The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

Starting a business isn't easy, and being your own boss isn't as glamorous as people might think. "There's a constant struggle between the right way and the easy way," Cord Anderson, co-owner of Hi-Line Honey explained. "It's too easy to take time off and to say, 'I'll get to it later.' But that kind of procrastination can put a business in jeopardy."

Cord and his older brother Winston, the owners of Hi-Line Honey, discovered that fact during their first winter in business. The bees that they had purchased in March of 2018 to establish hives and which were the birth of Hi-Line Honey-contracted mites. The bees' health floundered, and Hi-Line Honey's loss to mites was almost devastating. "It is so important to monitor the bees for health concerns so that a colony doesn't decline," Cord stated.

Furthermore, when a business is new, it takes time to adjust to the challenges, and one of the biggest challenges is patience. "We just didn't stay on it when we were in California, and because I was impatient about getting back home, I didn't treat them in time at the end of the season," Cord confessed. That lesson taught the Anderson duo to be more vigilant.

We all know that owning a business is about making money, so we set goals for how much we want to make or where we hope to be profitability-wise. We may set goals about how quickly we wish to pay off a loan or a piece of equipment.

"It's easy to show a profit if you're not investing back into the business," Cord explained. "There is a temptation to pocket that money or spend it on entertainment, but those habits will show up quickly. Frames rot, equipment requires maintenance, and livestock dies. It also takes time to get from that starting point to where we hope to be profitability-wise or how quickly we want to pay off a piece of equipment."

According to the Andersons, the biggest reward of business ownership has been maintaining strong, healthy hives. "It's harder every year to dodge all of the diseases, herbicides, pesticides, and mites that the bees fall prey to. The drier years in California are better for the bees. If California has a wet year, the almond trees are sprayed with a fungicide, and that's hard on the bees, too," Winston explained.

Both young men bring a different skill-set to the business. A 2010 graduate of Chinook High School, Winston attended MSU-Northern, graduating in 2013 with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Diesel Technology.

To his current business venture, Winston brings both his problem-solving aptitude and his mechanical knowledge. "I can't say that my degree is making a huge impact because there's way more to the bee business than mechanics, but I do stay pretty busy working on trucks and trailers," he said.

After graduating from high school in 2012, Cord attended college briefly. However, because he had so special reasons for attending college nor any degree aspirations, Cord couldn't find the motivation for college coursework. After spending one semester at the University of Montana in Missoula and one semester at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, he decided to return home. In March of 2018, he and his brother bought their first bees, and Hi-Line Honey was in business.

"I'm passionate about bees; they're what I know and do. I take pride in my work, and I like the challenge that the bee business provides," Cord said.

His brother echoed those sentiments by adding: "Working with bees is basically all I've ever done. It's challenging but rewarding work. This past year was a good one. We had to pay taxes! Besides that blow, the feeling of having a good year is satisfying."

2019 was the first full year that Hi-Line Honey was in business, so they were able to take a honey crop as well as earn some pollination money.

When asked in what direction they hope to take the business, both were quick to respond: "We're trending up; we're not there yet, but we're making strides in that direction. We're trying to be more efficient about knowing what we need to do to have healthy bees and to keep growing as we can. We've also put our equipment on a maintenance schedule, and we're trying to be efficient in making that happen."

Like any business, having a good business plan increases the likelihood of success. That plan will involve finding a system and working the plan. Feeding schedules, treatment programs, and the right equipment all play their part in the bee business. "If you're a week late feeding the bees or their immune system is weakened, a good hive can lose half its population," Cord explained.

"Beekeeping isn't just about collecting honey; it's about getting to know your bees, their behaviors, and their response to the environment around them," Winston added. "You have to be in tune with the bees to keep them growing. Everything is about timing because bees are temperamental. A 25% loss is fairly normal because there are so many unknowns and variables beyond our control. Ask any cattle rancher how he would respond to that kind of loss."

When asked what advice or wisdom he'd like to share with other young entrepreneurs, Cord responded: "Do your homework but don't be scared. All business involves a certain amount of risk. Basically, it's shoot or shoot."

According to the Urban Dictionary, shoot or shoot is a term used among friends or acquaintances when discussing a risky activity. Its purpose is to encourage individuals to reach their full potential, regardless of the consequences, essentially to adopt a mentally of going all out in any undertaking.

Cord elaborated: "If you're going to call yourself a basketball player, you have to take the shot. Success implies you have to go for it, so we try to be deliberate with our work and intentional with our spending. I took a chance and learned that I can handle more responsibilities."

Winston offered this wisdom: "Find something you're passionate about, then ask lots of questions and write everything down."

As the two young men strive to establish their own business, they continue to work for Bears Paw Apiaries, balancing their time between the two companies. They also supply a local brewery with their honey. Hi-Line Honey is an ingredient in Viszla Brewing's Chinook "Hi-Line'er" Honey Wheat beer.

In addition to honey, the company offers pollination services and wax. After Thanksgiving, their bees will make the journey from the gravel pit on Bowes Road south of Chinook to the almond orchards in California.

According to the University of California's Agriculture and Natural Resources Department, it takes about two colonies of bees per acre to pollinate California's 1.2 million acres of almonds. Hi-Line Honey's bees will join about 2.5 million bee colonies trucked from across the United States to California for the pollination season.