Day 71 of 100

“I became a farmer because I grew up on The Farm.”

Growing up my dad worked at Stanford University and my mom worked at startups. One of the CEOs she worked for told the story that when he turned eighteen his parents bought him a one-way train ticket to wherever he wanted to go, and then summarily kicked him out of the house.

I truly hoped that story didn’t inspire her.

Working in startups, she was laid off now and again as the companies failed, and she seemed to simply always find another one to work at.

My dad was the stable one. When they got married, they went to Reno for the weekend where my mom would lose money playing the slots and my dad would win it back at blackjack.

It was interesting growing up in a household where I was taught to be unafraid of failure and willing to take a risk, but also how to make sure to save for a rainy day and always make sure to land on my feet.

I don’t think there could have been a better way to grow up if I wanted to be an entrepreneur. (Except maybe with enough wealth that risks were easier to take and doors opened.)

Whenever I needed money for something, I always got the same response. “Figure it out.” And so I did. When I was nine I started my first business. At fourteen my second. In high school I figured out ways to broker deals between people (I sold a lot of Dungeons and Dragons figures, books, and dice. A lot.).

I never really worked for others. I mean I had jobs. I was a lifeguard in high school, and I did odd jobs with a local contractor, had jobs in college (I was a janitor) and even worked at a startup before starting my own.

This mentality of taking risks but conservatively has helped me over the years to live a life that I am truly proud of (even with the ups and downs).