Thomas Rush has a passion for traveling and entrepreneurship. It’s no surprise he has managed to combine the two into a brand new ecommerce site tailored to adventurous men, or as he calls them, “modern renaissance men.” Rush’s newest venture is Few & Far Company, which sells hand picked tools, gadgets and other products.
Few & Far Company sells “personal effects for the adventurous gentleman.” Rush said, “We’re no longer in an age of people wanting to work for Corporation X for 45 years and get their gold Rolex on the way out the door, where all they can do then is enjoy retirement. People want to mix it up, change jobs. Despite technology, people are learning how to farm in their backyard again; they are learning how to gut a fish and how to make leather goods by hand. Few & Far Company provides tools which helps someone accomplish those goals.”
Rush was able to do all the necessary research for the company over his holiday break in 2012. The ecommerce strategy has already changed quite a bit since starting out. “I began with a strategy that was based on keyword searches, online ads, and for a homogenized industry where it’s very difficult – basically impossible – to compete on price. I had to change because that strategy was leading me down a very boring, very data-ridden path selling something like RV parts or bowling balls. So I pivoted to extreme climbing gear, and then slightly pivoted again because I realized that I did want to be involved in the crafting/making process. I want to contribute to the proliferation of handcrafted goods. I want to prototype a product in a woodshop, or by shaping leather. So I took the company one step further and am still in the process of communicating what all of that means to the end viewer of my site.”
Few & Far has officially launched and users can now buy products such as a craftsman’s tool case, a canoe paddle or moustache wax from three site categories: at home, on the water and fresh and clean.
Rush has known he wanted to be an entrepreneur for a long time. “Early on I realized two things,” he continued, “First, when working for someone else you are not able to capture 100% of the value that you are creating through your own efforts, not as an employee at least. The company you work for captures a lot of that value – it’s called profit in most circles. Second is that labor, or working within a time-based payment structure, is one of the least efficient methods of generating income. First off, it takes time. It also takes a whole ton of energy. The whole structure is very limiting to a person with larger ambitions than just spending time accomplishing some inane tasks. There’s a ceiling everywhere you turn as an employee. By being an entrepreneur, there are a million ways to make income without using/exerting nearly as much time/energy, at least in the long run. And that is only if you place your bets in the right places and work your butt off in the beginning. But eventually, all that will pay off hopefully, and that’s what it’s all about.”
When asked what his most exciting venture has been to date, Rush said Few & Far Company is easily the most exciting. “Since it’s focused on the adventurous gentleman, I’ve been able to create a situation that has allowed me to sail the Florida coast, hike Mayan ruins this summer and buy antiques in rural Southwest Louisiana. It’s phenomenal.”
As a past Managing Director at Propeller, Rush considers that to be his first venture aside from lemonade stands and cutting grass growing up. Green Coast Enterprises, Propeller and Rush were all part owners of a joint venture that was formed for the solely to develop the incubator space. He is also partner in an early stage company that will be producing and selling limoncello, Yvelise Limoncello. He said he also has a million ideas he would like to pursue in the future.
Keep up with Few & Far Company on Facebook and Twitter. For more information visit fewandfar.co.