Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Juan Lacey, founder, and CEO of Farms Close By, located in McKeesport, PA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Farms Close By is a hybrid, hyper-local focused vertical and controlled environment agriculture farm that will leverage robotics to stabilize a hub-and-spoke operation to focus on reversing the negative effects of food deserts by placing our spoke operations or satellite micro-grocery store / micro-farms inside food deserts. It is our intention to provide an effective path for African Americans (and other minorities), women, and veterans to become franchise owners. We hope to effectively dramatically increase the number of African-American farmers, that has been at a national low number since the first two decades after 1900.

Needless to say, our primary customers are the growing number of people across the US who are living in food deserts. With that said, our larger pool of customers is any people who desire to improve their health through the use of natural foods.

Tell us about yourself

I grew up in New Jersey and witnessed many of my family members die from cancer. My own Maternal-Grandmother was one of those people. Then later, I was hired by Sam's Club, where I worked in their Produce Department, where I encountered a person who introduced me to the idea of aquaponics. I found that aquaponics was a very viable idea for all high-density population areas but realized that the systems did not have the compressed advantage of vertical farming systems. So, in my search for such a system, I discovered that I could create a business devoted to an assortment of proven systems that could adapt to existing building conditions in all cities. Over time I added the use of greenhouses to grow stem produce (tomatoes, strawberries, and eventually peppers and cucumbers. With an assortment of organically grown produce, we'll be able to help many people to improve their health like that my Grandmother.

But, it goes further than that. I have found out that people living in food deserts have been without wholesome food for so long that many of them need assistance to both properly select the best fresh food and also to prepare them in meals. So, we are going to create a series of cooking videos in our own Ghost Kitchens in our hubs to educate food desert residents to gain the most benefits from eating our food. My motivation comes from the desire to help people live better. This goes for our customers as well as our employees. We will be providing free Day Care services and giving our employees life improvement training classes like money management training courses.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner has been the creation of a plan and team of people to execute a very unique business plan that will grow sustainable jobs and create wealth in neighborhoods that, in many cases, have been neglected and left behind,

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing having to do with being a business owner is staying on the course and being a patient person, especially when you see others achieving success and knowing that you have a winning idea. Time over time, I have been rewarded for my patience and for not settling on the first option that comes along.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

I would recommend to anyone about to start a business to find something that both excites them and will truly improve the lives of people. Second, I would tell anyone to make sure that they study their competition to learn from their mistakes. And third, I would tell anyone to find a group of people to advise them who are not going to be intimidated, to tell the truth concerning any matter.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I believe that over the course of the past 15 years working on this business concept, I have learned that a truly good idea is not just a good idea at the beginning of the idea cycle but also will last the test of time. And, during that test of time, one should not be afraid to evolve or change the business idea in order to see it improve. After all, a good idea is a good idea when it was first hatched as well as how it appears in its current stage of development.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.farmscloseby.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarmsCloseBy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juanlacey/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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