Today we’d like to introduce you to Shane Yarbrough
Hi Shane, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been around the fence industry since I was 5 years old. My dad worked it from a laborer to an Installer, Foreman, and eventually Vice President of Commercial for Memphis Fence Company before venturing out on his own to start Bartlett Fence Company in 1995. I graduated Bartlett High School in 1996 and went into the work force unsure of what I wanted to do. I held many positions for various companies in sales and operations. However, the older and older I got the desire to do my own thing fueled inside me and eventually became a burring passion that would have to be addressed. The only two question where what I wanted to represent and how to make it happen. These two items where probably the hardest decisions I had to make. My mom and dad always tried to talk me into jumping in with them at Bartlett Fence, however I always turned my back on the opportunity because I didn’t feel it to be a good fit. In 2017 I met a gentleman that would partner up with people that had certain traits and go into business together. He was looking at purchasing Dixie Fence Company and wanted to partner up with me. So after talking with my wife, Ashley, as well as shedding a tear, I agreed to partner with him and move forward. You many say tear up… why? I had always said I would never become a fence man, have farm animals, or own a Cadillac.
During one meeting with him and my wife, I realized the “what” I would represent in doing my own thing. That would be becoming a fence man, as my mom and dad tried to get me to do for so many years and what I said I would never do… it was the “what” all along, directly in front of me. I also might add, I now own farm animals… so you got to laugh!!! So in 2017, I had finally found my what. My wife and I left our jobs to charge forward with our partner taking over Dixie Fence Company. One certainty I had and was a non-negotiable, was bringing my wife into help me run Dixie Fence Company. Her analytically mindset mixed with her realist attitude created a balance with my dreamy mindset and jump with out fear attitude. I had to have her balance to keep grounded and from going to fast. This was the “how” I had been searching for by the way. So with the “what” and the “how” in hand we transformed Dixie Fence Company into Bluff City Fence Company and by the end of 2024 into a $5M company.
We had built a solid company with an amazing culture that had gained national recognition within the fence industry. There was only one that started feeling hollow in my belly about end of first quarter of 24, it still wasn’t me doing my own thing. I still wasn’t answering to me. I still wasn’t able to do things my way 100%. I was answering to my partner and his board. So with no plan and my wife’s full support, I decided it was time to part ways with my partner at the end of July 2024. After leaving I took a few weeks and messed around in my shop at home, played in the garden, and with the farm animals searching for the next move. In those days, the answer didn’t have to be me doing my own thing, I had serious conversations and thoughts of going to work for one of the wholesalers or a contractor in the industry. The only two things I knew was I was not leaving the industry I had grown to love and I wanted more of a balance of time with family. In June of 24, Ashley and I were blessed to take all 7 children, one grandchild, and one grandchild that was on the way to the beach. During that week there, I answered one phone call and one email in those 9 days… a record for me! I looked around one day while we were sitting on the beach and realized I had missed a lot, a hole lot. So my dream of entrepreneurship had changed somewhat over the last 8 years. I knew the “what”, I had the “how”, but I learned a lesson that truly started in 2018 and was made clear to me on a beach watching my family in 2024. You’ll hear it said many times and it carries a heavy truth, you cannot get time back.
In 2018 my dad was close to retiring and had plans to come to work with me at Bluff City part time to mentor me and help me out. Unfortunately on his birthday in September, he unexpectedly passed away. It was a hard and heavy time for our family and took time for us all to heal in our own ways. It was in those days after my hero had passed I would start to learn the lesson that become me on the beach that day in June of 2024… time is the most valuable asset you have and cannot get a return on it. After my dad’s passing, we shut down Bartlett Fence Company and dispersed asset. Now, lets get back to August 2024, I am searching for my next move, trying to figure out my plan. A close friend and neighbor approached me one day and said hey brother, I know your not with Bluff City any more but I want you to build me a fence. We also talked about what was my plan. He suggested I reopen my dad’s company Bartlett Fence. I grinned, nodded and went home. I walked in the door at the house and told my wife what he said. Ashley said well that’s an idea. I started toying with it in my mind and went on with my days. Several days later our oldest son said dad I have to tell you something but don’t get aggravated, I said ok what is it. He said I think you need to open PePa’s company back up and I know that’s what you want to do you just will not admit it to yourself. He said, if you don’t try it you will get down the road, get frustrated and quit whatever you are doing because you didn’t. He said dad you have nothing to lose. I told him he was exactly right and I agreed with him.
