Jenny (00:29)
Welcome back. today's episode, I'm having a conversation with Becky Sadlowski of Rooted Flowers from Agua Mas. And we're talking all about parenting, moming, and farming. And Becky also tells us about her journey from just having a little roadside stand to a full-blown, very successful flower farm business. Now, Becky is one of the most talented
entrepreneurs I know, and I can't wait to have her back on the show sometime to talk all about business stuff. But in today's episode, we're really focused on talking about farming and family. So Becky has her three kiddos with her on the farm day in and day out. So if that's something that you're interested in doing, or if you're interested in incorporating your family and your children in with your farm, your business and your lifestyle, this episode is gonna give you a ton of inspiration to do that.
I know for me personally, I'm a relatively new mom, my son just turned two, but it has been such a transition and been so rewarding to have him on the farm with me at times. And this conversation just gave me so much inspiration to try to do that more because it can be so rewarding. If that's not for you, no worries, no judgment here,
but this is an incredibly inspiring conversation with a one of a kind woman and mom. So without further ado, let's dive on it.
Jenny (01:57)
Hey, welcome to the show, Becky. I'm really excited to talk to you today. And first off, I just want to tell you that I feel like you're a kindred spirit to me a little bit because the first time I met you or heard about you, which was eons ago, I don't even remember. I think it was at like a Cornell Cooperative Extension Flower Conference or something like that, but...
Becky (01:59)
Thank you.
Jenny (02:19)
I instantly connected to your story because your farm is right in my neck of the woods where I grew up. And we seem to have similar backgrounds with growing up around lots of tobacco farms in the Connecticut River Valley. And I just think that's so cool. It's very rare to meet somebody that has that kind of similar farming and agricultural background. So I definitely identify with you a lot. So I'm really excited that you're on the show.
Becky (02:44)
Thank you.
Jenny (02:45)
I commend you so much for doing so much with your kids, involving them in your work life. And that's exactly what we're going to be talking about today, is parenting and moming and farming, ⁓ which I'm relatively new at. So I don't.
really feel qualified to talk about it, which is why I'm glad that you're coming on the show, because you have a really unique perspective. So ⁓ can you just start off telling everyone just a little bit about you, what you do, your farm, and your family?
Becky (03:14)
Yes, so hi, I'm Rebecca Sidlowski, but Becky's good. That's what most folks call me. And I run Rooted Flowers in Aguam, Massachusetts, so the western side of the state, closer to New York. I'm a mom to three, Mary six, Julia's four, and AJ is two. And my flower and farm entrepreneurial, all of it, started like 10 years ago. and...
Prior to that, I was working full time as a dental hygienist and also working full time, or at least, you know, just bootstrapping, getting it going, my...
farming situation. So I grew up working on farms. I started when I was 10. Started in vegetables and did everything from dairy to tobacco. So always had my hands in the dirt, always loved it. Grew up around family units that had children and parents working together. I always admired it. My family...
My parents divorced when I was seven. So I lived that like back and forth life, dad on the weekends, had to transfer schools, like just things weren't stable. Mom moved from apartment to the projects, to a house, to we were also living with my aunt at one point. So the summers that I spent with my dad working on the farms filled my cup. I really loved that. And I was outdoors. I didn't realize how much I loved that.
So I guess I'm growing up on farms, I'm working every summer, and then I ended up moving back to Hadley to live with my dad and went to high school there, graduated, really small town. I graduated with 38 kids in a public school.
So it's the second smallest high school in the state. And everybody there had family units. Everybody's married. Like I was the only divorced kid, which if you talk about that today, that's not really normal. It's like 50-50, right? But I had a really unique community, ⁓ generations long. My family was fifth generation in this little town. So grandparents went to high school together. ⁓
So these little things were instilling in me that I didn't know. Like the family unit, that's what I wanted in my future if I could have a family and had a family. ⁓
But then I went to college, did what I was supposed to do because I was never encouraged to farm. That was just like a job for maybe you as a young kid or the families that had a farm business that had been passed down for generations. And a very kind of negative mindset around that farming too, in that you don't, you're gonna work too much and you're never gonna make any money. So don't grow up and farm. And you're a female, you're definitely not gonna farm. Like these are all taboo things. You grow up, you marry, you find somebody who's probably gonna support you.
⁓ and very Polish Catholic community. And my father grew tobacco too. And he did it part time. He actually worked in retail at Stop and Shop full time. And he would farm tobacco just during the summers, like towards my mid teens. Like he didn't do it forever. He just started doing it later on. He rented from my great grandfather. And then when I got older and,
I finished college, I started renting land to grow my own stuff. And nothing crazy, like half an acre acre. And I had a farm stand, so I'd be in the office and then I'd be out with my vegetable stand, you before work, lunchtime, because I worked in town, and then after work. And that's like all I did, the weekends too. And started on the side of the road, you know, no social media. ⁓
didn't know anything was happening outside, but in Hadley.
like the world's best soil. So, and this is known, like you can look up Hadley soil and was it asparagus is the capital of Hadley, world-class asparagus. It's a mixture of the soil, the environment, ⁓ but it's true, it's phenomenal. I think the queen imported it over to her in England at some point and that's how that name kind of got donned, at least the history. So yeah, there's an asparagus festival, there's all these things. But there's also a farm stand around every corner in Hadley.
Jenny (07:30)
What?
