We were lucky to catch up with Nathan Nowak recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nathan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I started Wyco Wood Co. as a way to repurpose local trees and find a use for them as lumber. What started as more of a hobby soon turned into something more. As people in Kansas City learned we had a mobile sawmill we began to book jobs all over the city. With the addition of our second sawmill and the completed website, our business has grown tremendously over the last year. We offer the only mobile saw milling service in KC, bringing our mill to the customers location and milling their logs the same day, leaving them with high quality, valuable lumber. The concept of mobile saw milling was not new but it was a service that was needed in Kansas City, four years into it now we are still refining our business and continue to improve it for our customers. This business works for us because of the following:

1. Flexibility: As a mobile sawmill owner, you have the flexibility to work on your own schedule. You can choose to work on weekends or evenings, and you can work as much or as little as you want. This flexibility allows you to balance your work and personal life.

2. Low overhead costs: Mobile sawmill businesses have low overhead costs compared to traditional sawmill businesses. You don’t have to pay for a permanent location, property taxes, or utilities. This means you can keep your costs low and pass the savings on to your customers.

3. Customizable services: Mobile sawmill businesses can offer customized services to their customers. You can cut lumber to specific sizes and shapes, and you can work with a variety of wood types. This allows you to provide unique services that traditional sawmills may not be able to offer.

4. Sustainable business practices: Mobile sawmill businesses promote sustainable business practices. You can source your wood locally, reducing transportation costs and carbon emissions. Additionally, you can repurpose wood from trees that would otherwise be discarded, reducing waste.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

We solve a few different problems for our customers. Trees that have fallen or have been removed are heavy and often difficult to dispose of. We are able to bring our sawmill to the customers location and turn it into smaller more manageable pieces of lumber, solving the disposal problem while also creating a useable product (lumber) for our customers. What sets us apart from other local sawmills is our ability to bring the equipment to our customer rather than them bringing a massive heavy log to us. Many of our customers do not have the equipment needed to move and transport their logs to us so we solve that by bringing our sawmill to them. We are most proud of the sustainability component we are offering our customers. Giving them the option of repurposing a local material that would otherwise ended up in a landfill is the main reason we continue to operate our business. its a great feeling to turn an unwanted log into beautiful lumber.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

My Current full time career is as a Firefighter for KCKFD. I have been with that amazing organization for nearly 20 years now and have enjoyed every minute of it. I have no plans to leave my full time career but as I’ve continued to grow this business I am confident it will be an excellent transition when I’m ready to retire from the fire service. What has helped me grow the business the most is having the right equipment and not being afraid to invest in what you need to grow. Your time is valuable and having the right tools for the job makes the best use of it.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Without a doubt the best source for new clients has been a really good website. My business took a huge step forward when the website came online. Having examples of your work and a place for your customers to get in touch with you is invaluable.

Contact Info:

• Website: wycowoodco.com
• Instagram: wyco_wood_co
• Facebook: wyco wood co
• Youtube: Wyco wood co.