Meet Hunter Ortuno

 

We were lucky to catch up with Hunter Ortuno recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hunter, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I find my purpose for Pine Knot Wood Design in my family history and personal experiences. My business is named after Pine Knot Avenue in Big Bear Lake, CA, where my parents ran their own small businesses for over 30 years. My father owned a successful restaurant, and my mother had an interior design and home store. Watching them work hard and sacrifice to provide for our family taught me the value of a dollar, the importance of hard work, and the challenges of being a business owner. These lessons are the foundation of my business philosophy, and I aim to teach these values to my own children.

My purpose stems from a deep love for woodcraft, a drive to operate a successful business, and a mission to instill the value of hard work in my kids. Alongside being a small business owner, I am a career firefighter/paramedic, which allows me to serve my community and provide a good life for my family. My schedule fortunately gives me adequate time to invest in Pine Knot Wood Design. As my children grow, I plan to involve them in the business, teaching them to work with their hands and create beauty from raw materials. I also want to show them that with dedication and hard work, they can achieve anything they set their minds to.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My name is Hunter, and I am a father, husband, firefighter, and small business owner. I have been in the fire service for eight years and find passion and fulfillment in serving my community. Being a father to two young boys is the greatest joy and privilege of my life. I aim to raise my children to be the best men they can be, instilling in them my values of community service, a strong work ethic, and a duty to protect and serve those in need.

I fell in love with woodworking in the summer of 2018 after building a farmhouse table for our home, despite having no prior woodworking experience. This sparked an endless journey to learn everything I can about the craft. I started Pine Knot Wood Design in 2020, initially crafting American flags out of dimensional lumber. Since then, I have expanded to creating cutting boards, cheese and charcuterie boards, artwork, and other unique gifts for the home. I work with both fine hardwoods and premium epoxy resin to create unique designs with a rustic but refined theme.

Much of my inspiration comes from my mother, Joyce. Although she sadly passed away in the spring of 2020, she has been my guiding light in the journey of small business ownership. She was an exceptionally talented designer, and I attribute much of my creativity to her. Her keen eye for design is one of the greatest gifts she passed on to me.

Today, I find joy in balancing my roles as a family man, firefighter, and small business owner. Life is busy, but the gratification I get from all my efforts is worth more than anything else I could ask for.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

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The three most important qualities I have learned from owning a small business are the willingness to try new things, staying true to my brand and product, and embracing the possibility of failure.

Business is a fluid venture, and being open to trying new things and learning new skills has been crucial in my journey. When I started Pine Knot Wood Design, I had never worked with epoxy. However, taking the leap to learn and experiment with it has been pivotal to my brand’s development.

As a woodworker, it’s easy to get distracted by projects that don’t align with your brand. For instance, I’ve had several customers ask me to build things I wasn’t passionate about. I have to ask myself if it fits my brand and is worth my time just to make a quick buck, or if my time is better spent creating products that align with my brand and add more value to my business in the long run. I’ve had to learn to say “no.”

If you are afraid to fail, you will never make it far in business. Sometimes failing costs time, money, or both. Business is about taking calculated risks and being willing to put yourself out there to figure out what works and what doesn’t.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

The person who has been most helpful in overcoming the challenges I have faced as a small business owner is my mother, Joyce. Although she has sadly passed away, her devotion to her business, sacrifice for her family, and refusal to quit have immensely impacted me and my business.

We grew up in a small town, and while she was extremely talented and respected in her field, there were many times when her business struggled. She employed only two staff members who operated her shop while she was in the field running things and designing homes. She worked seven days a week and quite literally had zero quit in her.

As a child, it was difficult feeling like my parents were not around because they were constantly working. It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized the sacrifices they made to keep food on the table and the lights on in our home. While some wouldn’t consider it an ideal childhood, it was impactful for me in that I learned what it takes to support a family and make ends meet.

I have learned a lot from this lesson and how I want to live my life. I want to be more present for my kids as they grow up, but I also want to show them that their dad is a hard worker who will do whatever it takes to provide them with a good life. I want to teach them that nothing is free in life and you have to go out and get what you want.

It’s all about balance, and much of life is finding that balance and doing what is necessary to be a good father, a valuable firefighter, and a successful small business owner.

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