7d • General discussion
Principle of the Week: Sacrifice is the Tuition
I recently had the honor of interviewing Kevin Hern on The Principled Entrepreneur. It was a fascinating conversation about his life journey—from humble beginnings in Atkins, Arkansas, hauling hay and barely scraping by, to owning multiple McDonald’s franchises in Oklahoma.
We talked about the valleys and the mountaintops along the way, and honestly, I could have listened for hours. But one story stood out above the rest.
Kevin had saved for years to own a McDonald’s franchise. He operated a hog farm, managed multiple McDonald’s locations, and worked 18–20 hour days in Little Rock. When he finally bought his first franchise, it took every dollar he had.
Every. Single. One
.
That decision left him living in an apartment with no bed and no furniture—sleeping directly on the cold floor each night. One evening, it got so cold that he went to Walmart and bought an inflatable mattress, hoping that just getting off the floor would help him stay warm.
Not exactly the picture most people have of a McDonald’s franchise owner.
I asked him, “Did you ever think about giving up?”
“Of course,” he said.
“Why didn’t you?” I asked.
“Because I didn’t want to go back.”
That answer says everything.
Congressman Hern knew what it was like to have nothing. He understood that quitting wouldn’t make things better—it would only take him backward. His vision was more powerful than the cold nights. His conviction was stronger than his circumstances. And his willingness to sacrifice pushed him to grow, to endure, and to keep going.
That’s the lesson for all of us.
Sacrifice is necessary to accomplish any meaningful dream. You have to decide how badly you want it. What are you willing to give up today to get where you want to be tomorrow? A year from now? Five years from now?
This isn’t a sprint—it’s a marathon. Pace yourself, but be willing to give up to go up.
Kevin made up his mind that he wasn’t going back. He paid the price daily so his future could be brighter. And today, after years of sacrifice, he has the opportunity to serve where he’s called—serving the American people and preserving the American Dream he lived out himself.
Be Principled,
Caleb
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Principle of the Week: Sacrifice is the Tuition
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