Becky (07:38)
So I was the new kid on the block, I needed to be a little different, and I started growing cut flowers. Just to make it pretty, I wasn't even going to sell them.
It was just so that when you came up to the stand, you saw a bright spot. Because otherwise, they'd be like these shady little tents or tables, and then there'd be nothing around it. And oftentimes, you'd kind of want, like, did they grow these things? Because I don't see anything growing out front. So I started growing flowers, and then folks started asking me for flowers. So then I started making little bouquets. And once I started making bouquets, then they started asking for the next thing. Like, OK, I have a shower next weekend. Would you make me
something for that. And I didn't know a lick about flowers. I was only growing zinnias and sunflowers. So then I started researching. And you know, when I say I started, that's like the next year, right? Okay, you like the sunflowers and zinnias that I'm putting at the farm stand. Now you're asking for events. So let me research cut flower growing in New England because the zones are so different. And I...
researching, know, Cornell, University of Maryland, like what are these people putting out? What are they?
It's what, 2015 at this point? Social media's like kind of picking up. I was a late bloomer to
I didn't understand that yet. I didn't understand social media. And so it wasn't until I'm Googling, I'm finding other stuff, I'm seeing workshops, people are doing all these things, I finally get on social, because I'm like, all right, people like the flowers, they're asking me to do things.
I'd like to try to gain some younger traffic at the farm stand, not just old folks that love the side of their own farm stands. And then I just started showing people what I grew for flowers. then it kept going. Next thing, it's not showers. Now it's actually weddings. Friends are getting married. I'm in my 20s. Can you do my wedding? Okay. And then it transpired to beyond just friends, their family, their friends. And then after that, I made a website.
Jenny (09:47)
Wow.
Becky (09:47)
Yeah, and then a website, like nothing, like just a contact form.
but it was enough with a few pretty pictures. And so like really baby steps, you know? I started growing two crops, like two rows. Okay, I got my rows down. I see how they're growing. I see the pinching thing. I see the branching thing. Okay, now I know I can scale that. Like I can put in maybe 10, 15 rows. I'll introduce some more different cuts then and...
Okay, things are growing pretty good outside. Let's introduce a high tunnel because now I want to grow more superior crops like lizy anthus high value. Also, my client wants a better crop. Like I'm doing an event. They need to be perfect. I want better stem length. Okay, tunnel. Cut in the rain. Okay, tunnel. You know, there's all these things. I want to increase my zone so that I can get an earlier yield ⁓ earlier in the season and then on the back end.
Jenny (10:34)
You
You
Becky (10:45)
So then it went from one tunnel to four tunnels to today eight tunnels in a greenhouse. So yeah, I just kind of went off on, but like everything always started small and then I would work on it. And once I got it down, it was easy to replicate or scale up. That's the nut of it all. ⁓ And then I started like, I was single when I first started growing.
Jenny (11:02)
Right.
Becky (11:10)
flowers and it wasn't until I built a tunnel and then I met Albert and then was like okay this isn't my land I'm not entirely sure what's gonna happen to the future of it I'd love to make this a real thing like I'd love to have permanent roots so that I can do what I want to do and scale it where I need to be without restriction terrible to leave the place because it was an amazing location amazing soil like
You think you know how to grow until you get yourself on new soil. So I went from the world's best, I thought I was a decent grower, like I felt confident and good, to terrible, clay, like emotional tear, like I don't know nothing. Now I know how to make soil, and then you throw in building a family and all that, yeah, it can be emotional wreck.
Jenny (11:41)
Mm.
So.
So at what point, like how many years in did you meet Albert and then decided to move your farm to have a permanent place? Like at what point in your journey did that happen?
Becky (12:13)
I was about two to three years into growing flowers and I was getting into events and Albert came along.
Jenny (12:16)
Mm-hmm.
Were you still doing the dental hygienist thing at this point? Yeah.
Becky (12:25)
I was.
I did not leave dental hygiene until I had a loan underneath my belt. Because that was my security for the farm agency, the FSA, Federal Loan Agency, because banks, you are a red flag, schedule F on your taxes, they're not gonna lend you money because you're too unpredictable. So even with my ⁓ dental hygiene income,
and a schedule F, the bank didn't like where that was gonna go. Plus the property that was available on the market in this area that we found the land value out.
That's another red flags for banks because they think you're going to turn it into a farm. So I couldn't get conventional financing, had to go through the farm service agency, did that, but they wanted to see other stable income outside of what I was doing out of my farm stand and events.
Jenny (13:22)
I think it's important
for people to hear this because you and I have really similar backgrounds, like really similar messaging about farming when we were kids, really growing it on the side while we had full-time jobs for a long time. And I think it's important for people to hear that because they think that a lot of people think, you're just like turn into a full-time flower farmer overnight. And like, that's not the case for most people.
Becky (13:48)
No, no. I mean, the other point with that and borrowing the money is when you borrow from the farm service agency, you have to pay that money back through the sale of a cut flower stem.
Not other things, meaning like the line item for delivery didn't count. So if I had 10,000 in delivery income charges, that didn't count. It had to be through the sale of a cut flower stem. So all the workshops, all the other things, that doesn't count. you have to, and like this can be up to interpretation depending on who your loan officer is, likely, because it kind of all is, but.
That was very specific with my situation. So I had to prove that. Like if I sell a centerpiece, those stem counts count, but I have to prove the recipe and the stem count behind it and the value that that's gonna pay back the loan, the note.
