Rachel started Monday morning with her annual physical and the flu. Like all trips to the doctor’s office, this one involved some time in the waiting room, checking out reading material that we don’t ordinarily see. In this case it was Real Simple magazine and an article with nine steps on how to start a thriving business.
The steps themselves were great. But have you ever noticed how your “To Do” list doesn’t really cover each thing that has to happen in order to check that thing off? “Fix the leaky faucet” doesn’t include “make 3 trips to the hardware store, rebuild the plumbing back to the wall, and order pizza in because the water is off and you’re too tired to cook.”
So here’s some of what was on the Real Simple list, and how your On Pasture Community is filling in all the parts that make that one step happen.
• Make sure that you really love the idea. Most overnight success stories have been in the works for 10 years, so you’ll need enthusiasm to keep on keeping on.
• Build an “Emotional Advisory Board” of folks that will share resources and ideas to help you keep going.
• Zoom toward failure.
• Start where it’s easy.
Yes, failures will happen, and we shouldn’t let that make us afraid of trying something new. But when you’re margins are slim, failure is hard to recover from. That’s why we give you ideas for how to try something new one step at a time so you can see if something is right for you before you commit everything to it. We really don’t want you to fail!
• Find hidden money.
If this were easy, it wouldn’t be called “hidden money.” That’s why we share information on where to find money, sometimes at places like the Natural Resources Conservation Service and other granting agencies, sometimes by making changes to your enterprise that keeps that money in your wallet. Click to find your nearest NRCS office.
• Invest in expertise.
• Ask and learn.
We doubt there’s anyone out there who is great at every single thing you need to do to run a successful business. But finding the expert who can help isn’t easy either. That’s where we come in. We find the experts and share what they’ve learned so you can use it.
• Let your vision be your map.
Our vision is a Community that learns and grows together, using the best available science and experience from those who’ve gone before to create healthy, profitable farming and ranching enterprises. Thank you for being part of making our vision happen!
Kathy and Rachel
Oh sure! And we have found a few bucks for good works in NRCS, but somehow I don’t think we’re listed as Entrepreneurs by FORTUNE, but hopefully maybe you guys will be.
🙂 Well, I don’t think the point of government grants is to make folks rich. Wouldn’t that be an interesting change! 🙂 But hopefully the support helps producers put things in place so that, hopefully, with good management, we can be successful and make a decent living. That’s what we’re going for.