They’re about clearing brush. Working shoulder to shoulder with my mom, dad, and big brother. Connecting with the beauty of nature. And seeing the difference it makes to steward the land.

I noticed something early on: The times when everyone pitched in made the best memories.

There’s something powerful about shared stewardship. When a family pulls together to care for land they love, the work is bonding. Shared service doesn’t drain you. It connects you.

And when the ranch is cared for well? It’s ready to bring people together.

The joy and the burden of gathering at the ranch

Today, I still host many gatherings at my family’s ranch. And I know something guests don’t always see — even when those guests are members of my own family:

For everyone to relax and enjoy, someone has to think ahead and prepare. To make the annual hunt work for everyone, I need to:

• Service and fill the deer feeders
• Decide which deer will be culled
• Make sure fuel cans are full
• Bring a stack of firewood to the fire pit
• Coordinate which people sleep where
• Remember who’s bringing what

There’s always something that needs bringing, fixing, checking, clearing, building, maintaining, remembering. And most of it has to happen from town.

The ranch is a place of joy — and it takes a lot of work.

But I noticed the real friction wasn’t the work itself …

It was the communication. The confusion. The scattered, all over the place:

Group texts
Email chains
Phone calls
Spreadsheets
Post-it note lists

The details on what was happening at the ranch, what needed to happen, and who was best positioned to help lived everywhere — and nowhere.

And one truth kept proving itself: Knowing before you go is the key to success.

Nothing derails a weekend faster than realizing the fuel cans are empty, there’s no fire wood, and everyone brought mustard while no one brought ketchup.

I believed that with modern technology, there had to be a better way.

I went into solution mode

I built an early Backporch prototype to allow my family — and friends who are like family — to collaborate.

It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t polished. But it worked. Suddenly:

• Everyone could see what was happening
• Details weren’t locked in one person’s head
• Tasks and status details were visible
• The load felt lighter

It proved something important: When everyone knows what to do, stewardship is shared, and bonding increases.

But that early version wasn’t ready for other families. So I kept building.

Three+ rounds later, welcome to the new Backporch

After multiple development cycles and listening carefully to feedback from big, active outdoor families, the new Backporch is ready to help you and your family get as organized as you want to be at a treasured family property.

Backporch is a family operating system that makes caring for treasured places easy to do, together. It’s one organized place to:

• See who’s visiting and when
• Share what needs bringing or doing
• Capture all the how-to’s and property quirks
• Share who to call for any situation
• Document projects and improvements over time

It turns “someone’s gonna have to…” into “we did it, together.”

Because sharing the load allows everyone to contribute

Backporch wasn’t built to eliminate work. It was built to distribute it. Not so a place like my family ranch becomes effortless — but so it never leans too hard on any one person.

When everyone can see what success looks like and how to help, family and friends are happy to help out as it contributes to their sense of ownership of the place and belonging in the circle. More problems get solved and people grow in the process.

And when the land is cared for well? It’s ready: 

For hunting season.
For weekends connecting with nature.
For kids, grandkids, and family traditions to keep unfolding

Backporch makes managing shared family properties easier so the next generation can feel what I felt clearing brush as a kid — that work can be joyful when it’s shared.

Get Backporch, and take it one step at a time

You don’t have to organize everything overnight. Backporch lets you go at your own pace, and prioritize what matters most to your family.

You might start with the calendar so everyone knows who’s going, what’s happening, and when they can join in the fun.

You might start by thinking, “what does everyone text dad about the minute they get out there?” And create a guide to share the gate code, the security system shut off, and the wifi password.

Why use Backporch for your shared family property? Because many hands make light work.

And treasured places worth passing down deserve a system that makes caring for them easier — together.

I hope you enjoy using Backporch with your family as much as I do with mine.