IIRC, you started this while you were in college studying something else entirely, law maybe? Sounds like business is booming. Best of luck and keep those 62s in stock, I'll need more soon.
My interest in firearms was put in high gear while I was in the police academy in 2004-2005. I graduated from post and got a technical certificate in Law Enforcement in 2005 from Idaho State University. I had originally intended to become a police officer, but I was urged by the LEO school to continue on and get a degree so that I could go into either the FBI or Idaho State Police. (In retrospect, I think they just wanted three more years of tuition from me). Anyway, I decided to stay in school. I started a business doing stucco on foundations in the early mornings while I took classes in the afternoons and then from 3:00 to 11:00 every day I worked as a security guard for the local hospital. Somewhere in there I started buying and reselling pulled bullets to suppliment my shooting habits. So, from the time I was 23 I was working 3 jobs and going to college full time. Hence the moniker "longdayjake". It's also a tribute to the song "Long Day" from Matchbox 20. It just seemed to fit the way I was feeling about life back then.
Eventually I graduated from ISU with a degree in Political Science with a public law emphasis. By then I had developed a reasonably useful client base for the bullets. I applied for the FBI and for Law School at the same time. I scored well on the FBI tests and they wanted to interview me but you have to be able to pass the physical fitness test before they will even interview you. Well, I had been out of any kind of real law enforcement for about three years and my schedule didn't leave much time for working out so I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to pass the physical fitness test. (It's hard!!) I wasn't fat then like I am now but I wasn't in top shape either. So, when I got the letter of acceptance to law school my wife and I decided that it would be nice to stay closer to family and in a free state. With the added bonus of not having to do any physical exersize.
Law school turned out to be one of the best/worst decisions of my life. DON'T EVER GO TO LAW SCHOOL OR TELL ANYONE THAT THEY SHOULD!!! It was miserable and just bad for the soul and family. I managed to get through two years of it (with reasonably good grades) before I got sick of the lawyeriness of it all and booted law school to the curb. By then, the bullet business had grown enough that I was making about as much as a lawyer in Idaho makes anyway. The difference was I would be paying off my student loans with bullet money and not blood money...I mean legal fees. So, I dropped out in 2012. We all know what happened in December of 2012 and I was poised perfectly for the rush. The best thing about me going to law school was the fact that the University of Idaho is only 30 miles from one of the largest ammunition hubs in the world. Lewiston Idaho is home to ATK, Vista Outdoors, Federal, Speer, CCI, American Eagle, Xtreme Bullets, etc. I won't reveal who my suppliers were, but lets just say I was lucky to live where I do. I've since got new suppliers and am now working on bringing in machines for making our own FMJ and HP projectiles.
So, now you have the abridged history of Longdayjake. I hope it's been fun to read and I hope it helps people understand a little bit of how businesses get started and how much people have to do to make it all work. I am a firm believer that it is nearly impossible to start a business without working a second or third job. You have to have something to supplement the income until you've grown big enough to support yourself. (Moms and dads are also helpful sometimes). There is no such thing as get rich quick. It's been 9 years since I started selling bullets and 7 years since our website launched and I'm still waiting for that rich feeling. However, it sure feels good to be able to say we are successful.
