How Growing Up on a Pig Farm and Being Part of 4-H Shaped My Entrepreneurial Journey

Hey there! Welcome back to Founder Mode!

FIRST: Check out JJ on this pod this week!

Today, I want to share a story that's a bit different from my usual startup tales. But I promise, it's all connected. Growing up on a pig farm in a small town shaped my view on business. Being in the 4-H club (President for many years :) )also influenced my approach.

4-H is a club for kids. We raise animals, learn about farming, and showcase our work at county and state fairs. I learned hard work, responsibility, and long-term thinking. These lessons stuck with me. They impacted my approach to startups and how I lead.

I also spent a lot of time with 4-H while working on our family the farm. Lessons on the nuances of how to raise pigs, manage my time, and set goals. It also taught me the value of systems and patience. These traits matter in business as much as they do in farming.

Lesson 1: Build Systems to Scale

On the farm, there clear systems - some examples included:

Feeding times
Health checks
Breeding
Market timing (when to sell hogs, wen to buy corn, etc)

These systems allow us to grow our operations without the usual mess. In business, I've learned that systems were just as essential. I set up systems for marketing, customer service, and product early. This helped our businesses grow and keeps me feeling calm even with the typical startup stress and uncertainty.

Lesson 2: Be Resourceful with Limited Resources

When resources were tight on the farm, we had to get creative. You can fix equipment with baling wire and reuse materials. I learned fast that you don’t need a big budget to get things done. This mindset has changed the game for me as an entrepreneur. Being resourceful is essential for success. This is true when inventing a new product or using limited resources.

Lesson 3: Make Tough Cuts When Necessary

One of the hardest things on the farm was culling. Sometimes, a pig couldn’t be saved, and we had to make the difficult decision to sell or cull it. The same goes for startups. Sometimes you need to cut a product, a team member, or a vendor that’s no longer working. It’s a tough decision, but hesitation can lead to more problems down the line.

Lesson 4: Play the Long Game

In farming, you plant seeds in spring, but you don’t harvest until fall (even longer for tree crops). Startups are the same. There’s no such thing as an “overnight success.” You must put in steady work, improve your product, and foster relationships as time goes on. Great results happen when you’re patient and allow your efforts to build over time.

Lesson 5: Lean on Others and Build a Strong Network

Farming was never a solo job. We worked together as a family and with the local community. Similarly, in startups, you need to rely on others. Advisors, investors, even AI tools can fill in the gaps where a single founder can’t do it all. Building a strong network is essential to success.

Key Points to Pocket:

Systems Scale. Build systems early on, whether for the farm or your startup, to avoid chaos.
Resourcefulness Wins. Don’t wait for the perfect resources—be creative and make do with what you have.
Make Tough Calls. If something’s not working, don’t hesitate to cut it out.
Play the Long Game. Creating something valuable takes time, so don’t rush it.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work. Lean on others and build a strong network to help you succeed.

Final Thoughts:

My farm and 4-H experiences taught me lessons I still use in my startup today. The key takeaway? To raise pigs or start a business, you need systems. You also need patience and resourcefulness. These keep everything running smoothly. The lessons we learn along the way—no matter where we come from—can guide us toward success.

What experiences shaped your entrepreneurial journey? Hit reply and share them with me—I read every story!

See you on Friday,

-kevin

Recent Social Posts

Kevin Henrikson

@KevinHenrikson

We just interviewed @meganberry on Founder Mode who mastered the opposite approach.
She built a company testing retail concepts at 1/10th the cost before permanent investment.
This validation-first mindset works in every industry, not just retail.
CHAPTERS
00:00 – Permit Hack

8:58 AM • May 23, 2025

Retweets

Likes

Read 2 replies

Kevin Henrikson

@kevindegods

If you sit at a desk for 6 hours a day coding...you're DONE.
While you write code line by line, AI builds entire systems in seconds.
Companies are slashing $130K coding jobs everywhere.
Here's how smart developers are securing high-paying positions: