
4 minute read
Start-Up Stories
from Fence News June 2022
by fencenewsusa
Rocket Fence
Fence News honors those who put their hat in the self-employment ring and built their business one small step at a time.
Those on the outside may think owning and growing a business is glamorous. They see the current building, the staff, the equipment and the profits. What they don’t see are the startups. The small beginnings, the ever present worry, the dreams and the everyday decisions that can either make it or break it.

Caleb and Kimberly with their son, Walt, and another son on the way.
Rocket Fence officially launched in Houston, Texas, on January 29, 2021. Founder and owner Caleb Pickle, and his wife Kimberly, were lifelong Houstonians. Since Houston is known as “Space City” with NASA in close proximity, they chose the name Rocket Fence to tie into the city they love.
Before Rocket Fence, he was selling insurance and she was a teacher. Caleb persistently called on a big fence contracting company in Houston to sell them insurance. “Eventually, they called me back and said they didn’t want the insurance but wanted to hire me because of how persistent I was and because of my strong work ethic,” he explains.
He decided to give it a shot. Over time, he had several positions within that company and other fencing companies, including sales, and many aspects of production.
“As an inside sales rep for one of the main suppliers/distributors gave me a new perspective on the industry. I was seeing the various fence contractors as they came to pick up materials and I learned from them how they did things,” Caleb says. “I also learned a lot about supply chain issues.”
His most recent job before Rocket Fence was working for a smaller fence contractor. “I was the A-to-Z person,” he explains. “I took a lead, sold the work, and saw the work through to completion as my own project manager. It was a perfect way to apply all the knowledge and work experience I had gathered and put it into action.”
“I never set out to have my own business, nor did it occur to me until after a long time in the fencing industry. One day, I realized it was inevitable and that the only thing holding me back was what holds back a lot of eventual entrepreneurs: the fear of all the ‘what ifs’. But, I knew how to do it right and what it would take to get things going, so I invested a lot of nights and weekends coming up with a game plan,” he says.
Rocket Fence ended up earning $750,000 in revenue in 2021 and managed to post a six-figure profit. The business is currently on target to hit or break $1 million in revenue for 2022 and currently developing plans for beyond that.
“We ultimately want to grow a business that is obviously a successful one, but not at the expense of others; whether it be the customer, the crews, or employees,” Caleb says. “I’ve experienced many situations at previous jobs where customers, crews, and employees were not treated correctly or put into a position to succeed. We also want to make our money, but we refuse to lose our identity as we grow, even if it means turning down some business to make sure we handle the business we’ve already committed to. Making promises and keeping them is rare in today’s corporate culture and we want to inspire others to see business as a way to ultimately help people instead of it being only a self-serving endeavor.”
Today, Kimberly has left her teaching career to help run the Rocket Fence office. She and Caleb have a two-year-old son, Walt, and another son on the way.
Rocket Fence serves the greater north Houston area, and handles mostly residential projects with some commercial work, as well.
To learn more, visit www.rocketfence.com.