13 Jan Reflecting on 2016 at Bent Arrow

It seems so basic, but the reality is we could have kept going back and forth about how we could– or should- play the whole thing out. We already had sat on the idea for a little while. It was time to take action or we both knew that we ran the risk that we never would.

A big contributor to finally moving forward and getting the farm off the ground was enlisting a little help from Stephanie at Whim and Proper Design. Stephanie helped us with branding and the website’s creation.

I met Stephanie when we were seated next to each other in a calligraphy class late last February. We quickly got to talking and when I learned what she did, I told her we needed to stay in touch. About a month later we were reviewing a contract for her services and her steps for success in the creation of logos and website design.

What was so great is that her process made Adam and I sit down, think about and create actual mission statements. She had us define our values, who our ideal customer is and more. These were ideas that were always floating around and passed across the dinner table, but never put on paper. It was a great exercise.

What was not great? The timing.

Just waiting on the arrival of baby humans after the arrival of baby chicks in late March.

We had our first son, Theo, on April 21st. Right as we went under contract with Stephanie. I naively thought this was no big deal… it’s not like I was going to be working, right?

Well. Motherhood came and I found myself- bleary eyed and recovering from an emergency c-section as well as an extended hospital stay due to a scary few days where I fought off seizures thanks to a diagnosis of somewhat rare postpartum preeclampsia- but, still drafting up mission statements and content for the website on my phone during marathon nursing sessions and late nights in the glider.

I sort of skated over the whole ordeal there. Honestly, it’s on purpose. That time was so hard. Mentally, physically and emotionally. I look back at emails from that time and see communication about the creation of the website from May 3 and think, “What the heck was I doing?!” I had finally come home from ten days in the hospital just four days earlier.

But, in a time that was so new, foreign and hard for me, it was actually the one thing that made me feel like myself. Highly capable, creative, and excited. I needed it.

Having Stephanie’s involvement also made us think about details we normally would not have been brought to our attention. It gave us a timeline and an accountability partner telling us to get things done. And, most importantly, she was there and told us that it was time to launch.

At the end, her email titled “Let’s Launch This Thing!” gave me butterflies for all the right reasons. Instead of fear, it was like a hug from a good friend saying, “Girl. You got this.”

Another goal during this time of my maternity leave was to get everything set up with the government for certifications, to get all the legal details in line and to get a bank account set up.

Getting the creative details under control with a very, very newborn was hard; but, this was even harder.

Nothing throughout this part of the process was straightforward. Even when I called agencies, I couldn’t get straight answers. I zigzagged through legal jargon and found the pieces finally falling into place. That being said… If I had suggestions for any new business owner, it’s to be prepared for a headache during this part. Be very organized. And, don’t give up, convincing yourself that the IRS would never come after your little, bitty farm— like I may or may not have thought about doing on at least three different occasions… but, that’s just me.

So finally, in June, the details were in place and the brand was officially launched. It was such a fun and exciting time. And, from that day we hit the ground running, learning something new every step of the way.

I visited with Chefs in Kokomo and Indianapolis. We both were so proud to have our products on menus at restaurants such as The Cerulean, Oscar’s Pizza, The Garden Table and Mesh on Mass throughout 2016.

We were surprised to learn that so much new business would come from farmersmarket.com and we have loved connecting with our new customers through this community.

Getting garlic orders ready for farmersmarket.com

Adam learned so much about raising animals on a larger scale this year. We had never had so many creatures alive at one time on our property. We learned their quirks. (Like, did you know that you actually have to teach baby turkey’s how to drink water…?) Even just the way we purchased feed and bedding had to change. Adam quickly picked up methods to help get everything accomplished in the most efficient way without sacrificing quality.

Speaking of quality… We loved hearing from our customers throughout the year. we heard how the pork they ordered is the best they have ever had. One woman wrote to me gushing about how beautiful the garlic bulbs were. Artsy shots of our eggs can be found on Instagram and I love the texts of your brunches and dinners where BAA eggs are the star.

From our good friend, Sara, at sarabytheseason.com

But, it wasn’t all successes: We also faced quite a bit of adversity.

This past spring was cold. Adam did his best to provide the most comfort to the new piglets in late March, building structures to block the biting wind and using tons of hay for bedding. He even would wake up at three AM, worried, and hop on the UTV to check on them. Despite his efforts and lost sleep, two pigs did not survive the first few weeks.

We experienced an awful day this fall when a neighbor’s dog wondered into the pasture the laying hens were frolicking in. Eighty six hens that had just started laying beautiful green, blue and chocolate brown eggs a few weeks prior, were killed in a matter of moments. It was a huge loss. We were so upset from a potential income perspective and also to see something we had tended to for months purposlessly perish.

Such an awful day.

It also helped to remind both of us of that transedantal thing we have learned from the last few years of gardening and raising animals: life, while wonderful, beautiful and miraculous, is also so fragile.

Through the up’s and down’s, we are so thankful for this first year. We have learned so much about ourselves and about farming. Things that we know will continue to help make us strong.

We are also so thankful for all our great customers and supporters. We couldn’t have made Bent Arrow Acres into what it is today without you. Thank you for your support, encouragement, shares and more. Keep sharing your stories and cooking adventures with Bent Arrow’s products! It motivates us more than you will ever know.

Coming up in the next post we will share our exciting plans and goals for 2017!

A great new sign that Adam’s sibling’s gifted him for his 30th birthday.