Profitable Farmer

Hi [First Name], 12 years ago, as I hung my shingle as the first business coach in regional Australia, Danny Russell, then a 28-year-old budding entrepreneur with a small cleaning company knocks on my door to tell me he is going to be my first client! …and the rest is history. A cracking entrepreneur and now emerging property developer, Danny & his wife Jill, have become life-long friends and truly inspirational peers and mentors to both Jane & I. In this episode, Danny and I discuss: the humblest of beginnings a global search finding family valuing the little things being grateful for what we have nailing entrepreneurship being resilient and stating the course fearlessness & being courageous playing the long game leadership making a difference - to your team and to the community you serve During our business coaching journey together, Danny has taught me so much more than I have him… of that I am sure. For me, he is the most inspirational ‘cleaner’ in Australia. Simply put, Da

Leadership according to one of the all-time greats… In this podcast, I share some of the most compelling business leadership training I have ever learned. Several years ago (and 7 times since!), I attended an incredible Entrepreneurial Training Program called ‘Money & You’. It was here that I was first introduced to W. Edward Deming.  Deming was once the revered global authority on driving efficiency and quality in business. Many of the greatest companies in the world today are underpinned by Deming Leadership Principles. If these Leadership Principles are good enough for big-players like Toyota, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Ford and Gillette, then perhaps they are equally relevant for our family farming businesses? They certainly underpin the key principles we now teach at Farm Owners Academy, and I will welcome your feedback on the key points I cover. So join me on this episode as I reveal a different spin on leadership, and perhaps a new place to focus, as you embark on truly scaling your farm business o

Hello and welcome to our 60th episode! WOW! We are so proud to reach this milestone in the Profitable Farmer journey.    Over the past 3 years, the previous 59 Profitable Farmer episodes have been downloaded over 151,000 times and we have steadily built up a loyal fanbase and thousands of subscribers.  The topics we discuss each fortnight are even appealing to listeners outside of agriculture, which is surprising and reaffirming all at once. Thank you for the support, feedback and reviews you have provided along the way.   As the traditional gift given to celebrate a 60th anniversary is diamond, we have lined up a true Aussie diamond to commemorate this milestone.   In this special edition podcast, we are joined by self-proclaimed “ordinary Aussie”, this man is grounded, humble, and a true gent… Michael Crossland. Michael has lived a life full of adversity, pain and suffering yet is one of the most positive people I have ever encountered.   In today’s episode, Michael shares his unbelievable story

In the second of this important two-part series, I interview another small group of Farm Owners Academy Platinum Mastermind Members. This time the wonderful Women of FOA.... Across our community there are some incredible transformations occurring, and some incredible results being achieved – be they financial, on-farm, in-family or individually. It truly is a unique, positive, supportive and completely dedicated community of over 120 like-minded, growth-oriented farming families, each intently committed to an intensive 3-year business & personal development journey, and on making more money, building better businesses, stronger teams and achieving more fulfilment in their families and lives. In this podcast interview, I speak with Carissa Schneider, Marion Drew and Shaana Williams and ask them to share: their wins, their challenges, the results they’re getting, what they like most, what they value most, and why they joined in the first-place. As we invite just 12 more farming families to join

In an important two-part series, I interview two small groups of Farm Owners Academy Platinum Mastermind Members.   Firstly, the Men of FOA, and then the Women of FOA.   Across our community there are some incredible transformations occurring, and some incredible results being achieved – be they financial, on-farm, in-family or individually.   It truly is a unique, positive, supportive and completely dedicated community of over 120 like-minded, growth-oriented farming families, each intently committed to an intensive 3-year business & personal development journey, and on making more money, building better businesses, stronger teams and achieving more fulfilment in their families and lives.   In this first podcast interview, I speak with Nick Cook, Ben Taylor and Mark Carter and ask them to share: their wins, their challenges, the results they’re getting, what they like most, what they value most, and why they joined in the first-place.   As we invite just 25 more farming families to join

