“Operating a small business feels like a daily knife fight where you get out of bed, try not to get stabbed, get back in bed, and do it all over again”. - Brent BeshoreWhile editing this episode, this quote from Brent Beshore came back to me. For Dan Doyle, though, it might have a little more real-life than proverbial. Dan Doyle, author of the upcoming book "Of Roughnecks & Riches: A Start-Up in the Great American Fracking Boom," joins the Local Energy Podcast to share his incredible journey starting a hydraulic fracturing company in 2009—right as the global financial crisis hit. From knife-wielding truck builders in Oklahoma to drilling 31,000-foot wells in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, Dan's story is a masterclass in oil and gas entrepreneurship.Book Pre-Order: "Of Roughnecks & Riches: A Start-Up in the Great American Fracking Boom" by Dan Doyle (Available February 2026)Visit http://localenergy.com and sign up for our newsletter for a chance to win ONE of TWO copies of the book at launch.TIMESTAMPS0:33 Current Market Conditions & 2026 Outlook2:59 Writing "Roughnecks and Riches"3:25 Getting Into the Frac Business in 20084:20 The Oklahoma Builder Nightmare8:00 Gun Confrontation in the Trailer11:30 Building Reliance from Scratch15:45 Breaking Into the Bakken Market20:15 The Roughneck Culture & Industry Stories24:30 Why Dan Wrote This Book28:10 The Environmental Debate: Oil vs Renewables32:34 Brine Water Management & Industry Practices34:23 Closing ThoughtsWHAT WE COVERCurrent oil market conditions: Why $55/barrel is the "surrender point" for operatorsOPEC's unwinding of voluntary cuts and what it means for supply/demandThe insane story of starting a frac company with questionable builders in OklahomaWhy oil hit $147 in July 2008, then crashed during the financial crisisConfronting a builder who threatened him with a knife over frac truck delaysThe reality of entrepreneurship: 3AM panic attacks and making payrollManaging volatile revenue streams in capital-intensive businessesWhy the smartest people in the oilfield don't always have college degreesA driller with only a high school diploma drilling 31,000-foot wells in 13 daysThe unique strategy of being both an operator AND a service companyHow rig counts dropped from 2,000 to 417—and where they're headed nextWhere everyone was when WTI went negative on April 20, 2020Career paths to $300K+ as a company man without an engineering degreeWyoming's business-friendly regulatory environment vs other statesThe renewable energy debate: "Big Oil vs Big Shovel"Water management innovation: 100% brine water reuse in fracking operationsKEY INSIGHTS Dan shares hard-won lessons about scaling a capital-intensive business, managing remote crews working 20-30 days straight, and navigating the boom-bust cycles that define the oil and gas industry. He discusses the reality of working in extreme conditions—40-50 mph winds in freezing temperatures while maintaining operations—and why he believes the green energy movement doesn't understand the sacrifice required to keep the lights on.ABOUT THE GUESTDan Doyle operates in multiple basins, including Appalachia, Illinois Basin, and Wyoming's Powder River Basin. His company provides third-party fracturing services while also operating its own drilling program—a unique vertical integration model in the oil and gas service sector.SHOW NOTESBook Pre-Order: "Of Roughnecks & Riches: A Start-Up in the Great American Fracking Boom" by Dan Doyle (Available February 2026)Follow Dan Doyle on XRelated Topics: oil and gas jobs, petroleum engineering careers, hydraulic fracturing explained, drilling operations, Powder River Basin, energy market analysis, oil price forecast 2025, starting an oil company, frac company operations, energy industry careers, fracking boom
