Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Nelson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Casey. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The whole idea of sharpening knives came about in 2016. At the time I was working for a marketing company as a tour manager traveling around the United States as part of a mobile marketing tour. I was what you would call a road warrior. I didn’t mind all the travel, actually, I loved it at the time, but it was beginning to wear on me. Long weeks, short weekends and sleeping in a different bed each night was what eventually lead to me start thinking of a new career path. I’ve always disliked the idea of being stuck in an office all day.
When I was younger, people would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up and normally the first thing out of my mouth was “not sit behind a desk.” Now, knowing I had to find something before the tour started back up meant the possibility of a nine-to-five. Coming home from one of my last events I knew it was time to make a change. First night back, my wife and I meet up for dinner with some friends and family. Over the course of the night, the topic came up of what I was going to do once the tour ended. I said, “I would probably try to find a job in Dallas this time.”
Dinner quickly turned into an entertaining brainstorm to find the perfect job when someone said, “You know Jack is looking for someone to take over his business.“ The idea of taking over a business had never crossed my mind nor had knife sharpening for that matter. I wasn’t even sure if you could make much money sharpening knives. Being the curious person I started asking questions, which eventually led to a “ride-around”. Over the next few weeks, I started working with Jack and I soon became engulfed in the world of knives.
I found myself constantly stealing glances at the kitchen tools in every restaurant I went to, learning about all of the different styles of knives and researching a variety of sharpening methods. I was enthralled with the idea of sharpening knives but no idea about starting and running a business. Over dinner one night, my wife asked me point blank, “what would you rather do, work for someone else or work for yourself?” It was either the concepts of being my own boss or the idea of having to sit behind a desk that sealed the deal.
In that moment, Lone Star Sharpening was born. I began the process of forming a business both physically and legally. I tapped into everyone that I could for advice and information. Not long after I was up and running. I made an offer and then over dinner that week, I became a business owner!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I feel fortunate that my road has been smoother than it could have been. Starting out I relied on my network as a source of information, insight and advice. My struggle was not the knife sharpening but the day-to-day operations of a business. A friend of mine said, “as an owner, you learn to wear a lot of hats!” I’ve found this to be true in the day-to-day operations of my business. Depending on the day you could be an Accountant, Salesman, Webmaster and Customer Service Representative.
Lone Star Sharpening – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Lone Star Sharpening is a mobile knife sharpening service. We specialize in commercial (restaurants, caterers, institutional kitchens) and residential Knife Sharpening and sales. We sharpen Stainless steel knives, Japanese knives, serrated knives, ceramic knives, and many other blades. If your knife needs repair we do that as well. We repair broken tips, chips, reverse bow, misshaped blades and bring them back to life. We can also sharpen most garden tools and scissors.
The obvious thing that sets us apart has to be that we are completely mobile. Not being restricted to one location offers flexibility and convenience for customers. Don’t mind venturing out, you can find us at Coppell Farmers Market the first Saturday of each month and the St. Michael’s Farmers Market the second Saturday of each month.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
To me, success is the feeling of a job well done. Seeing your work come to life and the satisfaction others get from it, I believe there is no greater feeling.
Pricing:
- Pricing starts at 4.25 (5″ and under) and goes up .85 cents an inch after that
- serrated Knives are $1.10 and inch
- Ceramic Knives are $2 an inch
- Any repairs needed will be an extra $4-$6
- Scissors and garden tools range $6-$15
Contact Info:
- Website: Lonestarmobilesharpening.com
- Phone: 972-559-9087
- Email: Info@lonestarmobilesharpening.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/lonestarsharpening
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/lonestarsharpening
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/lone-star-sharpening-dallas
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