How important is your language as a farmer?   And how important are your words in enrolling your family & team to achieve all you hope & dream of in your life?   Have you ever really stopped to think about it?   In this episode, I interview another great mate of mine, James Kelly.  ‘JK’ is Managing Director of Alchimie – a global management consulting and leadership training organisation.   Having worked in, coached and trained the pinnacle of leadership teams within some of the largest construction projects across Australia and oversees, he is more than qualified to speak about how each of us can better communicate as leaders.   What JK shares with us is equally applicable within our farming teams, just as much as it is at the highest levels of commerce.   In this interview, JK & I explore: how to align teams to a common goal, how to bring multiple families and businesses together, what tangible things we need to do in order to make our future a reality, and how to engage with our

Out of 10, how do you rate your company’s culture, and what do you do in order to enhance & optimise it? Team and family culture is at the essence of how well our farming teams perform and achieve. Team and family culture can be the thing that truly sets you apart as a business in both your area and market. It’s ultimately an extension of you, and a legacy you can leave. At the same time, culture is intangible, and as a result so often neglected in our own leadership. In this podcast, we give you a taste of the type of training we provide to our clients as we take a sneak peek into our Take Control Program monthly business coaching session.  This month, we explored:   – what is team and family culture;  – how good is your culture;  – how do we rate it;  – what are the 4 core strategies you can focus on to enhance it; and  – what can be done to see you create a truly high-performing team and environment.   There are 4 core areas of business that can set the foundations for a great company and

I used to think being a leader meant that I had to know it all, have all the answers, control every decision, and work the hardest. I used to think leadership was an ‘intellectual game’ and mindfulness had no place in business… or leadership… or success in most things for that matter. I certainly didn’t make any time for it…how wrong I was!   On my journey in business and leadership, I now understand that our mental health and strength is of the utmost importance. I appreciate that removing the busyness, being able to truly focus, quietening the mind and looking after my mental wellbeing and mindset is fundamental to being a composed, confident and successful leader. In this podcast, I interview FOA Business Coach and founder of the Soul Pleaser Program, Tracy Secombe who is an irrefutable authority on this topic. I am also joined by FOA Platinum Mastermind Member and founder of The Abundant Farmer, Hayley Grosser who is an equally capable mentor and educator in this space. Together, we discuss the importa

We all have 2 or 3 people who truly inspire us, for me Ricky Dumigan is one of those people. An incredibly disciplined, dedicated, and resilient high-performance specialist; Ricky has trained elite military teams, the highest echelons of rugby and sport and some of the most significant executive leadership teams in our country. He is passionate about what it takes to nurture and create true cohesion and alignment within elite teams, and he has a wonderful ability to condense that down into bite-size chunks for people to learn from and use. Equally, he has achieved some amazing life challenges, including running Kokoda, kayaking Sydney to Brisbane, running marathons and extensive remote leadership retreats. In all of his accomplishments, Ricky has established a determination and mindset that supports incredible achievement for himself as a human. It is with real pleasure that I introduce a very good friend of mine to you, where we chat about what it takes to be at your best and lead great teams. Enjoy!

Covid-19 has had a profound effect on so many small business owners, big businesses, and economies across the globe. It has been fascinating to watch the markets over the past 4 months as this pandemic unfolds. In this podcast, I am delighted to welcome back our investment specialist, Terry Tran, founder of Freedom Trader. We discuss what has happened, how it’s impacted the stock market and his prediction for our recovery in the short and long-term. Terry provides us with a valuable insight on what do, where to look and how to make the most of opportunities for value-based investing in and around Australia and the global markets recovery. Terry’s an authority on value-based investing, mentoring hundreds of family businesses across Australia helping them truly diversify their interests and generate wealth off-farm. We hope Terry’s insights in this podcast help you navigate the Covid-19 recovery. If you would like to see for yourself what The Freedom Trader program is all about, Terry is hosting a l

