PLAN A FARM
MISSION CRITICAL
INDOC
If you’re just getting started, we recommend to getting all of your ideas, goals, aspirations out of your head and down on paper. Define your WHY. List your goals. Identify your strengths and weaknesses. This process will set you up to make these first, critical decisions right. If you do not have a written plan, we have the resources, tools and knowledge to advise you to achieve your goal of owning a successful farm business.
We begin with the foundational elements of starting, transitioning, restoring or scaling a farming business: Location, Market, Lease or Purchase, Centerpiece and Multi-piece Enterprise. Through this process we answer the most commonly asked questions of farming entrepreneurship, address the common pitfalls and myths of regenerative farming. We do this by using a live case study, our very own farm. We also offer enterprise concepts, tailored applications for your specific location and property assessments.
FARMBUILDER METHODOLOGY
We walk our clients through this simple yet effective process for the first steps of PLAN.
Why – When starting out on any new endeavor you are inspired and motivation is running high. The known challenges seem smaller and easier than they may be, unforeseen obstacles will surface. Nothing goes exactly as planned. Knowing your WHY is critical and plays to important roles. First, it provides perspective pushing your through the tough times, the long hours, the stressful nights and justifies the sacrifices, making it all worth it. Second, it attracts customers and turns customers into fans – because ultimately, as Simon Sinek demonstrates, “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”. Your WHY becomes a crusade.
Goals – Simply put, these are your targets. What do you want to achieve? Be as specific as possible. Can your goals be broken down into smaller goals? Yearly, Quarterly, Monthly, Weekly, Daily. Is there a natural or specific order to them? Prioritize your tasks and effort, concentrate your focus on the effort required and execute one at a time. This is where you begin to build your plan.
Resources – When beginning it is important to get a a proper lay of the land, an inventory of what resources you have, are they accessible, how much and what is needed to function effectively. Cash, property (land and buildings), labor, equipment, tools, materials, livestock, other assets and suppliers. What do you have? How much? What do you need? How much and by when? What does it cost?By taking an account of your resources it will provide the necessary details to your plan.
Context – In order to reduce and/or avoid unintended consequences we recommend reviewing your goals and objectives with a “holistic context.” Aligning your people (the people directly involved in management and making decisions), farm (the resources available to them, the physical assets, as well as people who can assist, influence, or will be influenced by their management) and financial (the money on hand or that can be generated) contexts as a whole and the patterns of regenerative farming and nature, not in parts or interconnections. This gives a certain continuity to your plan.
We have the experience and expertise in guiding folks through the planning phase. If you feel like you need a coach through this process please contact us.