The boy and the stick: rediscovering imagination

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." – Theodore Roosevelt

As far back as I can remember, I always carried a stick.

Growing up on a farm, sticks were everywhere—big ones, small ones, crooked ones.

To me, a stick was never just a stick.

It was a sword, a wizard’s staff, or a gun—whatever my imagination needed at the time.

Fast forward to 2025, and I’m still drawn to them.

They still feel magical in my hands.

Even now, I’ll carve one with my pocket knife, sharpening a point, ready to take on imaginary bad guys.

A few months back, I snapped a picture at my family’s farm—a blurry image of me at two years old, stick in hand.

Some things never change.

The real magic?

Imagination.

I don’t carry a stick much these days, but I still have my powers.

The real superpower we all possess is imagination.

And it wasn’t until I embraced the world through the eyes of a child that I truly began to see.

As we grow up, we’re taught to conform. In many ways, we’re discouraged from picking up sticks and pretending.

But in 2017, when I embarked on this journey of entrepreneurship, I had a stick in hand once again.

My wife and I sat on our porch, imagining what life could look like now that I was no longer employed.

We dreamed.
We pretended.
We built two companies:

✅ Huval Consulting Group – I imagined myself as a consultant, a hired gun solving business problems.
✅ S&S Studio – A place where we would build and sell custom and mid-century modern furniture.

Fast forward to today:

Both companies are still alive.

They’ve evolved, pivoted, adapted—but they are still here.

Because when you embrace creativity and let go of trying to get everything “right,” things have a way of falling into place.

Pick up the stick.

Imagine again.

If you’re looking for a new challenge or considering starting something new, close your eyes and pretend.

Go back to that time when anything was possible.

Now open your eyes… and make it happen.