From the Ranch to Entrepreneurship: How to Thrive in Multiple Roles

It’s crazy to think that I’ve been living back in my hometown and working on the ranch alongside my parents for over a year now. Time flies when you are having fun, right? But you see, that’s just it. I have been having fun amidst all the work and challenges that come with it. I truly feel like I found ways to thrive during my first year back on the ranch and want to share them with you to help both the senior and rising generations going through a similar experience.

To give you context on the situation, I’ll give you the short-form version of my story. I grew ranching in North Dakota alongside my parents and older sister, I was heavily involved in all areas of the operation and invested in my own breeding stock too. Upon graduating high school, I chose to get my Animal Science degree in combination with minors in Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship and Beef Industry Scholars at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It was exactly 600 miles door to door for me to go from my little college house to my parent’s place. This was not an ideal situation for coming home frequently, so I didn’t. I started my own business, Casual Cattle Conversations, while in college and as graduation approached, I decided I’d work for myself, be part-time for another company doing remote work and of course part-time on the ranch. So yes, I came home right away despite all the recommendations to do the opposite. There are four things my parents and I did to make this transition smoother: set boundaries, knew my focus, shared schedules and were honest and open about the future.

Setting Boundaries

Before I agreed to help my dad part-time on the ranch, we agreed on how I would be compensated for my time. Setting this boundary created mutual respect between the two of us. He respected and appreciated my time spent on the ranch as an employee and knew that my time there wasn’t free. I respected the business and the time I spent there and wanted to make sure I was putting in good work for the hours I was being paid. I wanted to be of value to the operation. 

I also set the boundary that the ranch was not my main priority every day. My own business comes first. I say this but want you to understand that I am flexible about it too. If it is going to be a busy ranch week, I do my best to make it a light podcast week. There is a lot of give and take with this and a need to be flexible but flexibility doesn’t mean ignoring the boundary that is set.

Having my Own Focus

Having my own business and taking on internships during college taught me how to be a good employee for the ranch. It is a different dynamic than coming home to work in the summer or on the weekends. Having my own business, hobbies and leadership positions has also allowed me to have some separation from my family and work on building my own personal brand. I have found a lot of value in having my own thing and learning more about my own strengths and weaknesses before being more committed to the ranch. When I am on the ranch, I also know what my role is and what my parents’ roles are.

Sharing Schedules

During the spring of 2020, I was finishing up my courses, working on the ranch and running my business, I learned how to share my schedule with my family so that we could work around each other. I carried this into my first few months at home. Every Sunday night I am usually calling my dad or giving him a printed calendar of the days and times I can’t work on the ranch. Likewise, my parents share their meeting and travel schedules with me. Some days I move appointments to make things work and some days they do. There is give and take with all of it.

Be Honest About the Future

I moved home knowing that there were a lot of unknowns left to work through. My parents and I were honest about it and talked about it. Whether it was transition planning between my grandpa and dad, or dad and me, we talked about it. Whether it was about my future with my now fiancé, we talked about it. Whether it was about my future plans for my career and developing my own skillset, we talked about it. The conversations weren’t always easy to start but they were easier to have than to avoid because the truth is freeing and allows everyone to get on the same page.

At the end of the day, these are just 3 things my parents and I did to make things go smoother. There are a number of things we could’ve done better too. If I could go back and do it again, I’d set a few goals for what I wanted to get out of my first year back on the ranch and share those with my parents. However, life is a constant learning experience and leaning into it can be both fun and rewarding if you let it be.