Every once in a while, we stop, look around, and ask ourselves, “How exactly did we get here?”

By “here,” we mean spending our summers working in Yellowstone National Park, running businesses from wherever we happen to be, sharing our adventures through Zoe and Rich Out There, and still trying to figure out what the next chapter might look like.

The truth is, none of this came from one carefully mapped-out plan. Our story has been shaped by careers, businesses, unexpected opportunities, and a willingness to try something new, even when we were not completely sure where it would lead.

Long before we became business partners, we each had careers that taught us how to lead people, solve problems, create products, and adapt when things did not go according to plan.

Zoe’s background was in retail management, operations, merchandising, customer service, and real estate. After graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology, she worked in leadership roles with companies including Macy’s, Caldor, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and The Sports Authority.

She opened stores, managed large teams, oversaw millions of dollars in annual sales, trained employees, handled merchandising and operations, and learned how much the smallest details can affect a customer’s experience. Later, she became a licensed real estate agent in Florida, adding marketing, negotiation, and client relationships to the mix.

Rich’s career followed a different path, but one that eventually fit perfectly with Zoe’s experience.

With a degree in mechanical engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, Rich built a career in engineering, product development, marketing, business strategy, acquisitions, and global business integration.

He spent many years with companies including Newell Brands, The Stanley Works, and Stanley Black & Decker. His work involved developing new products, turning around underperforming businesses, negotiating acquisitions, integrating companies around the world, and helping turn ideas into products people could actually use.

Along the way, he became a named inventor on 14 United States patents and worked extensively throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Our backgrounds looked very different on paper, but they complemented each other. Rich understood how to develop products and build businesses, while Zoe understood operations, merchandising, customers, and how to keep everything moving.

In 2016, we decided to build something of our own and started C Larboard.

It did not begin as a consulting company. C Larboard originally started as an online store where we sold interesting, useful, and unusual items that caught our attention.

We enjoyed finding products that solved problems or simply made everyday life a little easier. As we learned more about e-commerce, sourcing, and what customers responded to, the business began to evolve.

We eventually trademarked the name Defiance Tools and started moving toward products that reflected our own interests more closely. Instead of being a general store of interesting things, we focused on gear for camping, van life, overlanding, and everyday adventure.

That shift gave the business a clearer identity and gave us the opportunity to create and source products that were practical, compact, and easy to take along wherever the road might lead.

Defiance Tools became the next major chapter in our story.

We developed multi-tools, everyday-carry gear, coffee products, camp kitchen items, and other useful products for travelers and outdoor enthusiasts. Rich focused heavily on product development, innovation, and supplier relationships, while Zoe handled much of the operations, purchasing, inventory, fulfillment, finances, marketing, and customer service.

Of course, when you run a small business together, job titles only mean so much. Both of us ended up doing whatever needed to be done.

Defiance Tools taught us how to take an idea from a conversation and turn it into a real product. It also taught us about supply-chain problems, changing advertising platforms, rising costs, international sourcing, inventory decisions, and the constant challenge of standing out in a crowded market.

As the business grew, C Larboard also expanded into consulting and product development. We began helping other companies with sourcing, manufacturing challenges, innovation, and bringing products to market. Rich’s experience in product development and global business combined with Zoe’s operational and customer-focused background in ways we had not originally imagined.

Like many parts of our story, it evolved as we went.

In 2024, we decided to try something completely different and spend the summer working at Tower Fall General Store in Yellowstone National Park.

Zoe worked as a sales associate, while Rich supervised the fountain, which serves hot food, ice cream, and drinks to a steady stream of park visitors.

We had visited Yellowstone before, but living and working inside the park was a completely different experience. We met people from across the country and around the world, worked alongside a diverse seasonal team, and helped thousands of visitors experience one of the most incredible places in America.

And we discovered that we really enjoyed it.

In 2025, Zoe became the fountain supervisor, leading the daily food-service operation and managing a team of employees. Rich stepped into the store manager role, overseeing the retail, kitchen, fountain, and food-service teams.

This season, Zoe moved into the floor supervisor position, supporting operations throughout the store, while Rich returned as store manager. In three summers, Zoe progressed from sales associate to fountain supervisor to floor supervisor, taking on more responsibility each season.

At first glance, working in Yellowstone might seem completely unrelated to our previous careers. But the skills are surprisingly familiar.

We are still leading teams, helping customers, solving problems, managing inventory, adapting quickly, and trying to make each day run a little more smoothly than the one before.

The setting is just a lot more scenic—and occasionally there is a bison outside.

That brings us to Zoe and Rich Out There.

It began as Adventure Wisdom Hub, a place where we could talk about travel, business, personal growth, and building a life that felt a little more intentional.

As our own story continued to change, the name changed too. Zoe and Rich Out There feels more personal and gives us room to share the full journey—the businesses, the travel, the seasonal adventures, the lessons, and the uncertainty that comes with trying to decide what comes next.

And honestly, we are still figuring that part out.

Maybe the next chapter will involve more travel. Maybe it will be another business, a new product, another season in Yellowstone, or an opportunity we have not even considered yet.

What we have learned is that you do not always need to know exactly where the road is leading.

Sometimes you just need to be willing to take the next turn and see what is there.

That is what we have been doing for years, and it is what we plan to keep doing.