A few days later, on a Friday afternoon, Ashley and I were sitting on the front porch relaxing and I brought the subject back up to her. She told me, baby if that’s what you want to do, I have your back. She also told me she agreed with our son, she knew that is what I wanted to do. So on Monday morning I told her I had made my mind up, that I wanted to open Bartlett Fence back up. We sat with my mom to tell her and she gave her blessing as well as cried with pride. We immediately went to work getting the business set up. We had several folks in the industry help us trying to recover old logos and various other items. It blew my mind the support and respect we received from the industry other wise known to the industry folks as the Fence Fam. I started making calls and before I knew it was out quoting work. The bases of what I opened Bartlett Fence back up on with my wife and our team was Faith, Family, Freedom, and Fence. I did this because my dream had grown and evolved from where it started. Everything we where doing to open this company back up was on Faith. Our Families where important and there would be a line drawn each day no matter the situation to be with them. We would have the Freedom to do what we loved as we wanted each day.
And finally we would simply do what we loved each day to put food on the table – build Fence. We are going into our 7th month, and there are days when it is a struggle to build our dream but we rely on our faith to put one foot in front of the other to move forward. We have learned to have patience to build one step at a time knowing Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither would Bartlett Fence be. The company was shut down in 2018 and went to the back of most minds, however as word has gotten out the memory of what once was that my dad started is coming back around in the community. I am proud to say we are right were we are suppose to be, growing and evolving step by step. I look around sometimes and can feel the proudness of my dad for what we are doing. That I am doing my own thing building his business and that it wasn’t just the “what” and the “how” it was also the with “who” and the “time spent” with the families building a second generation fence company.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has and it hasn’t. I know in the previous section I went through a lot but I will break it down a little further here. I, we, have spent almost 10 years in this industry and learned a lot. I have been blessed to be the Memphis Tri State Fence Association President which gave me the opportunity to travel the country and spend a lot of time with well grown and established fence companies around the country. So when starting out I asked them, what have I done wrong in the last 10 years and they were brutally honest, and I appreciated that. That’s the biggest of what came easy, fixing what you did wrong to do it right this time, getting yourself set up to move forward with accounting, social media, just the simple “free” stuff to make your business work. It is hard work, however free at launch is key!!! The struggles come in trying to finance yourself and keeping debt to a minimum. In the way we are set up our personal bills are our overhead, so although that’s great in some ways, you still have to put food on the table and hustle.
Also a struggle was getting the name back out there. Just because it was a known business at one time, it had been shut down so we were truthfully starting from nothing. There are things we want like CRM, equipment, and a building but we will build step by step and that is hard for a guy that isn’t scared to just jump in and have Rome in the palm of his hand in one day. We are at the point and it has taken patience, where we are starting to level out and the phone is ringing. So I say this, the highs and the lows we will keep doing what we are doing because it is slowly but surely pushing us forward. You build a little and level out, then build some more and level out some more, and so forth.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We are a second generation fence and gate company that although specialize in fence and gates, offer gate operators, access control, decks, pergolas, stain and sealing, and much more. We build wood, chain link, vinyl, ornamental fence and gates. We are a Certified Fence Contractor and Certified Gate Operator Installer via the American Fence Association. We are true to quality and service – although the customer may know what they want, it may not be what they need. We take pride in educating our customers with our knowledge as they make their decision’s. Our work spans from custom designs and installs to the average dog ear privacy fence. It is very important to us to follow ASTM and UL industry standards as well as code criteria for local and state code.
What were you like growing up?
I was a country boy that came out when the sun came up and didn’t come home until the sun went down. In my teenage years my mom would tell you I was a little wild lol.. but always worked hard. I grew to love to be the life of the party and a big extrovert. I guess that helped me as I got older when it comes to my teaching fence sales and installation classes as well as my public speaking. I grew up with horses, cows, rabbits, and dogs that I loved dearly. I loved being outdoors and on the lake in the summers. I believe in working hard, not having quit in you, and going all in!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bartlettfencellc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bartlettfence?igsh=MWo2ZWhka2Eweml0NQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566813025205
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bartlett-fence-llc/
- Twitter: https://x.com/bartlettfence?s=21
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@bartlettfence?si=MI0s7gBdqucED_am