In a special edition interview with Farm Owners Academy Co-Founder, Andrew Roberts, we explore the topic of MONEY in detail. So many of us have inherited negative mindsets and beliefs around money that are limiting and holding us back. Many of us don’t fully understand what money really is, and as a result, have a certain disrespect towards earning it, creating wealth, and achieving freedom. This is such an important topic, but so often NOT talked about. Andrew shares his experience of ‘getting it wrong’ in his younger years, then committing to learning the essential skills and disciplines needed to creating wealth long-term. Andrew also shares what you need to focus on to achieve base-level financial mastery, and introduces FOA’s Farm Financial Framework, and how to be part of this first-class training that launches on Friday 3rd July (limited spaces remaining).  You can learn more by clicking here. Enjoy! Jeremy

Wool prices have been adversely affected in recent months by the Covid-19 pandemic, no doubt with the potential to severely impact wool producers in the short-term. In this interview, I speak with leading fine wool producer Cameron England, owner of Lyndall Park near Kingston, SE South Australia. Cameron and his incredible family have been members of the Farm Owners Academy Platinum Mastermind Program (an exclusive farm-business masterclass) for the past three years. During that time, they have invested heavily in their own development, embraced their learning, and have established themselves, not only as leading members of our growing community, but also within Australia’s elite farming community. Their inter-generational story speaks for itself, and the benchmark performance results they are achieving, both production and financial, are a credit to Cameron and Katie, and their farm business team. Importantly, Cameron and Katie prioritise family and freedom. Their focus is on building a legacy for future

There is no doubt a ground-swell of real confidence across our industry is increasing…about bloody time! Much of this, I believe, is the result of real optimism and a positive outlook for the red meat sectors. In this podcast I interview Tom Bull, founder of Lambpro. Based at Kinross Station in Holbrook NSW, Tom and his family are great friends to Jane & I, dating back to intense games of touch footy on the beach over summer holidays at the coast as kids. The Lambpro story is significant and compelling, beginning 35 years ago when Tom was just eight. A self-starter, big-thinker, compelling leader, and outstanding businessman…Tom and Lambpro's contribution to sheep-meat advancement and the Australian Lamb Industry is significant and inspiring. With over 2,500 premium ram sales annually (with the goal to reach 3,000 this year), and 900,000 lambs to be born this year across his national sheep-meat producing client base, the Lambpro business continues to break new ground and lead the industry with and fo

The Covid-19 pandemic is impacting our communities and our economy in ways we have never experienced before. All experts agree, we are in largely un-chartered waters… in comparison to the GFC, the recession, wars and even the depression. Only time will determine the extent of this global crisis, and how quickly Australia can bounce back and recover compared to other nations within our global economy. In this podcast, Greg Johnsson and I speak with Peter Koulizos – a renowned property market analyst, researcher, investor, developer, author, academic and educator. As a property expert and active participant, Peter explores: the impact of Covid-19 on residential, commercial and property development markets – supply and demand predictions at this time, how it is affecting the various categories of individual investors, his take on the flow-on effect this will have within the property sector and beyond, the harsh reality of what these outcomes will mean for the broader economy, the importance of a pr

I was chatting to a farmer the other day, who in conversation made 3 bold and cocky statements… saying them as if he had some badge of honour: “I don’t have time for office work”, “I have no interest in the numbers… I leave that to the missus”, and “It’s all another language to me… I leave it to the pen-pushers”. At the same time, he was commenting about how chaotic their life was… and how he… “makes decisions based on instinct & gut-feel rather than on analysis & ‘number-crunching…’”. I didn’t say it… perhaps I should have… but all I was thinking was “what a bloody peanut”. If you are serious about business and dedicated to being the absolute best farm owner you can be, then being financially illiterate is a sure way to NEVER get there.   NOW MORE THAN EVER FARMING IS A BUSINESS.   CEO’s of ALL successful companies study financial management constantly. Intense analysis, feasibility studies, financial performance monitoring, decision-modelling, forecasting and benchmarking is one of t

