Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Kinczfogel, Eddy, Trunkel, Glisczinski
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 10/21/2020
News: Neillsville-Perfect 10 Outdoors (New Business – 2020)
New Business Owner Hopes to Score a ‘Perfect 10’ in Wisconsin’s Hunting Country
Brian Kinczfogel cuts the ribbon at his new business, Perfect 10 Outdoors, Oct. 1. The new store features hunting equipment and other supplies. He was joined by Hewett town chairperson Harold Eddy, Clark County District 24 supervisor Butch Trunkel and Clark County economic Development Corporation treasurer Greg Glisczinski. Ryan Spoehr/Clark County Press Photos
By Ryan Spoehr
An area resident is hoping to score a 10-out-of-10 in providing a helping hand to hunters with his new business.
Brian Kinczfogel of Pine Valley recently opened Perfect 10 Outdoors, just west of Neillsville on USH 10. It is a store with an array of products for the common hunter.
Kinczfogel has been waiting for an opportunity to have his own hunting store for as long as he can remember.
“What little kid doesn’t want to own a hunting shop where all you do is play with bows and shoot guns all day long? It’s a dream come true. It’s almost surreal to see where we are and sitting here today,” Kinczfogel said. “It’s always been the plan and it always seemed like it was set back, and one step forward and two steps back continuously. But now, it’s overcoming adversity and here we are standing.”
Perfect 10 has hunting supplies, archery equipment, firearms, ammunition and more. It will also provide land management services.
There has been a lot of work put into getting the business up and going. The business has been in the works for about two years. Kinczfogel bought the land last year and cleared out the trees for the building and the parking lot. This past spring, the ground was leveled, and the concrete was poured shortly after.
“We got the building built in about two-and-a-half months,” Kinczfogel said. “It has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears. That’s one thing that I have never knew what blood, sweat and tears meant. Then, I started my own business. I was the general contractor. As the owner of the business, you’re the buyer, you’re the seller [and] you’re the maintenance guy. You wear every hat when you own your own business, and no one understands, what it takes to do everything until you do it. So, it’s really an eye-opening experience.
“It’s definitely hard. There’s a lot of late nights. It’s going to get better, so long as I have support from the community and those who travel through this area to support this business, it’s going to take off and be successful, hopefully.
The building is at the western-most intersection of USH 10 and CTH B.
“It’s definitely been an adventure. I’ve always kind of said we are unofficially officially open because it always feels like we’re never done. We just finished putting up the drywall two weeks ago. We put more cement in continuously,” Kinczfogel said. “We’re just going sideways with it to an extent – just trying to do what we can because there’s no secret; the hunting season is here. Everybody is excited and wants us to be open and going, so trying to finish the touches on the building and get product.”
Perfect 10 Outdoors, Clark County’s newest hunting retail store, is at the western-most intersection of CTH B and USH 10 as CTH B veers south toward Humbird.
Kinczfogel has had challenges so far, particularly with the pandemic.
“The only good thing is with the pandemic the way it is, the outdoor industry is booming,” Kinczfogel said. “So, it’s a great way for us to get into it, but with the exponential chaos going on since a lot of people are shut down and not working, it’s hard to get product produced, and with sales being up in the outdoor industry everyone is buying more than they ever have before.”
Kinczfogel is originally from Hustisford, a village approximately 15 miles west of the I-41 corridor and about an hour northwest of Milwaukee. But, he has found a new home, whether it is the Neillsville area or his new business.
“This specific building is home to me. I spend more time here than anywhere else,” Kinczfogel said.
Kinczfogel is also an engineer for a company in Fond du Lac, which is about 45 minutes north of his original hometown of Hustisford but works remotely from his Pine Valley Home.
He feels as though the engineering job has created a firm base for his running his new business.
“My engineering directly is kind of a cross-functional develop0ment between our pricing program as well as our price development and sales status. So, I run all our computer software and all our accounting measures,” he said.
Kinczfogel is focusing on getting the right products on shelves and making sure there is plenty available for customers, making sure the customer service is op notch. He wants to separate Perfect 10 from big box stores.
“The way I wanted to do this is you’re going to sink or swim,” Kinczfogel said. “Nobody wants to come and see the big fancy new shop and see 25 things sitting here. It was time to turn and burn; it was time to turn and burn inventory. You’re going to have to figure it out whether you sell it or don’t sell it. That’s just the pride and ambition that a business owner has to have.
“You’ve got to take risks and be successful at it. There is an old term that is, ‘Scared money does not make money.’ You’ve got to invest it to be able to make it ack, and sitting here going, ‘Well, I wish I would have did this [and] I wish I would have done that,’ is never going to get you anywhere.”
Kinczfogel has taken some beg risks to get his business set up.
“Basically, I’ve taken everything I’ve ever made in my entire life and dumped it into this business, even to the extent of getting my loan for it. I signed off my lie insurance. So literally, I signed my life away for this business, so it’s definitely an emotional rollercoaster. I’m only 24 years old, so it’s definitely a good start to where I want to be in my life,” Kinczfogel said.
He said no risks are not worth taking, and his passion for wanting to succeed at running a business comes from his desire to be the best at what he does.
“When I was a little kid, I was into waterskiing and I was part of a ski team. I was a part of water ski teams for a while. I got all the way up to the second-highest division in the semi-professional ranks. I did that for a few years and got hurt.”
After his injury, which was at 17, he opted to go to college to get his education. He got a business degree.
“I see this as being no different in past – being successful and being the best in whatever it is I do and it is going to translate into my business,” Kinczfogel said.
He understands that the venture is not going to be easy.
“There’s no right or wrong answer to the decisions you make,” Kinczfogel said. “You must have to make the best of what it is.”
Perfect 10 has been open for approximately a month, and on Oct. 1 the Clark County Economic Development Corporation welcomed the business with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting.
At the ribbon cutting, Hewett town chairperson Harold Eddy offered Kinczfogel the best of the luck, and Clark County District 24 supervisor Butch Trunkel congratulated him on being able to start the business, CCEDC president Sheila Nyberg and treasurer Greg Glisczinski also congratulated him and wished him luck.
Perfect 10 Outdoors features archery equipment, and the décor may make the typical hunter feel at home as there are mounted animals throughout the store.
