Kyle's Origin Story
Kyle was a homeschooled kid needing a 4-H project that didn't involve chasing goats. I read an article about Don Hanson, a local knifemaker, saying he could not afford to own one of his own knives. It was 2004, Kyle was thirteen and this would be his introduction to the world of knifemaking. He set out to make his 4-H knife. Our small town library became his source for learning the craft. And so it began! He made the 4-H knife from a ground-down file and an old piece of deer antler found on our property. He won a 4-H ribbon and sold the knife to his dad for $20, he was hooked. He and his dad started making tools for the shop, a homemade anvil, a hydraulic press and more. Fast forward two years, Kyle joined the American Bladesmith Society with a goal to get his Journeyman Stamp as fast as he could so he attended the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing. He did not have his drivers license, so I drove him and his siblings to the school and explored the village of Old Washington, diamond mines and tulip gardens while Kyle hammered away at the forge soaking in all the knowledge he could. Kyle's grandma drove him during the second and third week of the school. The entire family has always been involved in Kyle's knifemaking journey.
At Kyle's first knife show, he won the Judges Award and made his first "real" (not friend or family) sale for $350, this is important to note since he was told by other makers not to expect a sale at his first show. He was fired up! At his second show, he received an order for a $400 knife, I don't want to bore you with each knife sale but this one is pivotal. The customer came to pick up the knife. He tried to talk Kyle down, I mean way down, Kyle held his ground, the customer left, no sale. Kyle was devastated. I secretively listed the knife on eBay, I didn't want to add to Kyle's disappointment if it didn't sell. Kyle's dad thought I should start the bid at $800. $800, no way, I thought! At the last second of the auction with no other bids, it sold for $800! A man from New Jersey bought his knife and ordered a custom USMC WWII Camillus Knife for $775, could this be real? Kyle will always remember that day, it was the day he believed he could pursue knifemaking as a career. He was living high in the sky, winning awards, featured in magazines, they called him "A Shining Star", "That Young and That Good", orders were beyond 7 years, and he attended an invitation only show in Taipei, Taiwan, it was surreal.
The second year Kyle was to attend the Taipei Show he became ill and had to cancel his trip. He needed surgery and due to complications from that surgery we ended up spending the entire month of December three hours from home in a St. Louis Hospital needing several blood transfusions. After months to recuperate, he slowly began working on his seven-year backorder, bought his first house, and moved two hours away from family and friends. Living alone, and working alone in his shop made knifemaking become drudgery in a silent, lonely world. He started gaming and lost all motivation to get out in the shop. We were told about knifemaker's burnout, this could never happen to Kyle, he was living his dream doing what he loved. It did and it hit him hard. How did he snap out of it…the Lord, family, the knifemaking community and perseverance. He pressed on and I started working for him two days a week! This part of the story is the springboard to how Kyle teamed up with his family to begin RoyerX.
A day like no other day. Kyle and his siblings were talking at church when his brother says “hey, we should all work together and build a Knife Business like Duck Dynasty”? Hmmm! The conversation moved to the El Poblano Grill and Cantina, drawing ideas on napkins, we all got excited and started dreaming together and we went for it. That was the easy part. It was a risky move, leaving our jobs and putting everything into this family venture. Like most people, we have mortgages and mouths to feed. We didn’t start safe and slow, we took the risk to team up and start a business using all of our unique talents to build upon. Here was the mission statement from those early days of RoyerX (previously Noble Karat, that's another story for another day).
> Reveal the Artist in Everyone
> Grow & Learn
> Be Noble & Pure
> Spread the Good News
> Stay Close, Go Far
> Enjoy
One of the first big projects for RoyerX would test us to our limits, it was Kyle's first sword order, Orion's Sword. Kyle's knives were doing most of the providing for three households. Money was tight, the days were long, stakes were high, and the pressure was mounting. This first sword was a four month project working from 7am – 7pm Monday through Friday with no cash flow. There were many days in that four months someone was ready to walk away and some did. It put a strain on our business and family. We pressed on! The business and our family look different than what we drew on those napkins at the El Poblano. The business has taken a turn to serve the knifemaking community. We love knifemaking, it’s been in our blood over eighteen years. We get fired-up by the knifemaking community. Knifemakers are a big reason Kyle makes knives. Let me explain that. There is a Fellowship of Knifemakers, they share their knowledge, they are makers, creators, hard workers, unique humans, good people. For this reason, from the beginning, Kyle was drawn into this world, he wanted to teach others one day since others so openly taught him when he was so young, he never dreamed he'd teach thousands through our online courses at Learn Knifemaking and through our YouTube Channel
A driving force in this business is Kyle's younger brother, Josh. His passion is YouTube. He is a creative leader and a visionary. We just hit 231,000 subscribers this month and it's Josh's fortitude and resilience that got us here. I love seeing Josh pushing his skills, always learning, and reaching for the next level. I also enjoy watching the brothers and their dad working together to make great content for knifemakers all around the world. It's especially surreal to see the progression of our YouTube Channel from young Kyle's Journey to Master to Josh making stir-fry to Jeff hopelessly devoted to his shovel (should I be jealous?), oh boy, we've come along way baby.
RoyerX has taken twists and turns and we know there are more to come. We want the world to see the beauty in knifemaking as functional art and appreciate the heart and soul that goes into making a knife. We want to educate and assist knifemakers that want a transformation in their skills, we want to grow in our skills and never stop learning, to expand creativity, we want to do everything with integrity, to create more content to help more makers in their pursuit of knifemaking, we want to stay close as a family and business partners and go far together and most of all we want to enjoy the journey and give God the glory. And we want to inspire you to get out in the shop and create. May the Forge Be With You! ~ Kyle's Mom
