311: Pinching Pennies, Chasing a Dream, Refusing to Quit: An Auctioneer’s Story with Justin Dodson

Justin Dodson is on the podcast today, another one of this year’s King of the Ring contestants. He sits down with Lauren for a meaningful conversation about building a career in the sale barn from the ground up. From practicing his chant alone in a hay barn to working the ring for free, Justin shares what those early years actually looked like truly pinching pennies, chasing opportunities, and continuing to push forward even when nothing seemed to be lining up.

He talks through the moments that changed everything, the people who helped shape his career, and what it took to go from just trying to get a chance to becoming one of the most respected auctioneers in the industry.

Today, Justin balances auctioneering, a growing cattle operation, and mentoring the next generation while still competing at a high level. This episode is a real look at the grind behind the scenes and what it takes to stay in it.

Links:

King of the Ring - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.korauction.com/?utm_sourc...Nominate or request to be a guest - forms.gle/fRkvzRenh7mqkDXV7 CattleUSA Insurance - ⁠⁠https://info.cattleusainsurance.com/l...⁠CattleUSA Website - ⁠⁠https://www.cattleusa.com/⁠⁠Facebook - ⁠⁠ / cattleusamedia⁠ ⁠Instagram - ⁠⁠ / ⁠ ⁠Subscribe to our newsletter - ⁠⁠https://www.cattleusa.shop/products/c...CattleUSA Media - ⁠⁠https://www.cattleusamedia.com/⁠⁠Lauren’s Instagram - ⁠⁠ / ⁠ ⁠Lauren’s Youtube - ⁠⁠ / @showboatmediaco ⁠The Next Generation Podcast Website - ⁠⁠https://www.thenextgenag.com/⁠⁠

Key Takeaways:

• Building a career in the sale barn takes time, persistence, and consistency
• Early years often involve working for little to no pay while learning the craft
• Mentorship and learning from others plays a major role in long-term success
• Understanding cattle value is critical to being an effective auctioneer
• Balancing auctioneering with a cattle operation creates stability
• The industry is built on relationships, reputation, and trust
• Helping the next generation is an important part of giving back

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction + Justin’s early interest in auctioneering
03:00 Learning the chant and early struggles
08:00 Practicing in the hay barn
12:00 Working the ring and getting early opportunities
18:00 Financial struggles and starting a family
24:00 The phone call that changed everything
30:00 Building momentum in the sale barn
36:00 Growing a cattle operation alongside auctioneering
42:00 Mentorship and helping young auctioneers
48:00 Advice for the next generation
54:00 King of the Ring and competition

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