A Reflection on a Quarter of a Century in a Tribe
Sometimes a story is written, sometimes a story writes itself. And then sometimes it’s something in between…
The pen that started this story is the same pen that writes it today. It is a pen filled with nothing more than love, respect, and honesty – a solution to every challenge and answer for every question along this road.
The Little Guys legacy wasn’t born of a carefully plotted plan, or a concept from a business school text book. It started with friendship and survival, and quickly morphed into a crew, then a team, then a family, and finally, a tribe of families. Through the good, the bad, and the very ugly, this whole experience has molded us all into the people we are today. The faces that have come and gone, and the ones that have stood the test of time, have all become the spirit of the mark, the Little Guy. A man with the load on his back. Humble, happy, and willing. A person of pride and integrity, but never so much as to be a weakness. One who is proud of the calluses on their hands, their stories, their hardships, their victories, and their tribe.
Thinking back, all the faces and personalities along the way have stitched together to form a humbling and staggering tapestry of memories, experiences, victories, and failures. Those men and women have all become part of each other in some shape or form, part of a legacy that is now its own living, breathing organism.
To be a part of that – something so much bigger than any one single person – is a poignant experience. We are all fortunate and better because of each other, the solutions we have created, the tears we have shed, the customers we have known, and the people we have lost. The life experiences and camaraderie will carry us all, if even in the smallest way, through the rest of our lives. And those lessons will never die.
The pen is still dancing across the page as the future presents a whole new story of life and relationships, of setbacks and development – and who knows the tales it will tell. THAT is the beauty of being a Little Guy after 25 years. That is my life, and I wouldn’t choose any other path for all the world.
To every person who has been a part of our story, to every customer who gave us the chance to show you who we really are, to every business or town that helped us, advised or endured us, I say to you all, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have become part of me and part of what it means to be a Little Guy. I love you all and I can’t wait to read the next chapters in this crazy tale.
– Chris Hawley, Original Little Guy