YOUNG CATTLEMEN'S UPDATE: GEORGIA CATTLEMENS
July 2018
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Georgia Cattlemen's Magazine
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920 Cattle & Company, LLC was founded in January of 2015 following the September 20th, 2014 marriage of Jarrod and Becca Creasy. Headquartered in Statesboro, Georgia, 920 Cattle & Company is a first generation cattle operation that has deep roots in production agriculture. Becca grew up in a cow-calf operation in central Florida, with family ties in large-scale produce production. I was also raised in the cattle industry and my family owns and operates a prominent and successful well drilling and service business in South Georgia.
Being a first generation farm means that we have forged through the challenges of owning and operating a business in a highly regulated marketplace that often times discourages entry. We have been able to make decisions on our own (with input from our key advisors) and not be relegated to following the hierarchical structure of traditional multi-generational farms. We have been able to be more flexible and agile in how we approach business decisions and capture upsides in the marketplace. The lessons we have learned are very close to our core as we feel every effect of the wins and losses that our business has endured. As everyone in the industry knows, farming is a tough, labor intensive, and relentless place to work – however, more than that, it is highly lucrative for the hard working, is very purposeful and meaningful work, and an incredible way of life to raise a family.
Under the current 920 umbrella, we operate a registered seed-stock cattle program; a wholesale, custom cut meat business with sales direct to consumers, as well as contracted business with restaurants; a custom cut and bulk hay production and brokerage business with reach across the southeastern US; and a farm/residential/commercial fencing business that primarily operates in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.
Being young entrepreneurs has been an incredible opportunity and has provided our family a lifestyle that is a Godsend. It has been a road full of doubt, fear, stretch, excitement, risk, independence, flexibility, gratitude and reward. We have been told no more times than we can count, we have been told that we better run the other direction, that we don’t need to make certain decisions, that I need to just work with my daddy doing what he does, that we both need day jobs, that we need to make safer decisions, that we don’t need to go that far, or rent this land there or do business with that person…. The list goes on and on. We have experienced great loss within our family – within an 18-month period, we lost our first baby in a miscarriage, we had our little girl 12 weeks premature, and then I lost part of my hand after it got crushed in a hydraulic post driver. But in our experience, through these great lows, we have found God’s presence in our lives so obvious. Because of our personal and business experiences, we have developed a profound connection to everything, a deep appreciation for people that we interact with and the animals we raise, and a humble affinity for the people that provide such basic needs for our world.
We certainly do not have it all figured out and we are learning as we go. As I have told my wife before, instead of flying by the seat of her pants, she pulls her pockets out and flies higher and longer. We have somewhat adopted that philosophy in our approach to business because if we listened to every piece of advice we received, we would be sitting in a water trough with our pockets full of water weighing us down. Instead, we have been intentional about evaluating things as they come, do diligent research, follow our instincts, pray to God and then let things unfold as they will.
Throughout our journeys, we have learned a lot, grown a lot, and failed a lot. And through our adventures we have learned to:
1.Be comfortable with being uncomfortable – financially, emotionally, mentally, physically. Allow yourself the opportunity to stretch and you will be surprised at how proficient you become in unfamiliar territory.
2.Charge what we are worth – don’t undersell yourself or your products. If you establish a solid marketing program and know you clientele very well, you will find the marketplace for your products at their value, and nothing less.
3.Educate yourself on the legal and accounting pieces of your business – two of the greatest investments we have made have been hiring an informative accounting firm and a reliable attorney.
4.Know that not every customer is the right customer – it’s okay to turn someone away that is not the right fit for your business. You will be more proud that you avoided that risk rather than derailing some piece of your operation.
5.Find a mentor and be a mentor – allow yourself the privilege of learning from those that have come before you. They have laid some incredible foundation for you to build on. And in return provide that for someone else.
6.Allow yourself to grow – remember that the markets evolve, needs change and customer preferences alter… and the only way to stay profitable and relevant is to grow too.
7.Take time for what matters most – take vacations, enjoy your time, slow down for a minute.
8.Open windows and crawlspaces when the doors seem closed – go around, go through, go under, go over…. Just keep going.
