From Dairy Farming to Real Estate Investing
“Why did you switch your career over from Dairy Farming to Real Estate Investing?”
Many people have asked me this question over the past ten years, trying to figure out why I made the big move.
We enjoyed a very successful, prosperous multi-generational dairy farm for many years as a family. The experience we had building the dairy was definitely a very positive one and something that Dorli and I are very appreciative of. We were able to multiply the size of the dairy by over 500% from when we decided to be involved with the dairy to when we decided to sell it.
So, why in the world would we ever give up such a successful operation?
There are several reasons for this that I will outline below…
First, let’s look at things from the dairy side of the equation:
Although dairy farming is often perceived as a healthy way to raise a family, we found dairy farming to be quite demanding on our young family. Having such a big farm was very time-consuming for me. Whether it was the time I spent on the farm or the time I spent managing employees, time was spent away from my family, leaving Dorli the responsibility of parenting four kids by herself. We found this balance very hard and didn’t want that to continue for the rest of our lives.
Dairy Farming commanded our attention 24/7. We lacked the freedom we experience today. We didn’t have the flexibility to travel, go to the cottage, take a weekend off, go on a date together, attend all our kids’ extra-curricular events, etc. Dairy Farming came first too many times. There was always that sick cow, the tractor that wouldn’t start, the employee that didn’t show up for milking, etc., that we had to deal with that no matter what time of day it was.
Our kids didn’t really buy into the idea of dairying. The three girls (Emma, Josie, Mollie) really didn’t fall in love with the idea of dairy farming. Emma, to this day, reminds me of her experience with 4H (to be fair, I love 4H and what it teaches kids) and how the other three kids didn’t have to experience that. Jake was the exception to this. Today, Jake works for the local Custom Work farm and absolutely loves what he does. It makes me very happy to see him farming in some capacity today.
Dairy Farming was extremely controlled by the government. With the quota system in place both the price of milk and the amount of milk a single farm could produce was determined by the government that we had no control over. Simply put, I couldn’t maximize my entrepreneurial skills in this business. Having said that, our growth came from creative financing we used when the banks said no! Raising capital started when we were dairy farming, no doubt about that.
A family dairy farm business is incredibly difficult to turn over to the next generation. My experience with Grand Valley Fortifiers showed me exactly how difficult this was. Most dairy farms struggle with dealing with non-farming family members, that don’t have the skills or strategies to make this transition a success. The bigger the farm, the bigger the problem, and we were a BIG dairy by comparison.
So, now let’s discuss why Real estate was the choice of career for me:
Real estate can be easily turned over to the next generation. My four kids are now playing Monopoly in real life. That is an awesome feeling for me!
Real estate brings out entrepreneurial skills, specifically selling! I love sales and the joy that provides in my life.
If you are going to be involved in Real estate, you have to raise capital, and I love the thrill and challenge that provides.
You can’t have a successful Real estate career without Financial Education! The Rich Dad Poor Dad program is all about financial education, and I love learning things that I never learned in school or from my parents.
I love how there is a variety of ways to make money with Real estate.
I love how my kids have many avenues and the choice to pursue Real estate.
We now have the freedom to carry out our business wherever and whenever we want to.
We are now out of the Rat Race of a job because Real Estate has created enough passive income to exceed our daily living expenses, and we no longer need to “go to work trading time for money.”
Real Estate / Financial Education allows me to share what I know with others! I get to serve people and help them find solutions to their financial problems and find opportunities that they cannot find on their own. That is a real blessing in my life!
So, there you have it! The switch from dairy farming was a HUGE decision for Dorli and I at the time. As big a move as that was, we would never go back and give up what Real estate has created for us.
If you or anyone you know would like some help with some tough financial or career choices, we would be more than happy to reach out to you and discuss these issues. We believe we have some real solutions for people seeking some tough answers to life’s questions when it comes to how we are pursuing financial freedom.
Kind Regards,
John Heeney
Glenroe Lending
“We build LEGACY to create TRANQUILITY”
john@glenroelending.ca
519 808 7370
