Today's Idea Can Become Tomorrow's Passion

A Life Worth Living | Apr 15, 2022

Every Saturday I share a story about my life in a way that you can hopefully relate to. I believe we are all here to share our journey, both the highs and the lows, as this is how we collectively raise the consciousness of the planet. If anything resonates with you, please share! 🙏 (5 minute read)

The date was March 26, 2020.

I don't think I need to remind you where we were collectively as a planet. And of this overwhelming feeling of the unknown. It was a scary time for sure.

I had been planning a new podcast on the topic of vertical farming and I remember asking one of my very first guests, David Farquhar, CEO of IGS, if he still wanted to go ahead with the interview.

Thankfully, he said yes.

And so there we were, me at my desk in Minneapolis, and he in his home office in Edinburgh, Scotland. We ended up having a lovely conversation and David would go on to make 2 additional appearances on the show.

I've shared the full story in a previous letter, which I encourage you to read.

Celebrating Milestones

In March of this year, I celebrated 3 years of the Vertical Farming Podcast. I've interviewed over 100 CEOs and Founders of the leading indoor farming companies from around the world.

This week, we launch Season 8 of the show. I've now attended multiple indoor farming conferences and have a few more scheduled this year.

So many reasons to celebrate and to be grateful. It's a strange feeling to have visibility in an industry where I consider myself a relative newcomer.

Building Community

This month, I started up the Vertical Farming Community group on LinkedIn.

This idea of creating spaces for newcomers feels like it's connected to early childhood somehow. While cultural diversity is rewarded and celebrated nowadays, when I think back to my grade school days in the 80's, there are definitely awkward memories of feeling out of place, especially as child of immigrant parents (and an immigrant myself).

I think of those days every single time I have someone email me to tell me how much they enjoy one of shows. I get the sense that sometimes these folks feel bad about 'bothering' me or saying something to the effect of 'I know you're super busy, but I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me.'

In my mind I'm like, 'are you kidding me?' I've been in that situation before, where I've reached out to folks whose work I admired. Suffice it to say, I've had mixed results and reactions.

The other driver for starting the community was the growing awareness of the potential within the vertical farming industry.

Feeding the World

I interviewed Samuel Bertrand, CEO of OnePointOne, this week for an upcoming Vertical Farming Podcast episode. When I asked him about the inspiration for the name, he mentioned a stat that he and his brother came across early in their research: 1.1 billion people began this millennium hungry.

Sonia Lo, CEO of Unfold, whose interview kicks off Season 8, talked about the Total Addressable Market (or TAM) for indoor farming. This is a common term used when talking to investors about the possibilities available within an industry.

What her team came up with, when calculating the total number of 'farms of scale' that would be needed in North America alone, it totaled 1,100. In Sonia's words, "We haven't even hit 50 farms. There is a vast runway ahead of us."

When I think about the opportunities available in this space, it truly feels like an exciting time and there's no shortage of ideas I'm thinking up on a daily basis. I do have to be careful to not overextend myself.

Start Your New Passion Today

So while I'll be the first one to admit that my entry into this space started from a business perspective, the connections I've made, and conversations I've had, have really opened my eyes to what's possible.

What I want to remind you of is that none of this was on my radar 3 years ago.

So take those chances, pull those threads and follow your passion. Even if it's not clearly defined at the outset.

I'm a firm believe that the universe rewards momentum

🙏 with gratitude,

Harry

This Week's Sponsor

Have your own newsletter? This amazing resource pays you when the people you recommend subscribe. Whoa.

What I Created This Week

🎧 Vertical Farming Podcast sponsored by Cultivatd

As mentioned, I also started up the Vertical Farming Community on LinkedIn

🙋‍♀️ P.S. When You're Ready...

Here are a few of ways I can help…

✡️ Download a free copy of my Conscious Voice Expansion Plan. The most powerful way to transmit and elevate your voice is with a podcast. This plan will outline for you the pillars of success needed prior to the launch of your show!

🎥 Watch my free video, 5 Key Pillars of a Profitable Podcast that every business owner needs to know prior to launching their show.

🎙️ Subscribe to Podcast Junkies + Vertical Farming Podcast to hear inspiring stories guaranteed to make you a better host.

This week’s newsletter is brought to you by Beehiiv, the only email service provider with a built-in referral program. Explode the growth of your newsletter by using the most powerful persuasion tool out there, word of mouth. Start growing your newsletter faster here.