Hauling the American Dream: How One Rural Family Business Built 50 Years of Momentum with Barry Selland

0:00Boom! Shake the room, Fire Nation. JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire. brought to you by High Level, the all-in-one sales and marketing platform. Today, we'll be breaking down, hauling the American dream, how one rural family business built 50 years of momentum. To drop these value bombs, I brought Barry Selland into EO Fire Studios. Barry is the owner of Selland Trucking, a 50-year family-run operation, hauling freight across all 48 states and beyond, providing rural grit still drives America's economy forward. And today, we talk about building a family culture that keeps people loyal, safe, and fired up to deliver.

0:36We talk about family businesses overall, being a rural entrepreneur, and oh, so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Barry and our sponsors. Are you ready for the ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies? Build funnels, automate follow-ups, manage clients, and even white-label your own software. Say hello to our featured partner, High Level, and visit highlevelfire.com to start your free trial today. Fire Nation, success isn't a solo journey. It's about who you surround yourself with. That's why I built the Freedom Circle, a powerful community of entrepreneurs ready to support, inspire, and share the ideas that move you forward.

1:22Visit freedom-circle.com to learn more. All right, hello. We have Barry Selland here. This is Hauling the American Dream, How One Rural Family Business Built 50 Years of Momentum. And here's Barry. He's the owner of Selland Trucking, a 50-year-run, family-run operation, hauling freight across all 48 states and beyond, providing rural grit still drives America's economy forward. And Barry, you've been running trucks across America for 50 years now. I'm not trying to aid you or anything. But what's the story behind how Selland Trucking went from a small family outfit to a nationwide organization?

2:01Selling Trucking actually started years ago. The Selling family was known more for cattle and farming. We fed a lot of cattle and the trucking got started years ago, hauling cattle to the packing houses and from the sale barns. And then as it developed and went through time and we started expanding things, my mom, Barb Selling, actually started the flatbed division, which was approximately 50 years ago. And so she was the one that actually started the flatbed side of it. and then as it progressed I went to college I didn't learn a whole lot I came back to the family operation and then I started working with mom I started as a driver and then I went into the office and then we expanded from there we don't do any cattle anymore we don't do any cattle or local hauling grain hauling or anything like that but yeah back to the business my mom actually started it she got the first contract she got the ICC authority and then from there my wife Shelly and I now own it and I've taken it over and we have just changed how we do everything.

2:56And now we run all 48 states in Canada, all flatbed and step deck, all long haul. The other exciting news I think is I love it that we're a family business, a successful family business, and we're family owned. And now I have two daughters that were in, they were in the medical field and they had very good careers. And now recently, two or three years ago, they have come back into the business with us. So I want to talk loyalty. I want to talk safety. I want to talk about getting people fired up because that's what it takes for 50 years. So you've been running trucks, 30 trucks, in rural South Dakota.

3:30And I mean, that's no small feat, obviously. How have you built a business culture that does those things we just talked about, that keeps people loyal, that keeps people safe, that keeps people fired up to show up every day and just deliver? I think the biggest thing is the way we treat people. And I think one of the keys to our success, we've had, there's a Rick Knight that works for us. He's been there since I've been a junior in high school. We have many, many drivers that stay a long time, the office included. But I think it's all, it's the family atmosphere. It's the family business. We're very professional.

4:03We treat the drivers, the customers. We do absolutely everything we can for them. And we treat them with respect. And every day when I come to work, I love Mondays. I love coming to work. And I don't want anybody to wreck that atmosphere. So we stay very positive. We work very, very hard. and you know we haven't I don't like to brag about this because it can change on us but we haven't ran a help wanted ad for probably six or seven years and it's just we just put it we're putting on a guy that we got a guy that's coming on from Florida we got him in Kentucky Texas all over and it's the friend of a friend of a friend and I think in our business not many people get treated with respect they're just a number out there trucking and I think between the office there's six of us in the office and the drivers and I think it's just the family principle and actually treating them very well.

4:51And we do it the same way with the customers. So if you wanted your employees to describe you in one word, what would that one word be? That's a big question. I'm going to say, I don't know if this is a weird answer, but maybe passionate. I absolutely love what I do. I mean, if you're not going to have passion, how can that? Yeah. So I do love that answer. Now let's talk about something pretty impressive. I mean, you graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10 ,000 small business program. What was the biggest like mindset shift or maybe business system that truly moved the needle for you that you took away from that program?

5:30Okay. So when we, when we, when my wife is actually in the class and we did it last year in South Dakota, we're the first cohort for South Dakota to do it. I went to college and I graduated high school, went to college, graduated. Obviously I didn't learn a whole lot Dad said to have a good time and I had a good time. But it was nice to come back, now establish business. We've expanded it a great deal, done well at it. But to take the course and be in business at the same time was absolutely amazing because it meant something. And every morning they'd say scholars and I thought, well, I'm no scholar.