Jenny (14:37)
Wow. I didn't realize that's how that works. I've never taken out an FSA loan, but that's like crazy. Yeah.
Becky (14:45)
And what was
even crazier and opened up my eyes to it is so basically if you're listening to this you are one of the few because When the loan came when the loan came through and they said how can you prove the value of your stems?
Because they didn't have anything to compare me against. And I said, how do you not have that? They didn't have anybody in the history of their database in Massachusetts only. I don't know about other states that had actually secured a farm ownership loan through the sale of cut flower stems. So that means it's the lands either been handed down or it's an outside party of monies. It's not the farm service.
Jenny (15:31)
That's incredible. You're like a trailblazer. Wait. But that, mean, I feel like you are, I think that's actually really good term to describe you, Becky, because you got this going. Like, I feel like earlier on in the ⁓ cut flower, like boom, if you want to call it that or whatever.
Becky (15:34)
So now we're going to use my stats. don't know. Sorry. It was a while ago, so the value is lower. ⁓
Jenny (15:58)
But you also are a trailblazer, I think, in the terms of your lifestyle with your family and your farm. So you had this little farm stand that you built up over time turned into this huge thing. Now you're farming full time alongside your family, which is really unique, I think. So can you tell us a little bit about
how you transition from being that kind of solopreneur to being a parent working with your kids alongside you? Or could you give everyone ⁓ just a little bit of information about what your day to day looks like with your kids on the farm?
Becky (16:46)
I guess I'd like to preface with that. Whatever you're doing now in its infancy is highly valuable information for the future. So if it's just you and you're just making jars, that's when you start writing your SOPs. That's when you start writing your recipes. There's no other distractions. There's nobody else. Because someday somebody else is going to do that.
So I had, know, in the beginning you have all these hats and what happens is when you start getting, you know, your business starts growing, somebody else comes in and just takes over one of those hats. So there's been a little bit of backtracking in that because systems have changed a bit because I'm not at the same location, which is a whole frustration in itself. But.
those roles that transition out are what's important to the children. So to add another layer, Albert is not on the farm. He works full time off the farm in a pretty demanding job. Like he can be gone 12 hours a day. And this...
This isn't long term, it's just to get us to our next step of where we need to go for the same reasons that it started. Like you can't go and get traditional financing. We have an immense amount of infrastructure to input into the farm. So we're about there. We're about done and then things could shift. so with the children,
There wasn't any breaks. I never planned for maternity leave, mostly because I didn't know better, but I don't think that was wrong either. And I don't, I think it's okay not to. I like, I don't...
I'm a planner too, and I didn't plan this. Mostly because that's my philosophy for life, right? The farm only exists because one, I love to grow and then how that connection piece from childhood to now is to take something from its infancy, grow it out, and then share it with the community. To me, that's like amazing. I'm really fulfilled. So even if I didn't have children or a family, like I would still want to be doing what I'm doing now. So that's important number one, right? If my children aren't here, am I still gonna do
this because your Y has to be big because the days are hard right so now that I have children but I I knew that if I had a farm I'd want them to be involved anyways so now we have to make that that whole system work because I don't send them they don't do daycare they don't do a nanny they don't we don't have anybody that comes in regularly to see them because that's not part of it right they need to learn how to exist here doesn't matter if they're six months six years old 16 and they need
Jenny (18:56)
Yeah.
They're with
you day in day out on the farm.
Becky (19:25)
Day in, day out. ⁓
Because they need to know how to exist here as themselves, as a sister, a brother, ⁓ as someone who might be talking to somebody at our farm stand, who might be cutting in the back. So they learn their own role. And this year, I need to set up a contract with Mary. mean, she can do our point of sale. She can check people out. She can rap. She can do all the things. She can do event setups with me. She's a legit assistant. Mind blowing.
Jenny (19:53)
love that.
Becky (19:54)
but it's like really hitting me now, like wow, this girl's got skills. She's six, but it's putting in that earlier years. It does pay dividends in the end, but it is hard, right? So there's just some times where you have to wave the flag, but it's the discipline of like staying the course, meaning, all right, I don't know. They discovered gum recently, so gum's a hot item right now. ⁓
Jenny (20:21)
Like chewing
gum?
Becky (20:22)
Yeah, so I'm
just trying to set an example of like if you let it go and if you don't see it through, it's going to nip you in the butt. Like with anything else, like you've got a crop that you put in too late, it's not that healthy, well it either gets diseased early later on and it's like you didn't nip it, you didn't deal with it right away and then it got the best of you. So this is the same thing with child rearing. If you give into something, it's going to nip you even more in the end and like tenfold because now we're dealing with a human being.
Wow. And then you have to think like, all right, how do I change this all around? Like, so reward systems are great, all of these things, but how they weave in, so we wake up in the morning, team comes in before they wake up. And this can vary time during the time of the year. So it could be six o'clock, seven o'clock, eight o'clock start, whatever we decide.
They're usually up by eight, so sometimes they're at the morning meeting, it's fine. Anybody who comes on board knows that this is a family unit. I don't hide that. ⁓ It's part of everything that we do, so there could be times where somebody's flipping out, it's okay.
Jenny (21:33)
Do you have your morning meetings at your house so you're close by your kids or do you have it somewhere else? How does that work?
