This marks the next chapter in my life: a life that has been built on traveling, learning and adapting (Why You Should Go On An Exchange). This is a very exciting time for me. I have decided to start AgFRONT, a business that will be dedicated to bringing the latest technologies, information and training to the various sectors of the Agriculture Industry.
I have officially moved to the Kansas City area. There were countless hours commuting between Lincoln and Kansas City for over 8 months and many podcasts later. With that move, came the decision of whether or not to continue to chase someone else’s dream or to chase my own dream. I am happy to say that I have decided to chase my own dream and to start my own business. A bold decision, I know! I can also jokingly say that the reason why I had to start my own business was because I had no more podcasts to listen to. I have met so many amazing people over the last 4 and half years and some lifelong friendships were made. I am happy that I still get to see them in various events, tradeshows and conferences.
There have been many great people over the last decades whose work, legacy, and approach to business and life have inspired me to take the big leap. As some of them have said “Corporate jobs will always be there, but the opportunity to build a business will not”. A reminder that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing at exactly the right time.
I am excited for this next chapter for so many reasons. Connecting people and technologies while sharing a vision and purpose to continue to propel the Agriculture Industry forward is pretty exciting.
Here are the 7 reasons why I am excited for this new venture:
I get to:
- Adapt to my new role and new ways of doing business, while travelling and collaborating across borders (FRONTeiras in Portuguese and FRONTeras in Spanish).
- Give my energy to projects and goals that inspire me while connecting people, technologies and communities to continue to propel the Agriculture Industry forward.
- Feel good about the positive impact and progress that technologies can have in our Industry.
- Recognize that there will be setbacks and that those are needed for learning and growing.
- Observe and learn from people with a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds.
- Nurture and encourage the development of my colleagues and customers.
- Talk and listen to customers about their needs and problems, and in turn come up with solutions for them.
Much like a good reputation, an impactful and lasting business is not built overnight. In order to stay at the foreFRONT of any industry, you must recognize that people build successful businesses. If you have a shared and unified vision that inspires people and give them the tools (products and/or services) to fill the gap to solve problems, then you can achieve great things.
The business - like so many other businesses that have started before mine - will be built on collaboration between people, sharing expertise and experience to solve real-world problems in our industry. I would also like to make several pledges. These will keep me focused throughout my journey. They will also remind me to hold myself (and others) accountable as the winding roads ahead are filled with promising results:
1) I pledge that I will continue to do this as long as I am always learning something new.
2) I pledge that I will continue to do this as long as I am contributing and helping to find solutions for my customers’ problems.
3) I pledge that – when given a choice – I will choose to work with people that want and are willing to learn, to change and to give back.
4) I pledge to be a leader that will encourage the development of my colleagues and customers.
5) I pledge to hold myself accountable for my responsibilities and to hold others accountable for their responsibilities.