6:04But I think the biggest thing I took from it is, number one, one thing we talked a lot about in the class was, number one, I have daughters back now. So my exit plan has changed. I think the organization, the thought processes, the confidence, the Goldman Sachs program really, you just keep building on that, building on that, building on that. So let's talk family business because if we're being honest, family businesses can be both beautiful and they can be brutal. Yes. How have you navigated the growth while keeping that family-driven integrity and trust alive through the generations? I've lived both sides of that.

6:42I live the brutal side and I live the great side. As the family farm cattle feeding operation with my dad, my uncle, my cousins, that did not end well. We've separated nobody's friends. And I think the biggest key is communication. And I was raised by my dad and my mom to communicate with everybody, communicate with the help, the drivers, your wives, kids. So I think another thing is now that my daughters come back into the business, mom and I my mom and I worked for years and years together very successful and a very great relationship and she's very tough but you got to be mentally strong to get through it all and it was the greatest thing ever now my two girls are back and I take what I learned from the family farm cattle feeding operation and it's all about communication it's about talking it out if if Morgan or Jessica are my two daughters if something's going on we we discuss everything All right, Fire Nation, we've got some great stuff coming from Barry as soon as we get back from thanking our sponsors.

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8:48So visit highlevelfire.com to start your free trial and see why thousands of businesses are switching. That's highlevelfire.com, where marketing, sales, and automation finally come together. High level, join the revolution. Fire Nation, let me drop a truth bomb. The biggest bottleneck holding most entrepreneurs back isn't lack of ideas, tools, or hustle, it's lack of connection. And when I scaled my business to eight figures and mentored thousands of entrepreneurs, I saw the same thing again and again. People trying to do it alone, and that's why I created the Freedom Circle. You've heard me end every episode of Entrepreneurs on Fire by saying you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

9:30That's not just a quote. It's the reality of success. The Freedom Circle instantly becomes your family of five and then some. It's a community of driven entrepreneurs ready to pour ideas, connections, and support into every part of your journey. So Fire Nation, if you're ready to level up and finally create freedom on your terms, head to freedom-circle.com to learn more. That's freedom-circle.com. Now you use the word communication multiple times. Yeah. That's powerful. If there's just one more concise sentence that you would give to somebody who's thinking about maybe going down that family route, what would that one sentence be?

10:07I just think always being upfront, always being honest, and always just being right there. Now you're what we call a rural entrepreneur, and rural entrepreneurs, they often wear every hat imaginable. What are some of the unique challenges that you face keeping operations both efficient and profitable in such a spread out industry? I think one of the keys for me is, and I'm hoping that my girls will do it also, is I've done every aspect of the business. I've driven truck, I've hauled cattle, I've hauled freight, I've tarped loads. I still to this day will go to customers if we're super busy. If I got to go load a load, I'll go load and meet the customers and see them one-on-one.

10:49But I think it is I've done everything. I've done the accounting. I've done the payroll. I've done the dispatching. I've done every aspect of the business. We've been through very good times. We've been through horrible times. And I think surviving through all that, and it just keeps building and building and building, and you just build off of that. And you realize every day is great. I love every single day of life. Even if it's a bad day, once you get through it, or a bad time, you make it through and you march forward, you know, it's just a great accomplishment. Now, what was one of the more fun or maybe the funnest hat that you had to wear that was kind of unique considering you're the big honche?

11:26The big honche. That's one thing. I never think of myself that way. Heather that works in my office, she does all our books. We've been together 24 years. And I always tell her I never feel like the boss, you know, or like if I interview new drivers or new office people, they're nervous. And I'm like, why are they nervous? And they're like, well, you are the boss. And I'm like, I never really feel like it. I never put myself in that place. But I guess the big hat would just be, I think one of the biggest things I do that isn't accounting or dispatching and all of the above is just maybe being there for people.

11:59And I've learned a lot about like the drivers, the employees, the office people. I've actually helped in many situations. I don't know if you'd call me a counselor, but you'd be surprised how much of that goes on. What's a hat you maybe had to wear one time that you're like, I hope I never have to do that again? or maybe that doesn't exist. I got to be honest with you, I probably don't have that at all because it's part of the game and back to communication and back to addressing situations, good or bad. I get up for all of them. I'm not a power trip guy, so I don't have that issue, but I really don't have one that I don't want to learn.

12:34Now, listen, I'm not saying that you're old, but you've been in the industry for half a century. So when you look at the next 10 years, what do you see as the biggest opportunities for rural businesses who are both ready to innovate and expand? That's a hard question I've been thinking about. My daughter Morgan informed me I was getting old the other day with some of my thoughts. So that's all right. That's all right. I don't really know how to answer that one. I think about there's so many changes in our trucking world. You know, they're talking self-driven trucks, AI technology. Where is it going to go?