Becky (21:42)
We have a building next door and we just, we do it there. But it's super close. You know, like this is part of it, the habits. Like they know when they wake up, they walk out the door, they know I'm in the shop. If they wake up that early, they also have a walkie talkie so they can let me know what's going on. I mean, you can also have cameras, Bluetooth, the wifi. Like there's so many ways to also be there and like get an alert. There's motion in the room.
Jenny (21:48)
Mm-hmm.
Becky (22:09)
So there's ways around it, but Mary's old enough now, like they're good at that. And it's not that far away that if they wake up, they can walk out the door and I'm right there. But the meetings are quick, you know, and that's one of the biggest things is the night before I'm drafting lists for everybody. Like what's our goals for today? What are we getting done? And it's a checklist.
Jenny (22:18)
Mm-hmm.
Becky (22:32)
And I just hit the points. Maybe I emphasize things with the team. That's it. This meeting is like no more than 10 minutes long. Everybody's out. They know what doing. Then I am back into the house. We make breakfast. We do school. I homeschool. And it's just Mary right now. So these things just happen. So.
Jenny (22:47)
Whoa, hold on a second. Hold on a second.
Becky (22:54)
Like they're both end of September babies, so they missed the cutoff for school, but Mary was into it. And I was like, all right, let's just, let's start kindergarten. And so I tried it. There's so many resources out there too. And also with the pandemic, one of the biggest things I learned was, wow, school can stop.
You know, and I'm like, I'm not really okay with that. Like if we get into this routine of school and if that happens, because I mean, I'm hearing horror stories like my kid's not doing school, they're not doing anything, or I'm not sure what to do, I'm not sure how to handle that. So I'm like, okay, I guess I'm gonna build that into my schedule so that we know it's always gonna happen. Like we're not gonna stop that. And then like the influences too. ⁓
They don't need to be under another person's agenda. So at least not right now. They're too young. I'm like, all right, we've got a great learning. I didn't know I was going to homeschool. That wasn't part of the plan, but it was a thought. And then when all that happened with the world, it was like, all right, this is a good choice for us. We're going to try this. So we finished up kindergarten before Mother's Day, and we're just going to go right into first grade. Let's do the thing. I don't want to break. Because when you get out of your habits and you stop doing things, you can trail off.
So we're gonna see, I don't know what the future holds. Will they attend another form of school? Maybe, but at least right now, and honestly, teaching a child to read, that's a superpower. It's so cool. It's so cool to see this happen. But that's part of the parenting for me too, is to go through these milestones with my children. I'm not gonna get this back. That's how it fills my cup. So if somebody thinks I'm working too much, or my lifestyle's off, or whatever,
I mean, that's just their outlook. I wouldn't get into it. Don't feed too much into it. But I get to have moments with my kid that some never get to have. So maybe we're not going to all these places on the weekend or doing these different things, but everything else is really rich, really connected. And we do have our field trips. Like that's one of the best things too, is I can go to parks and do different things on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday when nobody else is there. So a little...
Jenny (24:55)
Yeah, I love that.
Becky (25:07)
Great thing. So we do our breakfast, we go right into school, and then we're right back out there. like school is not that much time. It's actually super efficient. Right now we're about an hour or so a day, right? Which could be the amount of time somebody's waiting to either drop off their kid or pick them up. These are like things that I work through in my head to get through justifying it. So we go in, we punch it out, and then we're immediately back outside for the rest of the day.
Jenny (25:08)
Yeah.
Becky (25:37)
not so much, the place will run without me. It will exist without me. ⁓ Maybe not for long stretches, that's where we're headed, but from the day to day, things are still gonna move forward. And so if there's hiccups with the children too, it's okay. I can pause and address those.
When that wasn't the case though, when it was just me and maybe Mary in a pack and play in a high tunnel in a greenhouse, ⁓ it's definitely a mindset of, you you always feel that pull of I've got to get this done. I've got to get this done. I've got to get this done. And getting through that for me was making, looking at the week ahead, breaking down your days.
making the daily checklist, seeing that like, okay, I am moving forward. I am getting things done. One of the biggest things for me was when I was in Hadley, I had things set up. I had been working the farm there for a while. I had irrigation, I had drip irrigation. When I came to Agawam, I had nothing. I had no water. And the stream that we thought we were gonna have in the back for water actually dried up that summer. So.
If it wasn't a thousand feet in garden hoses, it was filling the back of a ranger with those maple four by four by four totes that can see and hand watering inside the tunnels, which would take hours. And it was completely defeating, but it was a means to an end and knowing like, okay, I'm going to get through this. This is just the work that I have to put in to get there. ⁓ isn't normal. It is, it is supposed to be this hard sometimes.
Jenny (27:02)
Mm.
Mm-hmm
Becky (27:23)
I hope
that somebody hears that, like, yes, it is just really hard sometimes, and you're gonna get through that, and you're gonna have these highs and these lows. ⁓ And with the children and thinking of safety and such, there's different little things we've adjusted so that...
One, like my labeling system isn't torn. Like most people would put a flag in the row or a tag and like these are things I used to do, but those things get ripped out.
Jenny (27:53)
Yeah,
I found that as well.
