Interview with a Successful Entrepreneur: Josh First

Josh First is President and CEO of Appalachian Land & Conservation Services Co., LLC. Josh has an extensive background in environmental protection and natural resource conservation, including work for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, the Conservation Fund, and the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy.

He believes that "the best way to protect the environment is to buy it, either for public ownership or for private conservation buyers, because regulation is too onerous and contentious and rarely hits its mark, education takes a long time, and private stewardship rarely resists the profit motive."

How did you become an entrepreneur?

Basically, I couldn't have lived with myself if I hadn't! I see things totally differently than people around me. I worked for the EPA, and I realized so many people are just happy with mediocrity. It was such a wake-up call. There's comfort there but it was a living death for me, I was really unhappy there. I really tried but everything was so structured, and entrepreneurship was frowned upon.

Then, I had a nonprofit job in 2000, where I rarely went into the office and had a lot of independence, but it was filled with politics. Some people just want power, enough that it will just screw up your day and you can't get away from it. All the creativity, good ideas and good intentions I had didn't matter to those people who just want control. Your ideas are good ideas when they work for them, but if it doesn't make them look good then it can't be a good idea.

A lot of the idea of work here in the US is based on the industrial model: people leave their homes, go to the factory, and work really hard in a very structured environment to make widgets. Then, in recent decades, it's been the model of people going to offices. But now you can work from home, or in Hawaii, it doesn't matter where you work. And why should a company pay for office space that people don't want to use? Working from home or from a satellite office is so organic and so naturally human. People can discover their hobbies, their families, and their neighbors.

My dad was a successful entrepreneur and investor. There were times that were tough for him but he ended up retiring at about 45. Now, he does a lot of nonprofit work and gives away a lot of money. I was all fired up by his creativity and his risk-taking; I could not imagine doing things differently.

What kind(s) of business do you own?

I had started out making prototypes of wooden silverware. I wanted to make disposable silverware out of wood instead of plastic. I spent years working on it, not full-bore, but working with wood, making prototypes, using dyes and so on. I started my current business in spring of 2004.

I'm a social entrepreneur, and it's a mix of businesses that I do. I do some consulting and some investing. When one is going great it can support the other; that so far has worked. The economy lately has shut down everything, but the real estate side seems to be the saving grace. It's really intriguing that one thing will keep you alive when another falls down. A lot of people do one thing they're good at, and if it doesn't work out they're out of luck. I'm doing a lot of different things that are complementary.

I do a lot of smart growth, creative forms of mining, and mitigation. I have some investing partnerships and shell companies. I also do some lobbying on The Hill (the state capitol). I work with some left-wing environmental groups, I'm a rare green Republican. It's all really paid the bills so I have no complaints.

What are the major factors that have contributed to your success?

I have a willingness to try anything. My centerpiece project so far has been the purchase of about 350 acres adjoining a state park where I grew up. I wanted to conserve as much of that as I could. It was unzoned, and very desirable, so we could have done anything. I bought it, stripped off development rights and donated them, and conserved about 250 acres of it. I am waiting to make my money back on it, and if this cap and trade carbon stuff goes through we should make some good money on it.

It's a leap of faith. And, the tax benefits were great, too. That was about a half-million dollar investment, give or take. A lot of people would have done something more safe, but I don't regret having done that. I do regret that we didn't move the property along faster and buy more land, because the natural gas is much harder to get now. So, I am successful because of taking the risk, taking a leap of faith. I had a model I was pioneering, a social entrepreneurial model that I am out there pioneering by myself, and it's had some comforts and some real discomforts, but it can work.

Also, keeping a positive attitude when things just aren't going the way I want them to and I think, "What the heck am I doing?" Keeping a positive attitude and waiting for things to work out, as well as having a lot of irons in the fire. I keep a lot of doors open so that if one closes another can open. That's very important for success, constantly creating opportunities.

I've been lucky. All the work I've had has been through word of mouth: "I heard you did this for Joe and I definitely need you." So, it's been fantastic. An incredibly enriching experience, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

What major obstacles and pitfalls have you had to overcome?

It's been tough since about last October, with the economy as it is. We've had 1000-lawyer firms in our state that just vaporized, because their clients stopped calling and their work dried up.

So, drumming up business is a challenge. And, always doing a good job, keeping clients happy. That's job number one. It's hard to know sometimes, but I've been keeping them happy for five years and three months now. With all kinds of businesses going belly up, and people with wonderful jobs losing them and unable to find another, I figure if I can survive this I can survive anything.

What advice do you have for new entrepreneurs or those considering becoming entrepreneurs?

Number one is do what you know, don't try something because it looks good. Do something you know well and stick to it. Don't give up easily, keep a positive attitude. If you find yourself working 18 hours a day there's nothing wrong with that, because you can be doing that for two weeks straight and then you'll have a week to yourself to keep things going smoothly. You'll work like a dog but you get tremendous opportunities. You'll get the chance to make investments you could never make working for someone else. And, you have time for your family, time to have fun and attend to your own personal enjoyment and needs.

What advice do you have for entrepreneurs who are struggling to achieve success?

Have a clear vision and a good business plan and know how to follow through. Follow through on everything. You have to be able to implement, to deliver. Sitting around with great ideas and a phone and a laptop is not going to make anything happen. If someone is struggling but just not making it happen, I'm not sure they're doing the right thing. A good idea will work, but you have to follow through.

I had a friend who was passionate about environmental protection, but he could not work in a structured environment. He just couldn't follow through on everything. So, now he's making a decent living teaching German and enjoying it.

For more inspiring stories, check out the other profiles in Bright Hub's Collection of Interviews and Biographies of Successful Entrepreneurs.