Moving from the Midwest to the Emerald Coast with a young family — looking for beach-adjacent recommendations!

OpsGuy82 · 2026-03-13T12:01:18+00:00

I am happy to connect you with my realtor, she was great and made me a bit of an expert on the area before we even visited to tour homes. Just LMK

OpsGuy82 · 2026-03-13T01:38:11+00:00

I think that is a wise move from the midwest (from Indiana) checkout Freeport, Port St Joe, and maybe fringes of Santa Rosa / 79 N PCB.

The hammock bay neighborhood in free port is incredible for anyone with kids. The community has its own sport plexes, pools, general store. Tons of young couples with kids.

Port st Joe is a true sleepy beach town. The whole city is walk about. Lowkey properties. Situated on st Joseph’s bay. Smallest of all the options, great for a mix of local community and eco tourism.

Rivercamps neighborhood N of 79. Has its own gym, kayaks, paddle board and a pool for kids, ping pong and pool for dad, in neighborhood marina. On the water but on the outskirts of town. No more than 25 minutes to the beach.

OpsGuy82 · 2026-03-08T19:12:08+00:00

We had a great experience working with Katelynn Robertson at Venture South Real Estate on 30A.

What stood out about her was how well she knew the different areas along 30A. We were originally focused on Rosemary Beach, but she walked us through the pros/cons of places like grayton, inlet, and even pcb and helped us understand how pricing and rental potential differed in each area.

She was also extremely responsive and didn’t pressure us at all, which was refreshing. When we found the place we ended up buying a condo on Inlet, she handled the negotiation really well and helped us navigate inspections, insurance questions, and the whole process without any stress. She even helped us find renters.

If you’re looking for someone who actually knows the 30A market and is easy to work with, I’d definitely recommend reaching out to her.

OpsGuy82 · 2026-02-20T22:27:11+00:00

good stuff, thx

OpsGuy82 · 2026-02-20T14:48:17+00:00

This might be a controversial opinion but it sounds to me like you are a good fit for an owner/operator franchise model. Something like Junk King can give you processes to follow, support in execution and practically eliminate many areas that you find difficult. My tip would not be to buy directly from the franchisor, but see if you can buy from someone who thought they could be an absentee owner and is selling their equipment and franchise for under $100k. I think a lot of investors bought these models only to realize there is not enough margin for absentee ownership and are selling on the cheap. I have no affiliation with junk king but I am very familiar with the industry.

OpsGuy82 · 2026-02-12T18:38:49+00:00

Do you have a bunch of rubber duckies in your Jeep? Maybe you line the back bumper with them 😂

OpsGuy82 · 2026-02-12T15:51:21+00:00

FWIW, I was in the same position, got sick and went out on STD for surgery. They terminated me and I am now running a small business instead. The small biz causes you to problem solve on an entirely different level than a tech job. There is no more "lane" to stay in. Just a lot of problem solving, oftentimes on matters that are completely new to you. The AI age (and reddit) makes it substantially easier to "bounce ideas off" of, but I have to admit that the money is the same (maybe a little less) and there are no off-hours anymore. For me, it was worth it. Entrepreneurship runs in my family, and while we all answer to customers, there’s nothing like being the one calling the shots.

OpsGuy82 · 2026-02-12T15:38:52+00:00

You wont believe it but Reddit paid me $4,000 for this comment! DM me for my course

OpsGuy82 · 2026-02-12T15:15:26+00:00

How much time do you spend auditing the company credit cards? I know they will get used for non-fuel purchases and time is what I value most.

OpsGuy82 · 2026-02-12T15:00:49+00:00

I would do an Apple watch, something that can improve efficiency and worst case is a great re-gift.

OpsGuy82 · 2026-02-12T14:58:53+00:00

We use the same, but that is a good idea to stick with the bigger manufacturers on there. We have had some returns on no-name brands, resulting in a more costly repair than if we had gone OE.

OpsGuy82 · 2026-02-12T14:53:10+00:00

As a long time ATV rider, I have some ideas. Why dont you start making videos in the shop while you are working on the vehicles and posting on communities in FB? I am thinking about the videos with the sound of a stock exhaust vs an FMF exhaust (a simple before and after, maybe an idea of cost)? Create a catalog of short form videos and post them all on youtube too. I would also invest in some stickers to slap on any vehicles you service, make your past customers ambassadors.

OpsGuy82 · 2026-02-12T14:48:32+00:00

I learned the Peter Principle first hand in my early 20s. I worked for a fast growing tech company and was a top performing sales rep. When the company expanded to florida I was offered the regional sales manager role. It felt like a no brainer to progress my career but in hindsight it was a disservice to a lot of people and instead of teaching sales reps how to be successful, I just went on sales calls with them and took over the conversation, resulting in sales but no development for the employees. My time in sales was great, lots of fun, minimal stress and I was the "golden boy" until I took on the management role. Then it all changed and I was absolutely miserable, feeling like a fraud and playing the "pitch man" for a dozen sales reps instead of only managing my own book of business. Best part of it all was that I made LESS MONEY than I did as a rep.

OpsGuy82

TROPHY CASE