Where’s The Tipping Point: Going All In on Your Business [episode 7]
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There's a pervasive myth in entrepreneurship that you're not truly committed to your business until you've quit your day job and gone "all in." This false narrative creates unnecessary pressure and often leads to premature decisions that can put your business, family, and financial security at risk. The reality is much more nuanced, and success doesn't look the same for everyone.
As Kendall and I discussed in this episode of The Workhorse Podcast, the decision to leave full-time employment is incredibly personal and depends on multiple factors beyond just business revenue. Our experiences offer two different perspectives on this crucial decision point.
"We've had this conversation so, so many times to where you're at this tipping point and you are in your head so stressed and so overwhelmed and so tapped for time that it feels better to go all in on your business," I shared. "But you're kind of waiting for the sign, the magic blessing, whatever it is that you should quit your full-time job and go full-time on your business."
Kendall's perspective as someone running her business full-time offers a valuable counterpoint: "There's this really strange false narrative maybe that like the success comes when you can do your business full-time and I, as somebody who does my business full-time, hard stop do not agree."
My journey with Moose Valley Ranch illustrates why staying employed can actually be strategic. Despite growing the business 300% year-over-year for three years, I've chosen to maintain my full time job. This decision has allowed us to continue building our dream home (which banks wouldn't finance based on business income alone), maintain our lifestyle choices for our family, and make major capital improvements on the ranch.
When unexpected expenses arise - like the time I had to add 50 tons of gravel to a road right before a wedding - having access to overtime shifts was a lifesaver. "I've never signed up for so many overtime shifts so quickly in my life," I admitted. That financial stability has been crucial in building the business without taking on excessive debt.
Kendall, on the other hand, experienced firsthand the stress that comes with being all-in: "The level of stress that comes with that, that if there is something that we want to do, like build some new infrastructure... there is no grab some extra shifts or move around the money that's coming in. There's no guaranteed paycheck."
This isn't to say one approach is better than the other. Both paths have advantages and challenges. The key is recognizing that your business success isn't determined by whether you've quit your day job, but by whether you're building something sustainable that aligns with your long-term vision.
For me, that vision is legacy-focused: "I want to build something so big that my kids and their spouses have the ability to come back to the farm and have a living wage from it if they want to." With that goal in mind, I'm willing to play the long game, balancing employment and entrepreneurship to create something truly sustainable.
If you're wrestling with this decision, consider these factors beyond just the numbers in your business account:
What lifestyle do you want to maintain for yourself and your family?
What major financial commitments (like home-building) are on your horizon?
Do you have multiple income streams within your business?
How do you personally handle financial stress and uncertainty?
What's your long-term vision for the business?
Remember that entrepreneurship isn't a race, and keeping your day job doesn't make you any less committed to your business. As Kendall emphasized, "I want people, as somebody who is doing this and is quote unquote all in and doesn't have necessarily an off-farm job... that is not the measure of success. It just isn't."
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In this episode, "Where's the Tipping Point: Going all in on your business," you'll get both perspectives:
Jessica's Point: "I'm a lot more patient because I know long term that's where I want to go. And right now that doesn't include me not working. We've chosen to sacrifice probably some of my sanity and my sleep and my stress levels to continue to provide for the kids in the way that we wanted to."
Kendall's Point: "There's this really strange false narrative maybe that like the success comes when you can do your business full-time and I, as somebody who does my business full-time, hard stop do not agree. That is not the measure of success."
Resources & Links:
Connect with Kendall:
Follow on Instagram @marketingforfarmers and @centralparkfarms
Check out her website
Connect with Jessica:
Follow on Instagram @moosevalleyranch
Check out her website
Related Episodes:
Episode 5: Integrity in Action: The True Cost of Overcommitting
Episode 6: Own Your Online Presence
More about The Workhorse Podcast:
Welcome to The Workhorse Podcast, where we dig deep into the grit, passion, and strategy behind building a successful rural business. Hosted by Kendall Ballantine of Central Park Farms and Jessica Garza of Moose Valley Ranch, this podcast is for hardworking female farmers and rural entrepreneurs who are ready to turn their dreams into thriving businesses.
From marketing your business online and direct-to-consumer strategies to balancing farm family life and business growth, we’re here to give you practical tools, candid insights, and a healthy dose of community support. This is for the doers, the women who scale their business during the long trips to town, the workhorses.
If you’re looking to dive even deeper into our community, check out The Workhorse Collective, a growing group of rural women entrepreneurs.
Make sure to hit follow/subscribe so you never miss an episode!