BTC Alumni Hits One Million Dollars in Sales

Shaun Budde was a long-time employee at Lear Seating in Janesville when the GM Plant closed, taking Lear with it. Finding himself without a job and an opportunity to go back to school, he took it. Picking BTC for the simple reason it was just down the road from his house, Shaun hoped to enter the x-ray tech program. When faced with having to take some prerequisites, he shifted to the Business Management Program, harboring a secret desire to open his own canoe rental business.

A month and a half after graduation, he did just that. On June 28, 2010, Shaun launched Kickapoo Wild Adventures, a canoe, kayak, and tube rental on the Kickapoo River in Ontario, Wisconsin.   

“It was terrifying when I started writing out some massive checks for the equipment I needed to get my business up and running,” Shaun recalled. “I had to sell my house in Janesville to help fund my start-up. I cashed in my 401k as well. Then I sold my car and motorcycle to get the remaining capital I needed. I had great banking credit but couldn’t find a bank to finance a new start-up, so I just funded it 100% myself. In hindsight, it was probably a good thing, but at the time, it was very scary.”

Most small businesses fail in the first five years, and Shaun has had his share of challenges over the past eleven seasons. First of all, this is a seasonal business. While open only six months out of the year, they do most of their business in the four months between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Second, it is a business highly dependent on the weather.

“In recent years, it has been very tough,” Shaun explained. “In 2017, we had a 100-year flood at the end of July, basically ruining the rest of the season. Then in 2018, we had a 500-year flood at the end of August, costing us Labor Day Weekend and pretty much the final two months of the season. Not to mention all the damage it did to our equipment and location and the river. Then in 2019, we were closed so many days due to rain and high river conditions, it’s a wonder how we survived financially.”

Not only have they survived, but they have also thrived. In 2020, Kickapoo hit a massive milestone of one million dollars in sales and is closing in on 50,000 rentals.

“A lot of people told me I was making a huge mistake and wasting all my money when I was first starting out,” Shaun recalled, “so it feels great to have done what I have in just 11 short summers.” 

Shaun has learned many lessons he’d share with prospective business owners he wishes he’d known when launching a business.

“Don’t worry about trying to be cheaper than your competitors; if you offer a quality product or service, the customers will gladly pay more for it. I wasted five years trying to undercut my competitors, and all it did was cost me a lot of money.”

Shaun also discovered the value of marketing and advertising. “It was difficult to get our name out there in the first two years, probably my fault due to lack of marketing and advertising. Money was extremely tight back in the early days, so I didn’t do much of either.”   

Through it all, he’s carried his experience at BTC into the work. “My favorite things about BTC when I went there,” Shaun recalled, “was the wide range of ages, work experience, and life experience of the students. It was exciting to learn with these vastly different people. Going on to higher education is a choice, so make the most of it. Take a leap of faith and make your dreams come true!”

For anyone visiting the Ontario area, or looking for an adventure this summer, check out Shaun’s website: http://www.kickapoowild.com or Facebook page. 

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