BUSINESS MATTERS
Liquid Outdoor Lighting STORY BY BRITTANY SMITH & PHOTOS BY ETHAN MCDANIEL
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ne year ago, 20-year-old Ethan McDaniel didn’t know where his future would take him. A move to Orlando to attend the
create my business,” McDaniel said. “Kira showed me how to do all of the behind the scenes work, like the LLC paperwork. She helped me to understand the legal jargon and get Motorcycle Mechanic my business set up Institute fell flat after so that I could legally COVID-19 forced operate. She also the trade school to shared her knowledge close their doors. Not of QuickBooks and knowing how long how to run a business. the lockdowns would Then, Justin taught me last, McDaniel moved to have the confidence home. He was stressed to stand up in front out and stuck, with no of people and speak vision in sight. about my business. He “I went back to invested in me and led flipping pizzas at me to my first client. I Lake Martin Pizza am incredibly blessed Company; and to have them both in then, one day Justin my life.” Woodall, the owner, McDaniel’s first came in and showed client was a neighbor of me pictures of a Justin’s. The neighbor lighting project that stopped by one day to he’d completed at his talk lighting and Justin house,” McDaniel said. dropped McDaniel’s “He’d gotten a lot of name. compliments on them, “When Justin and we collectively told me about the came up with the conversation, he gave idea of doing it as a me a name and number. business, but it was I called, and before I just an idea because I knew it, the business wasn’t ready yet.” was up and running,” McDaniel sat on McDaniel said. “My Getting Lit the idea of creating client has three homes, Top: Ethan McDaniel believes that designing the layout for an outdoor lighting one here at the lake, a ourdoor lighting at homes allows him to tap into his creative company and let it home in Auburn and a genius; Right Page Clockwise from Top Left: Every outdoor incubate for about home on Destin Beach space calls for a different design technique, layout or style; three months. Then last Draw attention to grand entryways; Illunimate walkways; in Florida. He knew I November, something Create safety around all elements of the home. was new and agreed to clicked, and he decided give me a try. to embrace the outdoor lighting business and go for it. “The first project I did was his home here on the lake “Justin and Kira were instrumental in helping me and to this day, it was the largest project I’ve completed.
10 Lake Martin Living
