A Letter From Our Founder On Our 5th Birthday
Dear Ranger Station Fam,
As Ranger Station turns 5 years old this month, I wanted to say thank you. If you are reading this, you are a committed part of the Ranger Station family. I say it a lot because it’s true - we could not be doing what we are doing without you. You allow our team to do what we love to do day in and day out.
Even saying ‘our team’ is something I never imagined I would be able to do. I started Ranger Station while brainstorming on tour buses and making candles in my roommate’s kitchen. Thank you, Nathan, for letting me turn your kitchen into my playground and for putting up with all the good and not so good scents I experimented with. And the wax on the floor - I’m sorry.
Ranger Station truly just happened. I didn’t find a niche market and put together a well-thought-out business plan. I was a musician that started making candles because I had too much time on my hands and not enough money to fund my expensive candle habit. I made expensive smelling candles that didn’t cost a fortune. Friends started requesting them, and in August of 2015, I decided to give my hobby a name and website. When we launched the website had a whopping ONE product - the Leather + Pine candle hand-poured in a whiskey glass.
The best compliment I have ever received was just recently from my Dad. “Do you remember when I told you to think about going into Finance instead of making candles? I’m really glad you didn’t listen to me.”
In what we all keep calling “these strange times” I want to leave you with this. Nothing is guaranteed to us in this life. No amount of hard work or luck will ensure success. So, enjoy yourself. Slow down and Stop Being Busy. Work hard, but enjoy your work. Love well. Build memories, not wealth.
Thanks to - Jordan, Jon, Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, Sito, Grandma Dee, Marty, Vickie, Barrett, Ben, Blake, Andrew, Charley, Sam, Justin, Stevie, Jen, Mitch, Alaina, Zach, Daniel, Josh, Ben, Emily, Seth, Kelsey, Lauren, Nathan, and everyone else who had a hand in making Ranger Station into what it is today. I could not have done any of this without you.
Here is to the next 5 years.
Cheers,
Steve