Writing As A Form Of Off-Farm Income | Bonus Episode | Audrey Levatino | Woman Powered Farm

Off-Farm Income

SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS: Audrey Levatino is the author of Woman-Powered Farm: Manual for a Self-Sufficient Lifestyle from Homestead to Field. This is a book that I was intrigued by when I first heard of it, and I knew that I would want to have Audrey on the show. I initially got the book so that I could read it prior to interviewing Audrey. However, it turned out to be much more than work. I could not put the book down. If you have an interest or passion for farming, this book is for you - man or woman. Audrey's stories, writing style and coverage of a wide breadth of issues that come with running your own farm will inspire you to either get moving or keep moving. Audrey covers a multitude of issues. Everything from what tools to buy to how to protect your small livestock are covered. She even breaks down income potential by the size of the ground you own or have access to, and the most profitable business possible on that size of ground. Audrey was a great pleasure to speak with, and I continued to be inspired in our actual conversation, just as I was reading her writing. ADVICE FROM AUDREY LEVATINO: BE AN INTERN: Audrey suggests working on a lot of farms. She describes people she knows that have interned on other people's farms and been paid to do it as "going to graduate school." You can learn invaluable information during internships, including not just how to do things, but things that you do not want to do! This is very important information that will either allow to you avoid an enterprise that requires this work of you, or know that you need to prepare to hire people to do this drudgery for you. HIRE INTERNS: This is a consistent theme throughout Audrey's book. Audrey is very good about recognizing that there must be a balance between the work that must be done and burn out. We all know that farms require a lot of work. What we do not want to do is burn out and lose the dream! BEST BUSINESS ADVICE THAT AUDREY LEVATINO HAS RECEIVED: SLOW: Audrey is a big proponent of taking it slow, growing slow and staying out of debt. This will do so much to make and keep you successful. As we mentioned before, there is a lot of work to be done on a farm. This can lead to stress. Unlike a 40 hour per week job, when you take time for yourself and you own a farm, you always know that you are choosing yourself over your farm. When you have a "regular" job and the weekend rolls around, you are done and concentrate just on yourself, guilt free. Debt only adds to this potential stress. If you are growing too fast, and you incur debt as a result, you could find yourself with less freedom than you intended because you have to service the debt. PERSONAL HABIT THAT ADS TO AUDREY LEVATINO'S SUCCESS: NAMES: Audrey has worked hard to learn and remember, not just people's names, but also to get to know information about them. When it comes to developing her customer base the more of a relationship she can develop with her customers, the stronger the bond. This is how she develops return customers and word of mouth marketing. BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Obviously the book recommendation for this week is Woman-Powered Farm: Manual for a Self-Sufficient Lifestyle from Homestead to Field. As I stated above, this is a great book, equally applicable for women and men. I highly suggest this book! AUDREY LEVATINO'S CONTACT INFORMATION AND SUGGESTED LINKS: Audrey's Telephone Number: [phone] Audrey's Email Address: [e-mail] Audrey's Website: tedslaststand.com Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard: Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters