When Grant Stahla, '14, felt an urge to start his own business as a University of Nebraska–Lincoln senior, he had no idea what would be in store for him.
A management major at the College of Business, Stahla took four entrepreneurship classes before officially deciding to launch a business around functional bathroom trailers. Ten days later, he built a website and on January 31, 2014, Stahla purchased a $30,000 luxury restroom trailer and began what is now known as Stahla Services. Growing into his full-time job, the business includes approximately 15 employees and his wife and co-owner, Erin, as their brand manager.
“I am grateful for this opportunity to work for myself coming out of college and to have the time to put first what's most important to me as I create my own work schedule,” said Grant, who is from Grand Island, Nebraska.
Grant started Stahla Services, with the goal of creating high-quality specialty trailers to be used all over the U.S. for events, commercial remodels and disaster relief. Today, they have locations in 17 different states, with their headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska. He could scale the business after he won the university's New Venture Competition in 2014 and received $50,000 in prize money.
“We really like to talk about our restroom trailers as your home bathroom on wheels,” Erin said.
Stahla said his family provided the motivation for him to run a business.
“My family originally spurred me on and let me know that I could do it. They also helped me see what running a business looked like years down the road,” Grant said.
The couple visited a Nebraska entrepreneurship class, Managing Growth and Change in Organizations (ENTR 422), to talk about scaling, company culture and family business dynamics.
Erin and Grant support the Center for Entrepreneurship and are involved in the greater entrepreneurial ecosystem. Both return to campus often to speak in classes and meet with students one-on-one as community fellows for the Center for Entrepreneurship.
Grant believes the key to a successful entrepreneur is to find a problem and solve it in the business.
“As you grow as a person, you become more complicated in a lot of ways,” Grant said. “Organizations are a living breathing thing; they become way more complicated.”
Focused on cultivating a community of customers, Stahla Services also allows its employees to grow alongside their business.
“We've empowered our employees to understand their role, explain it to other people and keep the waterfall effect going,” said Erin, who won the center's 2024 Startup Executive Award.
Grant provides advice to young entrepreneurs looking to gain traction in their businesses.
“Seek a lot of wise counsel but ultimately go with what you feel in your gut,” he said.
