{"id":42661,"date":"2019-12-11T10:20:26","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T15:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?p=42661"},"modified":"2021-04-23T17:03:24","modified_gmt":"2021-04-23T21:03:24","slug":"south-pond-farms-home-based-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/south-pond-farms-home-based-business\/","title":{"rendered":"She Escaped the City for Life on a Farm — and Teaches a Masterclass for Entrepreneurs Who Want to Do the Same"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2006, after years of city living, Danielle French left Toronto behind to move with her four young daughters to a 60-acre farm nestled in the rolling hills of rural Ontario. Her marriage was crumbling, and she sought the comfort that only nature could provide. \u201cI fell in love with the land here,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

To make ends meet, French — a stay-at-home mom<\/a> who had previously worked in commercial real estate — started a small food-delivery service, using home-grown vegetables to make farm-to-table<\/a> prepared meals. Thanks to word of mouth, the business<\/a> quickly grew — until the local food inspector realized she didn\u2019t have the required permits. That led French, undaunted, to turn an old shed on the property into a certified commercial kitchen, and to restore a decrepit, pigeon-filled barn into an event space.<\/p>\n

Today, French runs South Pond Farms<\/a>, a \u201cculinary destination\u201d for barn weddings, retreats and special events like bread-baking and wreath-making workshops. Annual revenue is close to C$900,000 (about $680,000).\u00a0 Eldest daughter Carlyle, 25, has joined her in the business, serving as her operations manager. And much to her surprise, French is starting to get plenty of inquiries — from women (many in the U.S.) who want to launch a business just like hers.<\/p>\n

[Related: Growing a Home-Based Multimillion-Dollar Business<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople say, “I’ve got a garage. I’ve got a barn. I want to do something. How do you do it? How do you get started?” says French. So last year, she decided to host a \u201cDesign Your Escape<\/a>\u201d masterclass at South Pond Farm, at a cost of $1,500 per attendee, and posted it on social media. \u201cI sold out the 2-day workshop in a few days,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Women flew in from as far away as Utah and Arizona — and it was emotional, as many wanted to start a business in their home or on a dream property because they felt unfulfilled in their chosen careers. Still others were empty nesters who now had the time and the space to chase a dream.\u00a0 \u201cMy partner Shawn [Sutcliffe] would drop by and ask why people were there — and every time, there was a lot of tears. There was a lot of emotion,\u201d French says, with a laugh. \u201cI felt like I was on an \u2018Oprah\u2019 show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teaching Home Business Opportunities<\/h5>\n

After 10 years of running South Pond Farms, French has plenty of advice for those who want to open B&Bs or host rustic weddings or simply run home-based workshops. Since the initial workshop last fall, she has run the masterclass four more times and is contemplating offering a retreat-based \u201cDesign Your Escape\u201d experience in 2020, possibly with panel discussions.<\/p>\n

French\u2019s first tip — and she learned this the hard way — is to \u201creally understand, firstly, what your zoning is. Are you able to do what you want to do?\u201d And if so, \u201chow much is it going to cost you to be compliant?\u201d She recommends consulting a specialist, such as a planner familiar with the ins-and-outs of agritourism, a field that is growing in popularity as farmers try to diversify and increase profits. Accountants and bookkeepers can also be helpful. \u201cReaching out to other people and gathering information is important,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

While she personally loves the high-stakes business of hosting weddings, French cautions that it\u2019s not for everyone. \u201cI am definitely a negative Nelly on weddings,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople think they can do it, but it\u2019s a whole different ball game.\u201d For those who want to run wedding venues, she advises that they come up with \u201creally solid projections over the next 5 years — are you just going to rent your space out, or are you going to have food? Understand what you\u2019re going to do and what the costs are to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

[Related: Resources for Starting a Business<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

French says she renovated her property over time, using reclaimed materials to lower costs, and hosting events that would often pay for the next improvement. Her godmother, who lives in Germany, also helped fund some of the refurbishing. \u201cA barn is not meant for people. It’s meant for animals,\u201d she says. The biggest outlay? Installing restrooms and a septic system for 140 guests. \u201cIt took time, and it definitely took money.\u201d<\/p>\n

