Regardless of whether you are a beginning
entrepreneur who has recently inherited a business, an
experienced farmer who is considering on-farm processing,
or a retiring business owner who is looking to pass on the
farm, business planning is important. It is an ongoing
process that begins with the identification of values and
ends with a strategic plan to address critical management
functions.
Like many rural entrepreneurs, you may have a strong
sense of the values that drew you to the land or inspired you
to begin a business. You may also have a clear set of
personal and business goals that you would like to pursue
“when the time is right.” But, if you’re like most farmers
and rural business owners, you run into problems when
trying to incorporate values and goals into day-to-day
business decisions. How can you build a balanced and
sustainable business—one that reflects your values and is
successful—in the long run?
Unlike most other business planning tools, Building a
Sustainable Business: A Planning Guide for Farmers and Rural
Business Owners takes a whole-farm approach. You will
consider traditional business planning and marketing
principles as well as your personal, economic,
environmental and community values—those less tangible
things that are a part of your thoughts every day, but which
often don’t become a planned part of your business. You will
be asked to integrate values with business management
practices throughout this Guide.
