‘Grateful for everything, entitled to nothing’

Sue Grossardt

Contributor

October 21, 2024

WINNECONNE – Seth Schnell – owner of Golden Services of Wisconsin, LLC – said he can easily point to a few individuals in his life who have directly impacted who he is today.

They would include grandparents and athletic coaches. 

“I relied on sports for a lot of things, and I had great coaches when I was young,” he said. “I would say my grandparents are all givers, and I fed off of them, too.”

Schnell said his paternal grandmother always put everyone above herself – “always so focused on everyone else.”

“Even when my grandpa passed, she was thinking about how the grandkids were doing,” he said. “She didn’t really stop to think about herself at all.”

Schnell said his maternal grandfather attended every one of his sporting events.

“He, too, was one to put everyone else first,” he said. “My grandpa always told me, ‘what goes around, comes around.’ Those words have stuck with me.”

Schnell said his participation in team sports taught him more than he could ever learn elsewhere. 

“My biggest inspiration was my baseball coach, Brian Keller, in 12U through 14U travel baseball,” he said. “He treated me like I was his own son. He taught me many valuable lessons and helped shape me into who I am now. He was kind of the first person that believed in me.”

Schnell said Coach Keller saw potential in him, that at a young age, he may not have seen himself.

Work ethic, Schnell said, is probably the most important thing someone can bring to a business – his of which he credits to his passion for sports growing up and the people who supported him on that journey.

“Participation in sports throughout my life taught me what a solid work ethic looks like,” he said.

That, Schnell said, coupled with the giver attitude he learned from his grandparents, supported him in starting Golden Services of Wisconsin in 2023, when he was not quite yet 20 years old.

Golden Services specializes in window washing, gutter cleaning and motor vehicle detailing.

This winter, Schnell said he will be expanding to detailing warehouses.

With a broad customer base, he said he works with homes and businesses of all sizes.

“I had no idea what to expect when starting this business,” he said. “It started with a couple of jobs here and there. But as time went on, I began to look at individuals a little differently. I just noticed that some people are very fortunate and have very nice things, and others are not as fortunate.”

As a young entrepreneur who has been fortunate enough to have people in his life who helped shape the man he is today, Schnell said he does what he can to help support others around him – especially regarding youth sports.

Paying it forward

Since playing organized sports had such an impact on him growing up, Schnell said he wanted to share that passion with his nine-year-old sister, Abbey.

“She was on a softball team but was hesitant about playing,” he said. “I asked her, ‘what if I sponsor your team? Would you play?’ She told me, ‘I’ll do it for sure.’”

Already serving as a team sponsor, Schnell said when he learned from his mom they were short on coaches, he stepped in.

“It’s great when you get to teach little kids how to hit a softball,” he said. “Nothing compares to it. It’s amazing seeing smiles when they run down the first baseline – nothing beats that.”

One particular little girl – who didn’t have a ton of confidence in herself – left a lasting impression on him.

“I told her, ‘when you go up to the plate, you have to tell yourself, I can hit this,’” he said. “So before I pitched the ball, she repeated it to me. ‘I can hit this.’ And that’s exactly what she did.  That was an unbelievable feeling watching her run to first base.”

In addition to sponsoring a team and coaching, Schnell said Golden Services of Wisconsin also sponsored a youth baseball team trip to see the Savannah Bananas, a fun-loving professional baseball team. 

“I knew one of the members of the team whom I coached in t-ball years ago,” he said.

When his team had an opportunity to play in their first-ever tournament and they were a bit short on the entry fee and travel costs, Schnell said he covered the remaining balance.

“I was not letting that opportunity pass them by,” he said.

Last Christmas, Schnell said Golden Services of Wisconsin sponsored a Golden Give Back program to help a local family in need that originated through a Facebook post.

“I can’t remember exactly what my post read, but it was something like, ‘Are there any families that aren’t able to provide for their family in the form of gifts or a meal?’”

When a local family reached out, Schnell said he asked them for a list of things each member was interested in and some necessities they may need.

“I was able to purchase food, gift cards, toys, clothes, cleaning supplies and other essentials,” he said. “It chokes me up a little bit even talking about it.”

Schnell said he is also active with the Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services, a shelter for individuals and families needing safety in Oshkosh.

“You never really know people’s story, and any opportunity that you have to give back to someone else can make you feel really good inside,” he said. “That gesture of kindness might make their hour, day, week or month. You never know, they might remember that forever.”

Words to live by

Schnell said the words his high school football coach repeated every day for two years straight are still with him today – “Grateful for everything, entitled to nothing.”

“I love that quote,” he said. “It stuck with me. I put (the quote) on the sleeves of our company work shirts.”

It’s these words and the influences of those around him, Schnell said, that have allowed him to find success in life – at work and in the community.

Schnell said he doesn’t plan to stop at just washing windows, cleaning gutters and detailing motor vehicles – noting he has big plans for Golden Services of Wisconsin.

Currently attending Fox Valley Technical College pursuing his electrician certification, Schnell said his ultimate goal is to become a master journeyman.

For more information on Golden Services of Wisconsin, LLC, visit goldenserviceswi.com.