Becky (27:54)
If you put
a pot label in a tray, you put even a sticker on something, like it just, it all gets ripped out. It gets moved. It gets misplaced. So I don't even, all my planning goes on spread on sheets now and it's on paper. So, and it's great because I have it. And then also the team has it and nothing actually exists in the rows. And if I do put anything, it's a little cheat sheet that I don't care about ⁓ because they're going to, they're going to ruin your labeling system. ⁓
Jenny (28:20)
So
how many people do you have working on the farm as your team right now?
Becky (28:31)
There's, I'm gonna say half as like a hard time, but we're transitioning to three for like field management and harvesting. There's support mom hours for like office, if you will. And then, see here my little guy. So like fighting, right? That's like the next level. Everybody's fighting. Because they're all their own person now. ⁓
Jenny (28:47)
Yeah, I hear him.
Becky (28:57)
I would have two people behind the scenes with customer service, communications, office management, and a face at the farm stand. And always just kind of, we call them weekend warriors, people that we can call in to help set up events. And then iDesign, another designer's coming on board, and then they're also freelance designers. So. ⁓
There's a core of like five to six people that are here every single week, but then it can fluctuate with seasonality. And then that's also going year round now, because the goal is to go year round.
The hot pink that we use was only, it's like kind of become a branding thing, but it wasn't like that. So what happens, what would happen in the field is like the kids are too short, right? The flowers get tall and then you can't find them and you get nervous that they ran off. So, and safety yellow can kind of get lost in it and orange.
So but the hot pink that so that's why we have hot pink things was strictly for safety to find the kids like that So when they ran off be like, okay, there they are If I'm in an open field with them I don't care so much about their surroundings because I know okay I can outpace them at this point but up near the road
that's where things get little shady. they know they don't go in front of the farm stand. You have to be on the back part of the property. And they don't wander, really. They want to be in their safety net, which is you, mom, food, clothing, warmth, keep them safe. ⁓ They do wander off, but not that far.
I think with the children too, the earlier years are relatively younger than you think. Like that first, when you can swaddle them and wrap them, like I loved wrapping. That was my saving grace. I didn't do that with Mary. I didn't really know about it. I kind of had some influence to capoo the wrapping and like the whole burrito thing. But the swaddle, that's what we want to do. I would say swaddle all day, every day, because they're so happy.
They're so happy to be on your chest. They love that skin to skin. And you can get a lot done because you have your hands.
Jenny (31:17)
Yeah.
Becky (31:18)
If you don't know that little trick, my gosh, swaddle them like crazy. And then when they do go down and sleep and they're not in your arms, you know, that's where you get the work done that you're like bending over and harvesting. So bend over, harvest, get it all done. And then if you have to make stuff, put them in the swaddle and you can get a good chunk of work in that way.
Jenny (31:38)
Yeah, I would say when my son was just a little baby, I just wore him all the time. I had a really incredibly difficult recovery from my birth. And so it took me a long time to get back out into the field, ⁓ back just into the day-to-day stuff. But once I was, I wore him all the time. Things got really challenging for me when he started.
Not when he was just starting to walk, but then when he was really, really mobile. There was this period of time where teaching him, we have cattle at our farm, teaching him about the electric fences and staying away from those. And we got through that where he, like, OK, I know that. I'm good. And now I feel like I'm really struggling with bringing him out with me and feeling like I can be productive while he's with me because I feel like I
I can never fully concentrate on what I'm doing. But I think it's almost like a sacrifice I have to make if I'm going to bring him with me to work. So my solution has really just been, I mean, even from before he was born, is to really lean on my team to run the day to day, which it sounds like that's been an incredible resource for you and your whole strategy with farming with your kids. So what would your advice be for somebody
like me, who really wants to bring their kids with them on the farm, just hasn't really felt like there's jobs. Or I guess what I'm trying to ask is, there's certain jobs that feel like I can do with him and certain jobs I can't. Should I just let go of the things that I feel like I can't do with him? Or do I try to find ways to make it
Becky (33:30)
One thing that I find really hard to do with any children is design. Because my hands are tied up, I'm super focused, I'm probably in a room that has walls that I can't really peek around the corner. I have to be in a cooler environment for the most part, not always. So my solution to that was I woke up or I did it when they were sleeping. I am not.
Yeah, I got up at 2 a.m. and did weddings. And it's not all the time, but I'm willing to do that so then when they wake up in the morning, the wedding's done. Let's roll. And you can do this. You've done the nursing. You've done all these things. You can do it. And you're not doing it all the time. But then when you do take them out into the field or you're doing something, let's say, okay, I've got this tunnel of lizianthus that I got a heart.
Jenny (33:54)
Cheers.
Becky (34:18)
So you go out there with you have to prepare yourself a little bit, right? Maybe you pack the picnic You allocate something for them like we have these little things we make flour soup. We make flour tacos and Right, so they look Snips they can cut some flowers and they make their own thing. This will keep them pretty busy for a while ⁓ They he goes out with his trucks and he'll follow them
Jenny (34:34)
I like that.
Becky (34:48)
And like the last thing, I don't introduce any of the electronics because then they're always gonna want it, right? So lean into the nature stuff because it's easy and it's always there. Building rock walls, building different things and they'll learn how to self entertain. ⁓ And not, I mean, it's not negligence, it's also learning how to cope and exist as yourself.
If there's ever been a situation that is a little, it could be dangerous to the norm, like snips, right? The first time Mary started showing interest in cutting anything, which was young, let's do it. Like, let's learn how to use these snips because otherwise you're gonna use them behind my back and I don't want you to get hurt.
