Building a Business for the Long Haul

Every once in a while, you hear someone put into words something you've been feeling for years.

That was this podcast for me.

As I listened to Alex talk about building a business, I found myself nodding along because he described exactly how I've always viewed 41 Grains, even before I could clearly explain it.

It made me think back to 2013.

My husband and I started a manure spreading business. We built it from the ground up, and I loved the process of it all. After a few years, my husband wanted to sell it. While it was the right decision for our family at the time, I remember realizing something important about myself.

I didn't enjoy building a business just to sell it.

I wanted to build something that could keep growing and me with it.

Recently, I heard someone describe the difference between an entrepreneur and a small business owner. Their definition was that entrepreneurs often build businesses to eventually sell and then move on to the next opportunity. A small business owner builds one business with the intention of continually growing it over the long term.

Whether or not everyone agrees with those definitions isn't really the point. What struck me was realizing which one described me.

I've started different projects over the years, but none of them were because I wanted to keep chasing the next thing. I was searching for the thing I wanted to dedicate myself to.

That thing became 41 Grains.

From the beginning, 41 Grains has never been an "if this works" business. It has never been something I hoped would become valuable enough to sell.

It's something I hope to keep building for decades.

Yes, I want it to grow. I want to create new products, reach more families, work with more farmers, and continue educating people about nutrition and real food. But growth has never been the goal by itself.

The goal has always been to build something with a strong enough foundation that it can continue growing for years to come.

Everything we do comes back to four core values.

1. Family and Community Come First

We believe businesses should strengthen the communities they're part of.

That means supporting local agriculture, creating opportunities close to home, serving our customers well, and remembering that people are always more important than money.

2. Integrity Before Profit

This one guides almost every decision we make.

If something isn't right for our customers, we won't do it simply because it's profitable.

Quality matters.

Honesty matters.

Keeping our word matters.

In a world where it's easy to cut corners, we want people to know they can trust what comes out of our facility.

3. Health and Nutrition Matter

Food should nourish people.

We're constantly learning, researching, asking questions, and improving because we believe food has the power to make a real difference in people's lives.

Our goal isn't simply to make gluten-free products.

Our goal is to create foods with ingredients we're proud to feed our own family.

4. Keep It Simple

The food industry has become incredibly complicated.

Ingredient labels are getting longer.

Processing is becoming more complex.

Consumers are becoming more confused.

Our goal is the opposite.

Simple ingredients.

Simple food.

Simple solutions.

Simple trust between farmers, food producers, and the families eating the food.

When people pick up a 41 Grains product, I want them to recognize the ingredients and understand why each one is there.

That shouldn't be unusual.

It should be normal.

Playing the Long Game

Listening to this podcast reminded me that the decisions we make today shape what our business becomes tomorrow.

Building slowly isn't a weakness.

Growing carefully isn't being overly cautious.

Taking the time to build the right foundation allows you to create something that lasts.

That's the kind of business I want to build.

I don't know exactly where 41 Grains will be in ten or twenty years, but I know the kind of company I want it to become.

One that our family is proud of.

One our community trusts.

One that supports farmers.

One that creates food with integrity.

One that leaves the food system a little better than we found it.

If you have the chance, I'd encourage you to listen to the podcast. It was one of those conversations that didn't just inspire me—it helped me understand why I've been building 41 Grains the way I have all along. 

This is just 1 key point that inspired me in the podcast I will be writing another post on the other major takeaway I got from it also soon which focuses on Family  

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3nbxuZ7DpiO62RSvsL40jL?si=PeGuvwalSWG_02CUHAY-Ew