I recently entered to be selected as the recipient of a GoSkills Women in Entrepreneurship Scholarship. It was called the "Be The Boss" Scholarship! The application was fun to fill out and I shared a lot about Oak Barn Beef. I thought it would be fun to share my answers with you all! They are from the heart and tell a lot about my entrepreneurship journey. The questions are bolded and my answers are below.
Tell us about yourself. (2-3 sentences)
When a third grader from a rural community told me, Hannah Esch, that eggs came from cows because they were next to the milk in the grocery store, I realized the huge educational gap between producers and consumers, and the opportunity I have to connect with consumers who want to be connected with where their food comes from. So then, Oak Barn Beef was born. After this realization, I started selling my family’s beef directly to consumers on a nationwide level through our e-commerce website.
Tell us all the reasons you’re scared of starting your business. What’s holding you back?
I started mine about a year and a half ago! The biggest thing that was holding me back was the worry that I didn't know enough. When I realized that almost everyone feels that way, I was excited to jump into it and do my best to learn as much as I can while I build this.
Who’s your female boss role model and why?
Ever since I was little, I loved Rosie the Riveter! Rosie’s image with the saying “We Can Do It” was to empower women during WWII to join the workforce. I was encouraged to pursue my dreams in agriculture by having strong role models, specifically women. My mom showed me the power of being a hard-working woman, great mother, and an overall honorable person which made me see firsthand that you can do whatever you put your heart into. When I began working on this idea, I basically found my dream business- Five Marys Farms. Five Marys Farms is a ranch in California that ships their farm beef, pork, and lamb across the United States. Although they didn't offer an internship program, I asked and they accepted a crazy Nebraska girl to move to Northern California for the summer. It is here that I learned the ins-and-outs of a farm-to-table operation and gained a powerful mentor that helped me launch Oak Barn Beef to where it is today. My internship with Five Marys Farms also showed me the power of being confident in yourself. Mary at Five Mary’s Farm owns her own business, works hard, and is a great mother to her four girls. I can't tell you how many comments I received when I got back home from that summer that I was so much more confident. Mary and my mom were great examples that I can be a great {future} mom and successful in the business world, which is such a powerful thing for young females to know!
Anything you’d like to add?
I am a strong believer that role models are essential to the development of young women. Programs like this that highlight women in business are so powerful, so thank you for your time and dedication to empowering women in business.
Please leave your thoughts, comments, or your own story in the comments. I would really love to hear from you!
My name is Julie, and I work for Oak Barn Beef—mostly on Saturdays. I got the job last fall when my volleyball coach recommended me to Hannah. I expected the job would involve helping customers buy their beef and keeping the store clean. Nice and simple, right?
Wrong.
Little did I know how much heart goes into keeping this store running.
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