The Theory We [Hope] To Put Into Practice
Lexi and I were not raised on farms, didn't have livestock, and I don't even think either of us had a garden until recently. As stated in the dilemma, there has been no clear entry into homesteading or farming, but we have come to believe the following principles are key to getting there (in our case).
- Be Debt Free
- Think In Decades and Generations
- Operational Principles
- Income. Expansion. Satisfaction. (In that order)
- Scale Horizontally (before...)
Debt Free is the Way To Be (because it rhymes!)
Think In Decades and Generations
I want to start everything yesterday. I want the land, I want the animals, and I want the vision of The Dream Lab right now. Realistically, my wife and I could finance land, pay a second mortgage, get some animals, and burn ourselves out, but still probably make it. That's not the story I want to tell my grand kids one day, which is a core driver of everything I do.
Even before I was a parent, I remembered telling people "I am motivated by the stories I will one day tell my grand kids". That started while I was in Egypt. To make a long story short: my grandpa told me a story of being in a caravan in Egypt where they were escorted by armed officers in jeeps, and a few months after his death I was in Egypt experiencing the same thing. From then on, it was important to me that I tell stories like that to my grandkids. Now that I am a parent, it means all the more to me to build something that will be inherited. I want my family to inherit a lifestyle, a way of pursuing knowledge, and access to opportunity as much as I want them to inherit wealth.
Operational Principles - Start Small, Fail Fast, Everything is a POC
Operate From Principles (stick to the plan, man)
Funny to start "operational principles" with "operate from principles" since it is implied, but we stand by it. In my 3 careers (software engineering, ESL teacher, and real estate agent (ironically in reverse order)), I saw that shortcuts were often taken at the detriment of success. We steadfastly hold, much like the Hellenistic Schools before us, that principled operations are the most sustainable.
Don't Get In Over Your Head Before You Know How To Swim (Start Small)
I have learned the hardway when starting my recent garden projects: start small. See the bedarrier, the dead tree compost box (Article being posted soon!), the 3 garden beds I started my first season (a month too early), and the multitude of projects that I start(ed) that take way longer (and often more money) than I ever imagined possible. I have learned with plants, animals, and projects: start small because *I* way underestimate things (maybe you and Lexi don't, but I sure do).
Figure Out The Viability Of An Idea Early (Fail Fast)
The cool thing about starting small, (and sometimes too big on a small scale), is that you can fail quickly. It is very important to find out what works, what doesn't work, what won't work right now, and what may work down the road quickly. Growing food (and animals) is a *potentially* very expensive hobby, lifestyle, business endeavor, or practice. You don't want to find out those cute little white butterflies floating around come from demon worms that like brocolli (Article being posted soon!) when you plant hundreds of brocolli. It's better to find out on 4 or 5 in a bucket in the front yard that you lament forever. Same with learning things like: "oh hey, plant your corn in squares (Article being posted soon!) because they don't pollinate well in rows", or "cucumber plants have leaves bigger than your head (Article being posted soon!)" when you have a really small space.