Like pretty much outdoor stuff with the children has been a lot easier. Admin stuff too, anything on the computer, first thing in the morning before they wake up. Nighttime's really hard. You've got your nighttime routines to get things done. So my alarm goes off about 4.30, I'm up at five, and like you can do a lot of damage in those two to three hours before the team shows up and get yourself ready for the day the next day.
Jenny (35:48)
Mm-hmm.
Becky (36:08)
So that's what I do. ⁓ It's that push to get up in the early, even though you're already tired, right? You could be tired, but it pays huge in making your day flow and moving it forward.
The pack-in-place where the little ones are huge, the swaddle, then they start getting mobile. So now it's setting up sandbox, like sandbox. And putting that next to the tunnels, putting it next to where you are, maybe a playhouse, someplace they can play pretend, they can set themselves up. That's where they can go have their picnic.
wagons, they love to pull things. What all else fails? Buckets with water. Water, that's a huge thing. The water tables. ⁓
Jenny (36:49)
⁓ the buckets.
Becky (36:54)
even pots, know, different size pots and you're stacking them and you're playing with them. If you're trying to get stuff done in the greenhouse, just set up a little station for them, let them go nuts. It's going to be a complete disaster, but they're going to watch you. They're going to try to do what you're doing. So sacrifice some plants. sacrifice soil, because that little bit is going to go a long way.
Jenny (37:17)
You're giving me a lot of inspiration right now for things that like when I have my son with me, he just he automatically is like mud puddle. I'm there and I'll be entertained for hours, probably if it's a mud puddle. But we have things like up at our house like, I don't know, like his sandbox and a water table. And I'm like, that makes perfect sense. Why wouldn't I just put it right down where I'm working every day? Like, I feel like that's so obvious. And that's something that I literally like never thought about doing.
But so thank you. You're giving me like lot of inspiration right now for that. ⁓
Becky (37:53)
And that's it. If you see this, like they're gravitating towards something or they're going towards something, just make it happen, right? Even though it's not conventional, it's not next to the house, but that's what my friends and family are doing, but they also don't have a farm. it's okay. ⁓
Jenny (38:09)
Right. Yeah.
So something else I wanted to talk to you about is I think it's a huge choice for somebody to bring their kids with them along to the farm. But I think it's incredibly rewarding. And maybe it's not for everybody. If it is something that somebody's interested in, think Becky has proof that you can absolutely make it happen. But there's this other piece to both owning a business and being a parent.
Becky (38:16)
I'm my nose on a hill.
Jenny (38:38)
is this mental load of ⁓ just carrying all the things. And this is something that I've struggled with a little bit, is learning to really let go and give a lot more empowerment to my team, people on my team, in trusting them with a lot of responsibility so I can let go of some of the mental load of all the things with.
the family and the kids and the business. And so I'm wondering if that's something that you've experienced or if that's something that you might have ⁓ advice for anybody on.
Like I feel like I constantly think about everything all the time, but that might just be a personal issue that I have. Every, yeah, constantly.
Becky (39:20)
You're always thinking about things, right? Yes.
I find...
If I put myself around other folks not living my lifestyle, they can start to influence me a little bit, which weighs on my already bustling mind more. know, like it multiplies a situation it doesn't need to. So I try to keep that away, if you will.
Jenny (39:45)
Mm-hmm.
Becky (39:48)
If I feel like I need, I don't know, I just read books about entrepreneurship, ⁓ maybe podcasts and stuff, getting things into my head that are a positive force on my why and my mission so that I don't feel like, shoot, I need to do this lifestyle balancing act. things need to be more balanced.
Jenny (40:12)
Mm-hmm.
Becky (40:13)
No, my life is balanced because it all merges together. That fuels my soul. Like, I don't need to feel guilty about that. How's your work-life balance? It's nominal. I'm proud of it. I love my life. I've got a lot of things I want to do, and it's going to take a lot of energy and a lot of effort, and I'm okay with that. I'm not here to just get by.
Jenny (40:21)
You
Come, I love that.
Becky (40:39)
There's going to be some impact in my life and others. So it's gonna take a bit to get that going and that's okay. And I think that's okay to feel like that too, especially ⁓ being in this unique role of motherhood, business owner, matra shura. You wanna be a tiger? You are, go for it, it's cool.
Jenny (40:57)
I love that, and I think that's a really great reminder for all of us, especially me, because lately I feel like, you know, we go through like phases, right? Like there are times I have been like so incredibly confident and excited about what I'm doing and how I'm juggling. No, maybe that's not the right term, but like I'm doing family and my business. And then there's been other points where it's been like sort of low, where I feel like really alone and like.
Nobody really understands me. I feel like I'm living in a vacuum, even though know, deep down, I know that's not true. But I think that what you and I do is really, really unique. And I don't know that many people in my community that are farming, that are doing these things. And so I think it can really easily feel like you're living in a vacuum when you're not. And it's not that hard.
to reach out to other people, to have those good positive influences that you're talking about, and to really step back and look at who you are talking to and comparing yourself to and being like, well, is this really in alignment with my values and what I want? So I think that's a great reminder about that.
Becky (42:08)
In education, don't learn from somebody who's doing or has done what you want to learn about. then think about that whole bubble around them. What does their world look like? Is it relatable?
Jenny (42:15)
Right. Right.
Right, right.
