Running a profitable business is hard
It’s been a while…
I can’t believe there are thousands of people still subscribed to this email newsletter. It has been well over a year since an article was posted.
There have been some major changes in my life that have prevented me from posting as much, but I’m committed to working on this newsletter and providing bigger and better content than ever before. So let’s dive in!
Where has The Steel Road been for the last 18 months?
Frankly, it’s been on the back-burner for a while.
To explain why, you need to know a little more about the author of The Steel Road.
My name is Matt Bidstrup. I’m 27 years old. I started this newsletter as a side project in 2022 while selling genealogy research. It started as a conglomeration of business ideas, funky airbnb strategies, and general business advice I could scrape together.
To be honest, I stopped writing this newsletter because I felt like I ran out of valuable things to say. My content was just getting recycled and I kept throwing out more and more outlandish ideas that I knew was just surface level.
So what did I do? I stopped.
Also I had a baby so I got very little sleep.
Now I feel like I have valuable stuff to say.
Lucky you. You should probably subscribe if you haven’t already.
For the past 18 months, I have taken on a significant leadership role in a Home Services business that does over 8 figures in revenue(that’s over $10,000,000).
I won’t get into a ton of detail today, but it wouldn’t be that hard to find out the specific company(peep my LinkedIn).
So get ready, throughout 2026 there will be a lot of stories about success, failure, the grind, and the joys of running a small business.
If you don’t like this new direction of The Steel Road. Tough. Don’t read it.
Today’s Lesson
Running a business is hard. There are so many people out there that make it sound so easy. My LinkedIn, X, and Facebook are filled with “business gurus” who way over simplify the process. You know who they are, Codie Sanchez, Alex Hormozi, Grant Cardone. “Buy my course and I’ll teach you financial freedom.” Give me a break.
Real business success comes from 3 areas:
Hard work
Since taking on this new role I have consistently worked 50-60 hour weeks. I take phone calls at all hours of the day. I’ll do anything to get a solid deal to generate revenue.
Thick skin
Not everyone agrees with my ideas. It takes serious guts and courage to push for what you believe is best. But lasting change comes from bucking the status quo.
Grit
Sometimes I wish I had a job where I could punch in, punch out, and forget about work at the end of the day. I would be lying to you if I said I never thought about quitting. But when you push through a tough day, do everything you can to make that customer happy and walk out with a $20,000 check, there isn’t much better of a feeling.
Some resources I have actually found helpful
I bashed on a few people who I believe deserve to be bashed on. These are some of the business influencers who have helped me learn the skills I need to be successful.
None of these are sponsored, this is genuine real world content that I am not compensated for.
Dave Ramsey’s Entreleadership Podcast
Whether you agree with his financial advice or not, Dave Ramsey is one heck of a businessman. He took his business from a card table in his living room to a 300 million dollar company. His advice is gold.
Chris posts valuable insight into my world(another hint to help you find what company I’m working at). I’ve copied multiple of his ideas and strategies over the past 18 months.
We made the switch to Jobber this year, and that has taught me a lot about the value of a good software. I will be sharing lots of future stories and notes about my favorite features in new posts.
I hope you enjoy this new direction of The Steel Road. If you do, be a friend and tell a friend!
See you next time!
-Matt Bidstrup