For business success, French recommends finding a profitable niche. \u201cMy love is creating farm-to-table food,\u201d she says. \u201cI thought my niche was going to be people coming here for dinner.\u201d But especially in her rural setting, it wasn\u2019t sustainable. \u201cPeople aren\u2019t going to be paying $300 a night for dinner.\u201d Her niche is now two-fold — young women who want a pastoral place to be married, and older people who want to experience a taste of farm life via lunch or a workshop. (She also rents cabins to overnight guests who come to hike and rejuvenate.)<\/p>\n

French says she connects with both niche audiences because she can easily communicate her passion for South Pond Farms — and she says anyone interested in turning their home base into an event space needs to feel the same. \u201cI love where I live and the beauty of this land,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s the perfect backdrop for your most romantic day. If you get tired of that, people will realize that right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\r\n\t\tRead Full Transcript<\/i><\/span><\/a>\r\n\t\t
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Danielle: The traditional ways of small, boutique farming is just not viable any longer. Everyone that I know here gets into a car and goes away for work, and is not able to stay on the farm. What I really was striving for is to be able to keep my car parked. My farm was going to be a place where it offered enough for us to be able to sustain ourselves and our family.<\/p>\n

TEXT: Danielle French \u2013 Founder of South Pond Farms \u2013 Ontario, Canada<\/p>\n

Danielle: South Pond Farms is a culinary destination. We offer country weddings, celebrations, farm-to-table food, workshops teaching people how to use the food that is grown in this area to be a sustainable business.<\/p>\n

TEXT: As a child, Danielle spent summers with her grandparents in Michigan.<\/p>\n

Danielle: My grandparents, they had this 100 acre farm. I loved being there. My grandmother made bread everyday. All of these years I've been so influenced by my grandmother, wanting to grow my own food, cook on a wood stove, all that sort of stuff.<\/p>\n

TEXT: Danielle studied anthropology at McGill University in Montreal.<\/p>\n

TEXT: She moved to Toronto, married and had four daughters.<\/p>\n

Danielle: I loved where we lived and loved how we spent our time, but I also felt that it was like a real fast-paced road to adulthood, and that I wanted to just slow it down. The only way that I could figure out how to do that was to move to the country. We found this place and I fell in love with the land here.<\/p>\n

TEXT: Shortly after moving to the farm, Danielle\u2019s marriage broke up.<\/p>\n

Danielle: The land was absolutely crumbling. The barn was falling down. I needed to make this work. I thought, \u201cI have a nice kitchen. I can fit some people in there. I can cook.\u201d <\/p>\n

TEXT: Danielle started Farm Flavors, preparing and delivering baskets of prepared meals.<\/p>\n

Danielle: So, I never did a proper business plan. I never did the math on this. It just felt like it was good experience. I could cook for more people than my own family. I was learning a little bit about the math and how to cost something out. I just felt like I was doing something completely on my own.<\/p>\n

TEXT: Six months into her new business, a local food inspector asked if she had a proper commercial kitchen.<\/p>\n

Danielle: I said, \u201cWell, yikes. That's going to be a situation.\u201d I was selling food to the public and I didn't have a handwashing station. I didn't have a proper hooded stove.<\/p>\n

TEXT: Shawn Sutcliffe, a local contractor, helped her convert a shed into a professional kitchen.<\/p>\n

Danielle: It took me over probably about 18 months to really do all the things that were required of me. The biggest requirement was actually putting in washrooms, and a septic system for 140 guests.<\/p>\n

TEXT: Danielle and Shawn became partners and began restoring the barn.<\/p>\n

Danielle: People had heard that I had the barn, and they wanted to come and use the barn to be married. And I thought, \u201cHey, I can do this. I can cook for 140 people. No problem. I can do this.\u201d I was absolutely terrified. I bluffed my way through.<\/p>\n

TEXT: In 2012 Danielle started South Pond Farms. <\/p>\n

TEXT: She began hosting weddings to pay for more improvements to the farm.<\/p>\n

Danielle: I was able to start offering what my dream was: to create brunches and dinners, for people to come and sit here, and enjoy that food. And that we would try to grow as much of our own food as possible.<\/p>\n

TEXT: The company also offers cooking classes, workshops and accommodation. <\/p>\n

TEXT: Annual revenue is close to C$900,000.<\/p>\n

Danielle: People have lost their sense of connection to agriculture. We've lost it, and we want it back. We want a little, tiny piece, and we drive out of the city to go to the country, to pick an apple, to eat a carrot, to have a meal, or simply just absorb it. I think that's what people are looking for.<\/p>\n<\/p>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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