We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bill and Sarah Kuchma a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Bill and Sarah , we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?
I think it all comes from genuinely seeking out a situation where a void needs filled, and wanting to fill it at no personal gain for ourselves. Generosity can take on so many forms and shapes and sizes. You can be generous Financially, Socially, Spiritually, Relationally, or even Occupationally. To us, the most effective and gratifying way to be generous is to do it Anonymously. The key to our generosity is having sharpened our skills to see the opportunity when it shows itself, and being able to act on it
We have both led lives in a way that we have experienced the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows, and pretty much everything in between. I would also say that we are of the age now where we can look back and draw from our experiences so that we can benefit others in those areas where there is a genuine need.
We have a real soft spot for single parents, since we were each in that situation at one time in our lives. This involves not just the parent, but the child or children also. Words cannot express our feelings of relief when those special people in our past reached out with a little money, some advice, or even a simple compliment on how we were doing in that difficult time. We both agree that the most special gift at those times was the ability to just simply LAUGH.
When we met, and started on our life relationship, we couldn’t believe how similar our past experiences and current beliefs were. We took a Dave Ramsey course that stressed all the way through that the most important thing was to become debt free. We learned that we could do many more things than we originally thought, and how creative we could be in reaching our goals. It multiplied the personal bond we were forming in exponential ways. The main objective we wanted to achieve was to be able to give like we have been given to in our past lives. And guess what……it’s all biblical, and honors God in the process.
The opportunities that arise to give to places like St. Jude’s Hospital, or Children’s Hospitals in Pittsburgh PA and other locations, Samaritan’s Purse, Tunnels to Towers and the like help us to fulfill this need to a level we never thought possible. They are all Blessings, whether it comes from writing a check, or donating books or story reading time. From a local perspective, our social opportunities to help those in need of some good conversation or advice seem to come up more often now. Maybe that’s God appreciating what we have done by following Him and His plan for our lives and giving us more opportunities to serve Him.
In summary, there is no better gift we can receive than the ability to give to others in any way that we are directed by our Lord and Savior. We have adopted a new saying that we use when we can. It’s “wealth is only gratifying through Generosity”. That’s a keeper!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
We have three business ventures currently. The first is a children’s book business called Lyn Willy Childrens Books. The other two businesses are a joint venture called BackWoods Rescue and Survival at Diamond Heart Wilderness Training Grounds. All of these businesses came from our passion for the wilderness and general outdoors as well as our love of animals we encounter on a daily basis where we live. We spend countless hours out in the woods with our dog Gunnar, no matter what season, and thoroughly enjoy living and playing through the season changes. There are many folks around us, and abroad, with similar interests and habits, so the interest in our businesses is certainly already established. Our challenge was to create a way to reach these kindred spirits and show them our products.
After some careful thought and consideration, we realized that the common theme was the outdoors. Puppies play outdoors, whether in the yard, or park, or in the woods near your home. One of our books is actually based on a camping theme. This general premise would mesh well with our Wilderness Training and BackWoods Rescue businesses.
Just being out and about, doing what we do, is our first line of exposure to the public at large. We meet people everywhere who have the same interests as us, and are able to have the most incredible conversations not only about our books, but about the importance of the safety training that our other businesses teach. That “personal attachment” is just gold when it comes to conveying the pride we have in what we do and provide.
We were a bit surprised to see how well we did when we combined our books and our services at the same table at shows. Displaying our “Backpacks” book right next to our “Wilderness Training” flyers was a natural fit, and intrigued many more than we thought it would.
Another example of how to project and grow that personal attachment is to do local craft shows, community events, fairs, fund raisers and gatherings. There is nothing better than to look a person in the eye and do our best to convey the excitement we have in bringing our products and services. This sales practice works just as well for all our businesses, whether the children’s books or the more adult- based wilderness training services.
