Running a portable sanitation business is a 24/7 job. However, for Eric and Melody Friedly, their most demanding schedule isn’t the truck route — it’s raising 9-year-old triplets, all boys.
The Friedlys bought Hank’s Portables in Otterville, Missouri, to build careers that provided a living while accommodating the time needed to raise three children at once. Melody, who manages the office, says the flexibility of ownership beats the rigidity of a 9-to-5.
“I think I've been able to stay home with them since they were born because three babies are a lot, as you can imagine,” she says. “We were able to concentrate on that more so than, ‘Oh, I have to clock in at this time.’”
The logistics of the Friedlys’ lives are certainly complex. The local school district operates on a four-day school week, meaning the boys are home every Monday. Since daycare for three children would cost too much, Melody’s office job has been tailored around the school bell.
“It has blessed us that my wife can work from home, and she keeps us guys in line,” Eric says. “Thankfully, she's able to be home with them on Mondays.”
Unfortunately, business growth has cut into Eric’s family time. “I didn't get as much time with my boys as I had to work later,” he says.
That is why the Friedlys recently hired a second driver to ease everyone’s workload. “Now with our second driver starting, that's going to help with a little bit of flexibility in making sure we all get home,” says Eric. “All of our drivers, we all have kids, [so we want] to make sure we get home at a decent time. We want to run a family-oriented, family-owned business that respects everyone’s needs at home.”
