Focusing Your Entrepreneurial Spirit with Evie Peterson
One challenge nearly every entrepreneur we meet faces is the “shiny object” syndrome. Starting new things is fun and when we get one project off the ground, most people start thinking about the next.
When we hear that someone wants to start a new venture, we are excited for them. But we temper that excitement with one quick question, “Do you have any experience in this market?”. If the answer is no, that’s a red flag.
Not that you should never venture out of your comfort zone, but keeping your entrepreneurial activities focused on some kind of related field or area of expertise just makes good business sense.
That’s why we were so glad to talk with our guest, Evie Peterson. She is a true entrepreneur, operating (at last count) Farmhouse Catering, Gatherings Event Space, Farm Grounds Coffee Shop, and Farm Pond Inn. The awesome thing about what Evie is doing is that there is some clear connective tissue between all these ventures. She has taken her gifts and experience in hospitality and food and created ventures that work together to provide Evie and her family an uncommon life.
Since high school, Evie had worked in the restaurant business, so after college, Farmhouse Catering was a natural next step in that evolution. Over the years, she has added an event space, and then a coffee shop and restaurant. Most recently, she and her husband have refurbished an adjoining property where they host bridal parties and others who will be using the event space as well as other travelers to Nevada, (pronounced Neh-VAY-dah) Iowa.
The synergies between these businesses provide Evie with multiple income streams and flexibility that represents an ever-expanding sense of time freedom.
What You Will Learn in this Episode:
- How to add activities that don’t take you off track, but create more cash flow
- Why it sometimes makes sense to start slow and build capacity over time
- How to create synergies between your various businesses
- Best practices for having your children or other family members work in your business
- Dealing with difficult customers
- How to both have a family life and a job that you love
- Making a plan for your uncommon life