Feeding the Fire: What Building a Campfire Can Teach Us About Investing in Your Business

I've built hundreds of fires in various conditions as an Eagle Scout. While I don't spend as much time in tents these days, I can still tell within seconds who really knows the outdoors by watching how they build and tend their campfires. It's not just about getting the flames started—it's about building a fire that will sustain itself and grow stronger over time.

This same principle defines the difference between building a real business and just creating another job for yourself. Just as a novice camper might create a bright, quick-burning flame that requires constant attention, many entrepreneurs build businesses that depend entirely on their energy. The experienced scout, however, builds a fire that can sustain itself with proper structure and fuel—just like a well-designed business should.

The Art of Fire-Building in Business

My years as an Eagle Scout taught me that every successful fire requires four essential elements. These same elements are crucial for building a sustainable business:

• A strong foundation (in camping, it's your fire lay; in business, it's your core systems)
• Reliable fuel supply (dry wood in camping; recurring revenue in business)
• Proper ventilation (fire structure in camping; delegation and automation in business)
• Regular maintenance (tending the flame in camping; strategic reinvestment in business)
  
  

The Fatal Flaw in Most Business Fires

Here's what most novice fire-builders get wrong: they try to do everything themselves. They exhaust themselves running around gathering small sticks, constantly poking and prodding the fire, never building the proper structure that would allow the fire to sustain itself. Sound familiar?

Many entrepreneurs make the same mistake. They:

• Handle every client interaction personally
• Manage all their administrative tasks
• Respond to every email
• Process every payment
• Schedule every meeting

This approach might work initially, but just like a poorly built fire, it will either burn you out or fizzle when you step away.

Building a Self-Sustaining Blaze

The secret to both a great campfire and a scalable business is the same: proper structure from the start. Most people get this wrong—they wait until their fire is "big enough" before building the right structure. But experienced scouts know that the structure needs to come first.

The Full-Time VA Strategy: Building Your Fire Right

One of the most controversial pieces of advice I give new entrepreneurs to hire a full-time Virtual Assistant right from the start. This isn't about getting help with tasks—it's about building a real business that can scale beyond you.

Think about it like building a fire. You wouldn't wait until you're exhausted to create a proper fire pit and gather enough wood. Yet entrepreneurs often wait until they're overwhelmed before building proper business infrastructure.

The Real Math of Building vs. Doing

A full-time VA costs $2,000-3,000/month. That might seem like a lot when you're starting, but consider what it buys you:

• All administrative tasks handled
• Customer service systems built and managed
• Marketing execution
• Process documentation
• System management
• Basic financial tracking

More importantly, it buys you the freedom to build your business by:

• Developing strategic partnerships
• Creating scalable systems
• Focusing on high-level client relationships
• Identifying growth opportunities
• Building additional revenue streams
  
  

Seizing the Moment: When Your Fire is Hot

When your business is generating strong revenue, that's exactly when you should be reinvesting in growth. Think of taxes like water on your fire - they can dampen your growth if you're not careful. But smart reinvestment in your business acts like a protective structure around your flame:

• Every dollar reinvested in legitimate business expenses is tax-deductible
• This effectively makes the government your investment partner
• You're using pre-tax dollars to build business infrastructure that will generate post-tax profits

The Compound Effect

Just as a well-built fire creates hot coals that make it easier to maintain and grow the flame, proper business infrastructure creates compound returns:

• Systems that can support multiple team members
• Processes that can be replicated and scaled
• Revenue that isn't dependent on your time
• A business that can eventually run without you
• An asset that has a real market value

Real Numbers Example:

Consider this scenario:

• Current Revenue: $300K
• Option A: Keep $100K as profit, pay ~$30K in taxes
• Option B: Reinvest $50K in growth initiatives (including a full-time VA), pay ~$15K in taxes
  • Result: Built infrastructure for scaling to $500K+ next year
  • Created tax-deductible expenses that build business value
  • Developed systems that increase your business's sales value
    
    

Reading Your Business's Flames

Just as an experienced scout can read a fire's health at a glance, you need to monitor your business's vital signs:

Strong, Steady Flame Signs:

• Systems running smoothly without your constant attention
• Team members effectively handle client interactions
• Clear, documented processes
• Growing revenue without proportionally growing your time investment

Warning Smoke Signals:

• You're the bottleneck for every decision
• Your business stops when you take a vacation
• You're too busy delivering to plan for growth
• You measure growth by how many hours you can work
  
  

Building a Fire That Outlasts You

The best fires I built as an Eagle Scout weren't just for my warmth - they were for the whole troop. Similarly, the strongest businesses aren't built just for current income, but for lasting value. By investing in proper structure from the start—including a full-time VA—and reinvesting strategically when your business fire is hot, you're building a business that can:

• Scale beyond your capacity
• Create value that exists without your constant attention
• Potentially be sold or transferred in the future
• Generate increasing returns on your reinvestment

Remember: Just as the best time to build a proper fire structure is before you light the match, the best time to build proper business infrastructure is when you're starting out. Don't wait until your entrepreneurial energy burns out to wish you'd built a more sustainable fire.