As I walk through the journey of entrepreneurship, I often find myself thinking about farming.

Many people today — especially in urban areas — rarely consider where their food comes from. The process from seed to harvest is often invisible. But behind every meal is a story of unseen labor, discipline, unpredictability, and resilience. And at the heart of that story is the farmer — someone who wakes up early, prepares the ground, studies the weather, and plants anyway, even when outcomes aren’t guaranteed.

Farmers are some of the strongest people I know — not just physically, but mentally.

They wrestle with:

• The uncertainty of climate and seasons
• The condition of their soil
• The quality of their seeds
• The risks of drought or flood
• The economics of selling what they grow

Still, they keep showing up.
Still, they prepare the field.
Still, they believe the harvest will come.

MY TIME AT FRESNO STATE: LEARNING FROM THE SOIL

I didn’t grow up on a farm. But my time attending Fresno State gave me a front-row seat to the world of agriculture in ways I didn’t expect.

At the time, Fresno State was recognized globally — not only as a top-tier business school with one of the top entrepreneurial programs in the world — but also for its legacy as one of the leading agricultural universities, located in the heart of California’s Central Valley: the “breadbasket of the world.”

Though I didn’t take formal Ag classes, I was surrounded by farms and animals right on campus — each located in their respective areas. I had conversations with Ag students, visited campus vineyards and dairies, and slowly started to absorb the mindset behind food production:

• The hard work
• The systems
• The discipline
• And most importantly, the community it takes to build a thriving, sustainable ecosystem.

That environment helped me see deeper connections between entrepreneurship and agriculture. I realized: growing a business is a lot like growing crops.

Both require:

• Planning
• Patience
• Daily diligence
• And faith that your work will bear fruit — even when you don’t see it yet

But no farm flourishes alone.
And no company does either.

What farming taught me is that growth isn’t just individual — it’s communal.
You need a healthy environment, trusted relationships, and shared insight to build something that lasts.

THE MENTAL FRAMEWORK: FROM SOIL TO STRATEGY

Whether you’re farming or building a business, you’re going to face adversity.
What matters is how you show up in the face of uncertainty.

• Will you give up when the forecast changes?
• Will you trust the process when results aren’t instant?
• Will you work the field, even when no one’s watching?

The more knowledge, support, and systems you put in place, the more clarity you’ll gain about the yield you’re working toward. But not everything is in your control.

That’s where faith becomes the X-factor.

Faith is what keeps you grounded when the outcome is unclear.
Faith is what strengthens you when the work feels thankless.
Faith is what fuels perseverance when motivation fades.

It’s not just about having a big dream.
It’s about having a strong root system.

THE DAILY TOIL

We all have seeds we’re planting — in business, in relationships, in our purpose.

You may not see growth today.
You may feel like your efforts are invisible.
But trust this:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
— Galatians 6:9

Keep planting.
Keep watering.
Keep believing. Your harvest is on the way.

— Early Boykins III