Harvick Farms Founder Lainey Harvick on Growing Community Awareness Around Homesteading

Hello Lainey! Please tell us a little about yourself.

In 2015, I became a nurse and worked in the ER through the pandemic. Gardening was a way to provide an outlet from the high-intensity career. As a mother, nurse, and avid gardener who understands the value of having support and resources I could see there was a way to make a larger impact on our community by revitalizing a deserted nursery and bring joy and jobs back into our town. We identified the need for a viable option in promotion of locally grown food and increase social awareness/education related to homesteading topics. We have created and will maintain a program with partnership of subject matter experts about sustainable food resources, and marketing. Harvick Farm connects with the community through representatives from the local schools, local businesses and farmers from local food source producers.

So Lainey, what excites you most about being an Entreprenista League member?

The opportunity to network, grow and support others in the adventure of entrepreneurship.

What made you take the leap to start Harvick Farm?

The pandemic and the need to support others.

What was your background prior to being an entreprenista?

Emergency room nursing and management.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

No, I always knew I wanted to help others. My personal entrepreneurship was developed after realizing I could help others by building our own business to fit the needs of our community and local farmers.

When you first launched, what marketing strategies did you use, and how did you spread the word?

The local paper and road signs. Our social media is a slow start, but we now appreciate to need for a strong marketing strategy and social media presence.

With entrepreneurship, there are daily challenges. What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way?

Time is precious. Timing of planting, timing of social media posts, timing of hiring labor. The use of your time to complete tasks versus contracting work out. I’ve learned that I have to focus on time management, and it must be a priority to become successful in our business.

So Lainey, what is the accomplishment you are the most proud of to date?

Suppressing our community outreach goals by 200%. We provided 44 free 1-hour education classes to our community, 200 hours of community service, dedicated a portion of our nursery to the local cub scouts unit and donated 100 plants and 100lbs of food to the local food pantry.

Do you believe in work/life balance? What are some of your best tips?

Absolutely! Easier said than done in my opinion. Schedule time to dedicated time for yourself. Don’t feel guilty about scheduling that time either.

What’s a piece of advice you can share that you wish you’d known when you first started your Entreprenista journey?

Connecting with the right group will provide more meaningful relationships then going through every group chat and introducing yourself. Remember time is precious. Focus your energy on the subjects that matter the most to you right now in your journey.

Lainey, you have lots to celebrate! What have you achieved recently that you’d like to celebrate with our community?

Finally closed on our property for our business after leasing for a year. We officially own our business and the property it is on!!

What’s next for your Harvick Farm? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

Establishing an orchard and u-pick farm at our retail nursery site. This is on our strategy plan to fight food insecurity in our local community.

 Learn more about the Entreprenista League and join today!