We find ourselves in unprecedented times, like no other in recent history. Crazy, in many ways... following prolonged drought and recent fire events. It is our view that we will navigate this well as a nation. We will handle this strongly as an industry. We are resilient and fortunate at this time to be farmers. Please be sure to look out for those around us more adversely affected. In this Podcast, I interview Managing Partner & Financing Specialist, David Charge from Sprout Agribusiness. David and his team are Commercial Financing Specialists to Australian Agribusiness, supporting farming families across Australia. David is measured and pragmatic, and his advice and assessment of this current crisis is both thoughtful and thorough. He offers us some strong support and guidance as farmers at this time. In this interview, David & I explore: The impact of Covid-19 on Agriculture, How to best navigate this crisis as a farming business, State and federal assistance / concessions now available to y

Simply this is a MUST LISTEN TO Podcast. Right now, FEAR and ANXIETY is at a peak, and very real for many / most of us. Fever pitch even... and only amplified by media at this time. How we manage our own mental state and deal with the emotions of fear and anxiety is so very important at this time - for us, for those around us and as a local and national community. I interview our Head Coach and Mindset Specialist Tracy Secombe and we explore this important issue. Importantly Tracy shares with us: - What fear is and how it turns up for us, - How we experience anxiety, and - How we can manage both of them and change our state of mind. More deeply we explore how we can find gratitude, optimism and meaning at this time, and what tools we can use to remove fear and anxiety from our current reality. The most important thing we can do right now is to be self-aware, manage our own energy, and ensure we turn up to our family and loved ones with perspective and strength. As parents, sons & daughters and f

Trust is critical to any high-performing team.  Equally, it is essential to effective family-farming businesses...   Do you have a strong basis of trust and mutual respect within your farm team?   Like a muscle, trust can be worked on and strengthened over time.   Most of us just don’t know how, or where, to start.   To expand further on the topic of farm succession, I once again speak with Tony Catt, Director of Catapult Wealth, and we explore: why trust is essential to effective succession planning, how trust is broken, the 3 communication and trust ‘killers’, how to build trust where it has previously been absent, the important roles each of us play within the family to nurture a culture of trust and respect.   Tony suggests that sometimes our focus should temporarily move away from important succession conversations until a basis of trust is re-established.   We also explore the notion that all of this is just good, professional business practice. Again, we have so much to learn from businesse

Succession is a misunderstood and very challenging issue for many Australian farming families. Many of us have tried this and had a negative experience and therefore choose to lock it down, not discuss inter-generational transfer at all and get on with running the farm... rather than constructively planning for the future together.   In this podcast, we interview Managing Director of Catapult Wealth, Tony Catt.  Tony is an expert on farm succession and is passionate about helping farming families proactively develop a plan for their futures together.   Tune in as we explore:   Why this is so challenging for so many, What farm succession really is, Through good business practice and 'governance' we can make succession more successful for families, The 4 clear, written plans we really need to make this truly effective in practice, Why the younger generation might need to be respectful and patient in the process, How to include family members and bring them along for the ride, How frequently to be di

Implementation is the key to success!   In today’s podcast, I chat with Andrew and discuss the importance of realising, accepting and overcoming your fears in order reach your potential in all areas of your life. We explore the concept of fear and how this holds us back, especially the fear of failure in business.   Join us as we dive deeper into: How perfectionism can hold you back - most people tend to procrastinate because of this, as they worry about making the wrong decision   How you can set up systems to help you make concise decisions, this requires thinking, which most people don’t like to do – most farmers prefer to DO rather than THINK!   Implementation is the key to success, not the decision making however this is still a very critical part.   Never allow a year, a quarter, a week or a day go by without planning it first - this is the KEY to succeeding - yet most people don’t do this.   Stop using excuses to set your goals later - do it NOW!   The power of 10-year, 3-year and 1