What happens when a farm grows from a family operation into a business employing 10, 20 or 30 people? The equipment, acres, and financial systems may have evolved, but how people are managed doesn’t always keep pace.
After an introduction with Todd Andries, Evan is joined by Lyndsay Seafoot, founder and CEO of Curbridge, to talk about the people side of running a farm business. They discuss compensation for family members, career progression, employee handbooks and contracts, performance conversations, hiring and onboarding, bonus structures, and what farms compete against when trying to attract good people to rural communities.
They also discuss the less tangible side of leadership: the difference between being friendly and being friends with employees, why the first week shapes someone's experience for years, why feedback should come before a problem hits the breaking point, and how good leaders give people room to use their strengths.
Lyndsay also shares her experience as an entrepreneur and why she works with a business coach. Her go-to advice: sometimes you have to slow down to go fast.