13:07How are we going to keep up? Can we afford to keep up? we're we're I think back that I think a lot of the old principles will not change like for example the one-on-one with the drivers the employees the customers AI is going to be a great thing but it's very impersonal so I think being from rural America the one thing is anybody that's from rural America typically has a great work ethic is a plus and then I think just moving forward I I think we got great minds in the office. And it's just a matter of that always wanting to expand, succeed, and do our best. And I think we have to take on AI. We have to take it all on.

13:45Okay, take a step back right now. We're kind of coming to a close here. And I really want you to think about what would you want to share to people that are listening right now. People that are listening, they're entrepreneurs, they're small business owners, they're individuals that are like, I'm looking to try and do that thing. And you had the word passion multiple times. I love you kept coming back to that because that's a huge thing that a lot of these listeners are looking for because maybe they're in a corporate nine to five right now and they're listening on the way to work and they just don't want to go sit in that cubicle for the next nine hours and then go home and it's dark out and then go to bed and feel like they added nothing of real value to the world that they were personally passionate about.

14:29You have passion, Barry. You found it. You just kept with it. Again, I use the word half a century, which seems like a long time because it is. 50 years is a long time. It's longer than I've been on this earth. So what would you want to share to that person that's maybe listening right now that maybe feels like they're in a dead-end job that maybe says, I want to just take that first step? What would that look like? Well, first of all, I think you have to do something you truly love. And you have to be very passionate about what you do. You have to be willing to put in the time, the hours. If you want to work eight to five, then you keep your cubicle job.

15:03But I think make sure to do something you truly love. And it took me a lot of years to realize a lot of people work for health insurance, so they work for whatever and they don't like their careers. I've loved my career from day one and I've been fortunate and I've been lucky. But I think the biggest thing is to always ask for help or a mentor, but make sure that you do truly love what you do. Otherwise, it's not going to work. No, I hear you about that whole health care situation. I mean, I was an officer in the US Army for eight years. And I remember getting to my eighth year, and that was what I owe.

15:33That was my commitment. And everybody was just saying, hey, just stick it out for 12 more years. Then you can retire, and you're going to get benefits for the rest of your life. And I'm like, 12 years? That's a lifetime. What can I create in 12 years instead of just treading water in something that I'm really not passionate about, that I'm really not excited about? So I walked away from that happily. And I actually, soon afterwards, launched Entrepreneurs on Fire. Now here I am today. So, I mean, I love that mentality of like, we're not doing a job just so we can get by. Like, what do we, when we wake up in the morning, what are we doing?

16:07That's changing the world on our terms. So we're excited about that. We're not trying to get the snooze button 10 times because we're just dreading the day. So if somebody's listening, they're like, Hey, maybe I need to check out that Goldman Sachs situation. What would you say to them? Oh, I would tell them to do it in a heartbeat. My wife, Shelly's a nurse practitioner. She went on her own a few years ago and she took the program with me and I can use her as an example also. But she set goals. She did her growth plan. And there are so many things you learn in that that program from accounting, the human resources to whatever it is.

16:42It's every aspect of business. And she's one that I that I could really build up. In one year, her goal was to buy two laser machines, a building, different things. And she did it all. And she just moved into her new site, completely gutted it out. And I think for me, I was established and it did many things for me, for her being like maybe five years into the business and successful. But wanting to take the next step, the Goldman program was just unreal for her. Love that. Yeah. Barry, take us home. If the listeners right now, they're inspired by you, maybe they want to learn more about you, they want to follow you.

17:17Do you have a call to action for our listeners today? What do you mean by that? Can they check out your website and social media or not? Yeah, absolutely. They could check in with me. Our webpage, I can tell you right now, probably needs to be updated, but we're selling trucking, S-E-L-L-A-N-D trucking.com. To be honest with you, you can call my office at 605-796-4401. We always need good help, good owner operators, company drivers, or if you want to just call and ask questions. Wow. I would love it. Fire Nation, call him if you're really serious. Let's not flood these phone lines with not incredibly amazing questions.

17:55Because, you know, at the end of the day, Barry's got work to do. So let's make it happen. I love talking it. I love it. Well, it's pretty obvious to me that you have. So thank you for spending time with us here today. It really does mean a lot. I mean, just the fact that you've been through the Goldman program, you've had success. Your wife's had success. Your family's had success. Your two daughters have had success. It's just, it's really inspiring for a lot of reasons. So I just want to say thank you for all that you've done in this world. and for all that you've contributed today on this episode.

18:21And we'll catch you on the flip side. All right. Well, thanks for having me on. Hey, Fire Nation, a big thank you to Barry and our sponsors for sponsoring today's episode. And freedom isn't free. It's not cheap. It's not easy. But if you want it, it's right there for you. Visit freedom-circle.com to learn more about my community. And I'll catch you on the flip side.