When I was close to finishing high school I wanted to start a small farming business. So my father gave me an assignment to write a business plan. I didn’t really know how to go about it. But I researched it and wrote descriptions, goals, production schedules, infrastructure needs, budgets, and marketing strategies. The next year I began executing my plan during my first season of commercial production. And not surprisingly everything didn’t go as planned! For example, my plan was to have vegetable production be my core enterprise, with pastured broiler production second and egg production third. But the garden flooded and was my least profitable enterprise. Then I ended up buying out another farmer’s layer operation which made eggs our core product. So my strategy didn’t go as planned, but I ended up reaching my income goal for the first year of my farm anyway!
I am grateful for my father encouraging me to take time to plan. It is something I ‘plan’ to teach my three sons how to do. As some of you may consider helping your sons or family learn how to plan here are a few lessons that you could consider sharing with them . . . (Read the rest of this blog post here.)
-This blog post was written for the ManAbout ministry. You can learn more about the amazing work they do in equipping Dad’s to lead their sons into manhood at https://manabouts.com/
Noah, so good to see you posting here again. Your thought are such an encouragement to me. Please tell your parents and your lovely wife that both Erica and I say hello from here in southwest Louisiana.
I too thank God for my earthly father, a truly humble man who taught me the importance of following The Lord, loving and investing in family, and working hard (doing things “heartily, as to The Lord, and not unto men). May God continue to bless your plans as you yield them to him.
Stewart
Stewart,
Good to hear from you! Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, the blessing of a Godly father cannot be fully appreciated.