2 Years: From a 2-Car Garage to Our First Shop

2 year ish check in and its a big thanks to you all!

The Beginning April 2024

A little background...

I had spent over 15 years working in marketing before finally hitting a wall after multiple rounds of layoffs. I started Fr33 Lance Marketing for a short time while also refurbishing First Gen Toyota parts and launched Fr33LanceFab.com.

After building First Gen Tundras and Sequoias for more than 15 years, I saw an opportunity to bring quality parts to a community I genuinely cared about. I decided to dip a toe in the water.

Within a few months, we were absolutely slammed with orders.

Keep in mind, all of this was happening out of a two-car garage.

My wife jumped in to help. Friends and family showed up. It was truly all hands on deck while we were also raising an infant. It went from 0 to 100 mph almost overnight.

1 Year Ish 

We were busy preparing for our wedding!

One of the greatest perks of marrying Jennifer was gaining an incredible family. They are the kind of people who will do absolutely anything for family.

The amount of support they gave us leading up to the wedding was monumental. Brothers-in-law spent countless hours sandblasting in 100-degree weather, tearing down spindles, painting parts, packing orders—you name it. They worked right up until the day of our wedding.

Because of them, I was able to step away from work long enough to actually enjoy getting married.

Thank you. It meant more than you know.

Just after wedding.. 

To be honest... 2025 was brutal.

Just two weeks after we got married, Jennifer went in for a routine eye exam where doctors discovered a mass. After additional testing, she was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, and life-threatening form of eye cancer.

Surgery was scheduled for the following month.

Rather than cancel our honeymoon, we decided to make the most of the time we had together. Jennifer and I actually met while working at REI, so spending time outdoors has always been a huge part of our relationship.

We loaded up the truck and headed on an off-road adventure through Colorado.

Double it down

About halfway through our honeymoon, at nearly 13,000 feet of elevation, I developed severe pain in my kidneys.

We drove down the mountain and ended up at urgent care. A CT scan revealed a fairly large kidney stone. The doctors told me it should pass on its own.

It didn't.

Just when we thought we were in the clear and headed back to the trails... nope.

Straight to the emergency room.

Emergency surgery.

Meanwhile, Jennifer was juggling our one-year-old daughter and our crazy Australian Shepherd while I recovered. I left the hospital with a stent that made sitting in a truck for 14-18 hours nearly impossible.

So I flew home while Jennifer drove the entire trip back by herself.

Jennifer Surgery  

There was no way I was going to miss Jennifer's surgery.

The day before, I had to remove my own stent. (Yes... I hit the floor and passed out. Do not recommend.)

The next morning I drove Jennifer to her appointment.

The surgeons opened her eye and implanted a radiation plaque directly against the tumor. She then spent a week isolated while the radiation did its job. After that came another surgery to remove the plaque, followed by months of healing and adjusting to changes in her vision.

It was one of the hardest seasons of our lives.

During that time, the First Gen Toyota community showed up in a way we'll never forget.

Whether you donated to our GoFundMe, placed an order, shared our story, or simply reached out, every bit of support helped our family chip away at what felt like endless medical bills.

We will always be grateful.

Triple It Down 

Just as life started to settle down, our daughter Lexa was diagnosed with nonverbal autism.

It meant learning an entirely new set of skills as parents and finding every tool possible to help her succeed.

Today, Lexa is absolutely flourishing.

We're taking it one day at a time, celebrating every win, and embracing this journey together.

2 years ish later.... 2026

We've continued betting everything on this dream.

Every dollar we've earned has gone right back into the business (including my paychecks not gonna lie). Every spare hour has been invested into building something we're proud of.

Eventually, the two-car garage wasn't enough.

Then the storage unit wasn't enough.

Then borrowing space in friends' shops wasn't enough.

So... we took the leap.

We signed the lease on our first real shop.

The overhead is definitely intimidating. Apparently, anything with the word "commercial" attached to it automatically costs twice as much internet, insurance... you name it.

It's exciting but terrifying.

And it's exactly where we want to be.

None of this would have happened without all of you.

Every order, every comment, every recommendation, every share, and every word of encouragement has helped us get here.

Thank you for believing in us.

We're just getting started!