We had the good fortune of connecting with Mckay Sorenson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mckay, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I had always struggled finding a “career”. I attended college at SUU (southern utah university) for two years, and during that time i quickly learned that there was nothing at the college that i could major in and enjoy as a career. Starting out i had many jobs, in several different fields ranging from Electrical linework to stainless steel pipe welding. I enjoyed the welding for a few years but it was always just a “job” and i felt like i was short changed, working for other people/companies.

When I finally found something I was so truly passionate about, I knew i could use my work ethic and reputation to make it work. I “part-timed” it for several years before jumping in with both feet, and during that time I lined work and made important industry connections that would support me.

At the point when I decided to jump in with both feet, things just fell into place, and it felt like the right thing to do. Fast forward to today, I now have 1 full time employee that runs my shop, and 2 part time employees that support him. I handle mainly big picture things, and do most of the painting and artistic portions, (which is my true passion).

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always thought of myself as a artistic person, even as a little boy I loved to draw. As i grew older i became very infatuated with the hunting industry and found myself with what some would call an unhealthy obsession with Antlers. Naturally I found a way to merge the two of these, and got my foot in the door, using wood stain on old bleached out elk sheds, making them look brown again. From there it evolved into restoring all kinds of naturally shed antlers, and pickup heads. I established a good reputation doing that and did heads and antlers for people from all across the country. I was happy, but stagnated.

I had always seen antler replicas and considered them to be out of my realm of creation. There are alot of trade secrets involved so the process is unknown to many. My curiosity got the better of me, and i went to youtube university in search of a mold making degree. There is not alot of information specific to antler replication so there was alot of trial and error involved in learning the process. Mold making materials are not cheap, so many of those lessons were not cheap failures. I dabbled in this area for close to a year, with a ton of trial and error, before i took on a replica client for myself.

After learning the production part of things, and getting proficient and my quality to par, i still had no idea how to actually run a business and manage my time, books and bills. That part is still a work in progress, but again with the help of others and my wonderful wife, we manage to keep ontop of things!

fast forward to today. I have been self employed for 5 years, and now have 1 full time employee, 2 part time employees with Trapperman Wildlife Studio.

Last year, I was part of a start-up business called MiniMuleys. I am 50% co owner of that, with my partner Cameron Manwaring who has an extensive entrepreneurial and business background and has helped me a ton.
MiniMuleys makes miniature custom replicas, so it goes hand in hand with the Trapperman Wildlife Studio business and my clientele. It Is yet another way i have found to capitalize on my obsession with antlers, hunting, and the outdoors!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I wont lie, i dont enjoy spending time in the city. I spend all of my freetime outdoors. I also am kind of introverted when it comes to large crowds, so i dont tend to spend time in popular outdoor areas, like national parks. I like to find things and places that few others have before. The more remote, the better! I have a smaller group of close friends, and tend to avoid cities when possible!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have two, my first is my personal support system. My incredible wife. She is the most supportive person I know. Without her support, I wouldn’t have dared make the jump into self employment and entrepreneurship. She has always had my back, and urged me to do my best in everything I do without taking shortcuts. I believe that behind every good man, is an even better woman, helping shape him behind the scenes.

My second would be a man named Jeff Baird, the owner of Strip Taxidermy. He has been on my “team” from the early days, and without his influence, critique and friendship I know it would have been much harder to get established in the industry, like my business is today. Jeff is one of those people who doesnt sugar coat things. He can always see the areas that need improvement and is willing to tell you about them. He wants the very best for everyone around him, and expects the best. I believe that having somebody who is that honest, and will tell you the things that need to be fixed is a very important quality, and one that is much more important than the people who only give you pats on the back, and blind encouragement. Critque can be a hard thing to take sometimes, especially if it is something you didnt notice yourself. There is always room for improvement and jeff helps me find those areas!

Website: www.trappermanantlers.com and www.minimuleys.com

Instagram: @trappermanantlers and @minimuleys

Image Credits
Several of these photos were taken by Drake Vincent Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.