So is there something that you have, like one thing in particular that you outsourced, or you automated, or you leaned on someone else for support that you feel like really helped you live this lifestyle? Whether that's something within your home or on the farm, and I know they're pretty much the same thing.
Becky (42:48)
So I will lean into outsourcing maybe things within the home because whether I fold the laundry or somebody else folds the laundry isn't going to propel things forward and it doesn't really fill my cup because all I do when I'm folding laundry is think about all the other things I need to do.
Jenny (43:07)
Me too.
Becky (43:10)
⁓ I just discovered laundry service and it's not crazy. Like I can, so I don't, it's not, I don't always use it. I don't, but I lean into it when I need to. If it's Easter week and I'm hosting Easter and there's loads of laundry, like I'm just gonna send the clothes out and then I put bags out the front door and then they come back the next day and they're folded. My grape isn't washing clothes, it's folding them.
And I try to be realistic about this. I don't want it to get too far away. I don't want my kids not know how to fold clothes and put clothes away. They know how to do all this stuff. They know how to start the laundry. They know how to put them in the dryer. Mary knows how to make breakfast. They know all these things. I don't want it to get too far away. But there are times where, yeah, I need to outsource something because I'm not gonna get to it. And it's a weird feeling because...
You know, you really break down the business. I'm gonna make more money for the business sending my clothes out. If I'm gonna fold clothes for an hour, or I can try to move flowers for an hour. What's better for my It's better for me to focus on moving the flowers than to fold the clothes.
Jenny (44:08)
Yeah. Yeah.
Right.
And I think there's sometimes like stigma or not for me, but I know other people sometimes feel like there's a stigma of like asking for help is like a sign of like within the home can be a sign of, I don't know, weakness or like I can't do it all or whatever. And I just think that the way that you described it is so smart that folding laundry is not moving forward what you want to be accomplishing. So like, let it go, let somebody else do that if that's something that's going to help you out. So I know that
I have felt at times that as a mom and a business owner, there have definitely been times where I feel like I fanatically failing at both things at the same time. ⁓ Sometimes it's great, but other times I feel like I am not being a great mom, I'm not being a great leader or business owner. And what would you say to somebody who feels like that from time to time?
Becky (45:14)
These are the hard times that we wanted. These are the times we wanted because it works you through everything, like your strength, your family's strength. And so there's these times where the kids are wigging out. There's like so many things to get done. I know that if they're not reset, we can't go anywhere. So everything pauses and we have a powwow.
Jenny (45:16)
Mm-hmm.
Becky (45:40)
We sit down, I literally get on their level, I'm sitting with them and I say, what's going on? What do we need to do here? What's the need? Or something happened that went over my head. ⁓
We were taking pictures in the shop one day. Mary was in there and she didn't understand why she couldn't be in the picture. And the picture was specific. It was a product shot for the website. So it was about size and reference of the arrangement. So having her in the background would have distorted the size. And I was like, Mary, you have to step to the side. Well, little did I know I was hurting her feelings because she thought I didn't want her in the picture. And I was like, oh, OK, I have to explain this to her. She didn't get that. And so she went in the house crying. And I went in and we sat.
and
like what's going on and we talked it out. But you have these little moments everywhere and I find when things are spiraling and it could be at other people's emotions, okay, let's have our huddle, let's reset. Or if it's others, I mean, I'm on one, I'm eating there too, but also for myself.
I just have to make an action plan. That's what makes me feel better. And then so that I know, OK, I'm not stuck here. All I have to do is this to keep moving forward. And mentally, that'll get me in a better place.
Jenny (47:04)
Yeah. So something that I feel like kind of keeps coming to mind for me as we're talking is that
I think that in both your business and as a mom, you are incredibly focused on just being a really, really good leader for your kids and your team members. And I think that for a lot of entrepreneurs who are trying to parent and are trying to run their business, they could take a lot of note from that. And letting go of a lot of the day-to-day things that people might be holding onto and instead
shifting their mindset to be that really good leader where you're kind of just like steering the ship a little bit, but you're not like paddling with the rudders.
Becky (47:54)
I'm not ⁓ micromanaging. Yeah.
Jenny (47:56)
Right.
Yeah.
Becky (47:58)
And I will straight up say that but there's there's autonomy and there's a trust factor, right? These are the expectations This is what done looks like and if we can't reach that then this isn't a good fit ⁓ You are the guardian of Your circle your business and so the culture here is not taken lightly like we have phenomenal culture We have phenomenal people incredible team like these are the only people I want to spend my days with because they're that they're amazing and
So, but it takes also being a really ruthless guard in that. ⁓ And putting the expectations down right from the beginning. People need to know, like, what does this look like? So I spent a lot of time in that, which could look frivolous from the outside, like that's not monetary, but it is in the long run.
A lot of folks that come into this circle don't really ever leave in some capacity. And that's the biggest thing.
Nothing's going to keep you in more check than your children. Like, because you, they're going to call you out. Like, so you're always have to walk honestly, forwardly. Like, if you want to know how to train somebody new coming on, try to teach your kid how to do it. ⁓ And that's going to set the blueprint for like, okay, this is how I need to say things. Mary and I yesterday, I stuck with her on rapping for a solid 45 minutes. She didn't want to do it the way that it's,
Jenny (49:15)
Yeah.
