By Nathan Camp
- This will be a 3-part blog series.
While it required a lot of work leading up to the launch of Guardian Septic Services, Inc., we only went live with client service in January 2026. And honestly, it’s already been a great start, and I am excited and energized by what I am seeing starting to form.
The learning curve is steep when launching into something new. As we are closing the chapter on our first month as a business and my first month as an entrepreneur, I felt it might be cathartic for me – and perhaps helpful for others – if I started to capture some of the experiences I have had so far in this new chapter.
To that end, here are 11 Experiences as a New Entrepreneur. I hope these will help those who are considering making the leap into new chapters and visions in the days to come.
- Working on your why is more important than working on your skills.
A few weeks ago, we got a call from a retired man living alone. He had had a stroke, and he was in a tough spot. At the moment, his septic tank started to have issues. For weeks, he could not use it. Can you imagine the struggle this man faces? Finally, he called us, and we were able to come to his home and help him out. Seeing the joy on his face that something like having his septic system working – which seems simple and easily taken for granted – was a great realization that, as an entrepreneur, it’s not just what I do, but what I do for people that matters most.
Because entrepreneurship isn’t just about completing a job, or a sale, or a service. While those are fun, they are not fuel. The fuel in the belly of a small business owner is what that job, or sale, or service does in the lives of others. A few weeks in, it dawned on me that I am more fueled at the end of the day by the impact our service has had on people’s days and lives than by the fact that there was a cash transaction. Reminding myself at the end of the day who I worked for and what value I brought to someone is the greater motivator for the entrepreneurial leader.
- There is a joy in the “rise and grind” day-in-the-life of an entrepreneur that truly reveals whether you are called to do this.
Waking up with no promises of work, nothing pre-booked or on the schedule, hits you the moment your feet hit the ground. It’s there waiting. Every entrepreneur knows that. Very quickly, you realize that nothing is going to just happen. The phone doesn’t magically ring. You must go out and make it happen. And that’s a ton of fun! Yes, it’s hard – don’t get me wrong – but it is so much fun to “rise and grind”. Finding who to call, to visit, to pursue…and then actually doing it…should bring a lot of joy. Yes, it’s hard. But it should have a sense of intrinsic joy that reveals this kind of lifestyle is what you are made for.
- There are moments when – even in that joy – you will have to wrestle with doubt.
Starting a new business after 17 years at my prevous company has been no small feet. I knew that other role like the back of my hand. I had started it in my 30’s and left in my 50s. I could tell you about it inside and out. But, this new venture – I am still very new. And sometimes, I wonder if I can do this. It’s not a surprise, but while some daydream about success, most entrepreneurs get hit with doom in their daydreams. “What if this doesn’t work? What if no one calls?” I believe every person who pursues a dream can relate to this.
I’ve had both moments of great resolve and moments of great doubt. I’ve jockingly told some friends, “Every other hour, I am full of confidence!”.
While that is more tongue-in-cheek, the truth is, I think that cadence is appropriate for launching out in faith. There is no new start that does not both long for the past and fear the future. What sets the entrepreneur apart is that they accept those tensions to be true, and sail forward anyway. Knowing this this is just part of the process.
- Keep your eye out for Part 2 coming soon!