9.Leverage your network – utilize the opportunities in the form of trade organizations, such as YCC, to strengthen your core while building an outlet to be able to share your talents to the industry you represent.
10.Foster relationships – people matter most and at the end of the day, God has taught us to love and to be loved in return; that is how we define our lives.
Being a first generation farm means that we have forged through the challenges of owning and operating a business in a highly regulated marketplace that often times discourages entry. We have been able to make decisions on our own (with input from our key advisors) and not be relegated to following the hierarchical structure of traditional multi-generational farms. We have been able to be more flexible and agile in how we approach business decisions and capture upsides in the marketplace. The lessons we have learned are very close to our core as we feel every effect of the wins and losses that our business has endured. As everyone in the industry knows, farming is a tough, labor intensive, and relentless place to work – however, more than that, it is highly lucrative for the hard working, is very purposeful and meaningful work, and an incredible way of life to raise a family.
Under the current 920 umbrella, we operate a registered seed-stock cattle program; a wholesale, custom cut meat business with sales direct to consumers, as well as contracted business with restaurants; a custom cut and bulk hay production and brokerage business with reach across the southeastern US; and a farm/residential/commercial fencing business that primarily operates in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.
Being young entrepreneurs has been an incredible opportunity and has provided our family a lifestyle that is a Godsend. It has been a road full of doubt, fear, stretch, excitement, risk, independence, flexibility, gratitude and reward. We have been told no more times than we can count, we have been told that we better run the other direction, that we don’t need to make certain decisions, that I need to just work with my daddy doing what he does, that we both need day jobs, that we need to make safer decisions, that we don’t need to go that far, or rent this land there or do business with that person…. The list goes on and on. We have experienced great loss within our family – within an 18-month period, we lost our first baby in a miscarriage, we had our little girl 12 weeks premature, and then I lost part of my hand after it got crushed in a hydraulic post driver. But in our experience, through these great lows, we have found God’s presence in our lives so obvious. Because of our personal and business experiences, we have developed a profound connection to everything, a deep appreciation for people that we interact with and the animals we raise, and a humble affinity for the people that provide such basic needs for our world.
We certainly do not have it all figured out and we are learning as we go. As I have told my wife before, instead of flying by the seat of her pants, she pulls her pockets out and flies higher and longer. We have somewhat adopted that philosophy in our approach to business because if we listened to every piece of advice we received, we would be sitting in a water trough with our pockets full of water weighing us down. Instead, we have been intentional about evaluating things as they come, do diligent research, follow our instincts, pray to God and then let things unfold as they will.
Throughout our journeys, we have learned a lot, grown a lot, and failed a lot. And through our adventures we have learned to:
1.Be comfortable with being uncomfortable – financially, emotionally, mentally, physically. Allow yourself the opportunity to stretch and you will be surprised at how proficient you become in unfamiliar territory.
2.Charge what we are worth – don’t undersell yourself or your products. If you establish a solid marketing program and know you clientele very well, you will find the marketplace for your products at their value, and nothing less.
3.Educate yourself on the legal and accounting pieces of your business – two of the greatest investments we have made have been hiring an informative accounting firm and a reliable attorney.
4.Know that not every customer is the right customer – it’s okay to turn someone away that is not the right fit for your business. You will be more proud that you avoided that risk rather than derailing some piece of your operation.
5.Find a mentor and be a mentor – allow yourself the privilege of learning from those that have come before you. They have laid some incredible foundation for you to build on. And in return provide that for someone else.
6.Allow yourself to grow – remember that the markets evolve, needs change and customer preferences alter… and the only way to stay profitable and relevant is to grow too.
7.Take time for what matters most – take vacations, enjoy your time, slow down for a minute.
8.Open windows and crawlspaces when the doors seem closed – go around, go through, go under, go over…. Just keep going.
9.Leverage your network – utilize the opportunities in the form of trade organizations, such as YCC, to strengthen your core while building an outlet to be able to share your talents to the industry you represent.
10.Foster relationships – people matter most and at the end of the day, God has taught us to love and to be loved in return; that is how we define our lives.
This article was originally written for and published in the Georgia Cattleman's Magazine, page 81.