One realization we have made, specifically when it comes to our Wilderness businesses, is the effectiveness of our truck signage and physical media methods. Our “work truck” for Diamond Heart and BackWoods is fully dressed in a truck wrap explaining what we do. Most of our business contacts are made because of this sales tactic. It creates more conversations and opportunities than we ever thought possible. We sponsor charitable events and park the truck right at the front entrance. Again, it all leads to an actual conversation utilizing that personal touch.
Concerning the use of digital media, it has proven to work much better for the book business than the wilderness businesses. We are counting on that as we evolve into our next level with our digital store for merchandise. That is currently under development for a soft opening soon.
The wilderness businesses haven’t done so well from a web perspective. I think this may be because this is such a new “type” of business. At last check, we may be one of very few businesses teaching these topics on our “own property”. It is quite possible that because it is such a new type of business, it is taking a little longer for the digital and social media end to produce results in sales and potential business, despite the efforts of our incredible website design company. These are all things to work out as we grow and learn.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Let us start by saying that the most important quality we can try to convey in all our business is, in fact, Quality. We take pride in knowing that all that is presented or performed through our businesses is done at the highest quality and standard we can produce. A saying we have at our house is “No 7/8!”. Basically what it means is that if it isn’t worth a full effort, than it shouldn’t be done, and if you choose to do something, it will be done to the fullest. Sounds corny, but it works for us.
Next would be Honesty. This could also be referred to as Integrity. It means so much to us that all our content has been researched by us and then vetted by a trusted small group of seasoned professionals who look specifically at what our perceived intent might be. Simply put, they determine if “we know our stuff” and that our “stuff” comes across in a believable and effective way.
In our children’s books, the main objective is to turn a frown into a smile and turn a smile into a laugh for a few as one person every day. If it turns out to be more, that’s Awesome…..but one per day….every day….will do just nicely. No need for politics or heavy topics. That can come from anywhere else at any given time, but NOT from our books. We just want kids to be kids, and just to like and laugh as they enjoy our books. To us, this shows the level of integrity we want to represent to our loyal customers.
Regarding our wilderness and rescue courses, all content is up to date, accurate, and practical. There you have three qualities already and we haven’t even gone past the second sentence! We understand that our legacy will be based on a strong family connection to first responders and the outdoor-loving community, and we refuse to settle for anything but the best training we can supply for the fees charged. Many would say that we “uncover the common sense from the clutter” by teaching the basics and teaching them well. We consistently try to keep it just that simple every day.
Lastly, we try to Encourage others to be the best they can be. One of the ways we do this in our book sales is to show children how easily they can become authors themselves. It’s as easy as carrying an actual notebook….yes, real paper and a writing utensil…with them at all times so when they see something they like they , too, can write about it. They can be creative with colors, and numbers, and nature, and the like. It’s easy, and fun, and opens up so many doors to a world that is wide open to them.
For the Wilderness and Rescue Training businesses, we train people in First Aid and Navigation, and Foraging, and Surviving personal disasters, so that they can be safe and keep others around them safe. A little preparedness can go a very long way, and that will hopefully save a life, or change a life in a positive way.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
The ideal client for the Lyn Willy children’s books is grandparents, new parents, and those who are seeking a unique gift for a baby shower. Each of these groups of people are keen on book reading with younger children and see the value in how it impacts their development and ongoing education.
The ideal client for BackWoods Rescue & Diamond Heart WTG is someone who understands the true meaning of preparedness and one who will make the time and monetary investment to be ready in case of unexpected emergencies. This person will understand the meaning and benefit of hands-on training by a quality and seasoned professionals. This person can be either affiliated with the first-responder community, or someone who simply takes the time to be prepared in the event of an unexpected emergency.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lynwilly.com https://backwoodsrescue.com
- Instagram: @lynwillybooks @diamondheartwtg
- Facebook: @lynwillybooks
- Youtube: Coming soon as Diamond Heart Wilderness Training Grounds
Image Credits
Bill and Sarah Kuchma
