he's damned good at doing something he loves. Frankly, it’s fascinating to watch him work because he is, simply put, a genius with a dog. They respond to him in ways that other humans have a hard time inspiring. Whether fellow handlers, trainers, clients, or guys like me who have been lucky to walk the woods with him and his dogs while hunting birds, Guyer commands respect without ever asking for it. He gets it because he gives so much more of it to the people around him. Most importantly, he’s a damned fine human, honest and decent, who has figured out post service life and how to run his own thriving business. Read on and learn from him.
-Russell Worth Parker, Editor in Chief, Lethal Minds Journal
Who are you, what is your military service background, what is your business, and why/how did it come to be?
My name is Grayson Guyer. I served for five years as a Navy Corpsman between 1998 and 2003 with most of that spent in the Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman training pipeline. Now, I am gun-dog trainer in Winston Salem, NC.
Between my time in service and starting my business, I got a BS in Geography from Appalachian State University, did some job hopping in the sales field, and worked as a dog trainer/Field Service Representative on the US Marine Corps Improvised Explosive Device Detection Dog Program in Afghanistan as well as some anti-poaching dog contracts in Africa.
I have operated my business, Lost Highway Kennels, as a sole proprietorship with no employees for nearly ten years. I like it this way and have been working hard to develop an identity as an artisan/craftsman.
What did you know about business generally, and yours specifically, before starting one?
I may be a business owner, but I consider myself a dog trainer, not an entrepreneur. Other than what I intuited, I had ZERO business education. This whole ordeal has been a fly by the seat of my pants kind of operation. I started with hardly anything, other than the knowledge gained from nearly fifteen years as a mostly hobbyist dog trainer and my hands-on experience. I have paid attention as friends and acquaintances succeeded and/or failed over the years, observations that have validated my decision to remain small.
Like military service, entrepreneurship, or business ownership, requires commitment. As a one man show, training companion gundogs, you ARE the product (along with a well-trained companion gundog of course)...your personality, your knowledge, your results. What gave you the confidence to go all in on yourself and was that anxiety inducing?
I think I was blessed with a generally positive, affable personality and I have never lost my passion for dog training. I feel the weight of my responsibility to do good work for my clients. Their respect, and that of my peers, is very important to me. Honesty and vulnerability have served me very well. I’m not money motivated, but I recognize my obligation to provide as a husband and father. We have a modest, but comfortable, life here on the farm where I run my business and act as a gamekeeper for the landowner in lieu of a property lease.
What would you do differently?
I’m not a regrets guy. The road to my current life has been a winding one with no shortage of folly.
What has been your biggest challenge thus far?
The birth of my son was the best thing that ever happened to me as a businessperson, but it created a lot of anxiety. I had to decide to shit or get off the pot. That’s when I got more serious about marketing and self-promotion, which is hard. Maybe some of it’s my nature, but I certainly carry the affect from my brief time in the Marine Recon community: ‘nobody likes a braggart’ and ‘let your actions do the talking.’
What have you learned about yourself in the process of building a business?
I’m not as lazy as I thought I was, and some people are generally interested in what I have to say.
What lessons you learned in service have helped you as a business owner?
I can be very “mission focused”. Whether it’s an 8 AM class or a hard day’s work in the oppressive summer heat, I can show up and put in work. I have two inner voices. One pre-dates my time in service and says, “I’m so tired”. The other came after and says, “Don’t be a pussy”.
What advice do you have for aspiring Vetrepreneurs?
Honestly, I don’t have any advice to offer. I’ve struggled with burn-out, self-doubt, all that stuff. I guess, just don’t quit.
What have I not asked that I should have?
I’m not sure you could have known to ask, but I feel compelled to share a bit about my transition into civilian life. I struggled and sometimes continue to struggle with the guilt and shame of getting out at the onset of the GWOT.
I was a Class-C liberty risk (not always officially) for my entire enlistment. After a liberty incident in Okinawa City, Japan that resulted in a two-week jail sentence, I broke my obligated service and chose to get out of the Navy. I was sour and felt betrayed by my command, the Corps, and the Navy. The memories of the years between my separation and my work as a contractor on the IDD (IED Dog) program are a booze and drug-soaked blur. My time with the young infantry Marines who became dog handlers in that program helped me confront my self-hate and come to some sort of reconciliation. I don’t know if there’s a lesson in there for anyone, but I guess if there is, it’s something about self-forgiveness.
How can people find you?
My website is www.losthighwaykennels.com
I’m very active on social media.
Instagram: @losthighwaygundogs
Facebook: Lost Highway Kennels
YouTube: Grayson Guyer’s Companion Gundog Channel
I also have a podcast called The Companion Gundog Podcast
If you’re a Vetrepreneur who wants to be featured, or know one who you think should be, email us at lethalmindsjournal.submissions@gmail.com and put VETREPRENEUR in the subject line. We are here to support you!