Becky (49:24)
the best way to do it. I'm not gonna say supposed to be. I'm always open to hearing another take on it, but it is the way she wanted to do it and the way we do it were drastically different and the way we do it is much more efficient and presents better. So every step, this is why we do it this way. When you do it this way, this is what happens. When you do it that way. So what does that mean? That's training to a team member. And I also, I expect a lot from the children.
I mean, and they're a great example of to a team member, like, OK, yeah, there's no there's no loose ends here. I mean, if she expects that out of a six year old, yeah, I probably should be on this level. Like, I'm not going to let her. I'm not like a six year old show me up. So I walk in the same light everywhere. I'm not really I'm not different as a mother than I am.
⁓ as a designer, like I am always who I am with everybody. So you don't get a different person when I show up. I'm gonna hug my kids, I'm gonna hug you if the moment's right.
Jenny (50:30)
I love that about you.
Yeah.
Hugs for everyone from Becky.
Becky (50:38)
There's
love, there's trust, there's an expectation, there's all these things and there's no separation of that and I don't, that doesn't bother me. It makes it really easy to be yourself and to keep moving forward.
Jenny (50:53)
So my last question for you, Becky, is what your advice would be to someone who either A, already has an existing farm business and wants to bring their kids to work with them more or integrate them into the farm more, or someone who already has young kids and a young family but wants to start a flower farm business or a farming business of some kind.
Becky (51:20)
it's it's a if they haven't been involved it's going to take time like it's you need to let it marinate ⁓
Even with seasoned children like myself, you've only got their attention for these short periods. So harvesting a 75-foot row of snapdragons, they can't stay with that. you might, even if you have the sandbox nearby, you've got to have a couple other things to set it up. Like you got to be moving every 15, 20 minutes, maybe where...
We're riding in the Ranger to go get a bucket and fill it. Whenever there's an opportunity to pivot change, just bring them along. Don't leave them at the sandbox and go do something else. Take them for that change because they want that anyways. They want the activity. They love it. ⁓
My biggest advice would just be always be prepared because it's going to hit the fan and when it does, it's easier to navigate the day with some sort of like, okay, this is what I wanted to get done. I'm not gonna get to six and five, but.
We can break this here, I'll get through four. And that's always in your mindset too. It's it's a priority list. Like, this has to get done. So what's the best part of your day? Probably the morning. Make that the priority. Get through it. And then as the day goes on, things get a hairy, little gray area. We're cranky, we're not, we're hungry, we're not. We need to nap, we can keep going. All right, if it feels good, we'll keep going. But if you're on the brink of things crashing, like we're getting hungry,
Jenny (52:57)
Mm-hmm.
Becky (53:01)
don't push it, just deal with it right now so that they get their snack because they'll be better for a longer period of time afterwards.
Jenny (53:10)
I love that advice. ⁓ Becky, thank you so much for this conversation because as somebody that, like I grew up like you, where I was very involved in the farming family, a lot of families I knew were farming family units, like I grew up farming with my parents and I loved that. I loved that childhood and it was just like an amazing experience for me as a kid.
And I really want that for my child. But there have been so many times where it's just felt hard or it's felt impossible. And I think it's different for everybody. Everybody's ⁓ situation is unique. Everyone's personal preferences is unique. so people just have to do what's right for them. But this conversation has been really inspiring for me to feel like, OK, I can do this. I can involve my son.
in the business, bring him along with me more than maybe I thought was possible. And so I just have to thank you for that because it's been incredibly inspiring for me. So can you tell everyone just like ⁓ where they can find you online, follow you, learn more about you and what you do?
Becky (54:14)
Bang, bang.
So you can find us online at www.rootedflowers.com and rooted flowers across all social channels. So Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, ⁓ TikTok more so recently and a little bit. Yeah, once you do a reel on the other ones, it's like, okay, I'll just post it to TikTok. And it's worth it because everybody there's the more noise they find you. ⁓
Jenny (54:39)
who you're doing TikTok.
Mm-hmm.
Becky (54:53)
I, what is it, threads on Instagram? Someone was like, yeah, I just moved onto threads because Instagram's too busy and you can just check the box so that it also posts the threads. I did it. She wouldn't have stopped at the stand otherwise. Yeah.
Jenny (54:55)
Mm-hmm.
That's so cool. I love that.
I would love to have you back on sometime because I feel like there's so many businessy stuff we could talk about. really, like a lot. are an entrepreneurial genius and I want to dig deep into more of that. is there any last comments you want to leave us with before we close out this conversation?
Becky (55:16)
I love it.
Bring your kids along for the ride. ⁓ We'll make this world a better place. They need it.
Jenny (55:36)
Yeah, I love that. All right, thank you so, so much, Becky. And ⁓ we'll see everyone next time on the next episode of the Six Figure Flower Farming Podcast. Bye.
Becky (55:46)
Thanks, Jen.
Jenny (55:47)
Hey, one last thing before you go, if you haven't yet, could you please leave the six-figure flower farming podcast a review on Apple or Spotify? If you have gotten any value or insight out of this podcast at all, it would seriously mean the world to me and to your fellow flower farmers because those reviews help them find the super valuable information they need to build their profitable and sustainable flower farm businesses. So.
please just take 30 seconds. It literally takes no time at all. So go ahead and leave a review now and I will be forever grateful. Thank you so much in advance and I'll see you next time in the next episode of the Six Figure Flower Farming Podcast.
