📢 DirtBound Inc. – A Personal Update from Max
After 15 years of building DirtBound Inc. from the ground up, I need to share the difficult truth: the company has officially closed.
This is not the ending I had hoped for. I gave everything to keep it going — working without a paycheck for over a year, cutting every possible expense, and personally investing thousands each month. But in the end, it wasn’t enough.
The breaking point came from the SBA EIDL Covid19 loan we received in 2020 to help retain our employees and meet pandemic demand. What wasn’t fully clear at the time was that the loan came with a UCC-1 lien, giving the SBA priority over all company assets. By late 2024, we realized that this lien made it impossible to continue operating — any sale of equipment required immediate payment to the SBA, making reinvestment impossible.
As a result, we had to shut down the shop. Since then, I’ve been working a full-time job during the day and moving out of the building at night — often until midnight — mostly by myself. It’s been a difficult and exhausting process.
I also want to apologize for the lack of communication during this time. I held off making a public statement because I truly believed I could resolve the situation and quietly keep things moving forward. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible — and now I want to be fully transparent.
🔧 What Happens Now?
I still have most of the parts ready to weld for open orders. As I finish relocating and re-establishing a work area, I’m preparing to resume production after hours at my new full-time job, where I now have access to fabrication equipment. My goal is to complete as many open orders as possible within the limits of what’s feasible.
I understand many customers have experienced long delays. I know how frustrating that is. But under the current circumstances, completing orders — even slowly — is the best path I can offer.
💸 About Refunds
While I had planned to issue refunds after closing the shop, my attorney has advised that I cannot legally do so under the terms of the SBA loan. No funds may be disbursed to customers, vendors, or suppliers until that loan is fully repaid — and unfortunately, that has not been achieved.
Please understand: DirtBound Inc. was a corporation. Its liabilities remain with that business entity — they are not personal.
⚙️ What’s Next
The good news is that the DirtBound brand, designs, and intellectual property were held in a separate company. So while the manufacturing company has shut down, the brand may return in some form in the future.
To everyone who supported DirtBound over the years — thank you. I’ll continue working in good faith to fulfill open orders, and I hope to return with something sustainable when the time is right.
Thank you for your support, patience, and understanding.
– Max Wilson
Founder, DirtBound Inc.