If you think about it, a farmer and an entrepreneur are both similar in many ways. While I was writing this also noticed some differences — listed those below.
What is same?
| A Farmer | An Entrepreneur |
| Sows a seed | Comes up with an idea |
| Plants seed in a field | Idea is planted in human mind |
| Waters the field and adds manure/fertilizer to create right environment for the seed to grow | Applies skills, and brings the idea to life by using resources, and power of network etc |
| Waits and nurtures | Waits and nurtures |
| When required seeks advice from elders (experts) | When stuck reaches out to mentors and those who have done it before |
| Has access to better tools and sources of information (all of it has made farming easier than ever) | Has cheaper technology, tools and a level playing field more than ever (today if you have an idea, you can launch a startup sitting in a chair without moving) |
| Can choose right soil, location (geography), quality of seed and ensure better output | Can choose right clusters, technology and team to increase chances of success |
What is different?
| A Farmer | An Entrepreneur |
| Has a simple learning curve | Has a complex learning curve |
| Needs to sow seeds on a regular basis (every year or once every six months) | May spend years, decades even nurturing and building on a single idea |
| Tackles fewer variables (weather, quality of seed) | Comes across more variables (market, competition, quality of resources, timing) |
| Expects normal results ( and normal growth) | Can expect exponential growth |
| Works in an environment where results are mostly predictable | Works in a space where results are unpredictable |
Which one would you like be (if not already doing something similar)?
Dear Mohit,
Everyone has their their own view and reach about being farmer or entrepreneur. A good farmer can be a good entrepreneur, though in limited area with seed or soil. Farmer turns into an entrepreneur when takes charges of variety of things out of soil.
Ranjan, I am with you on this. Already there are many farmers across the world who are turning agri-preneurs. Then there are people who are coming from other fields and turning agri-preneurs. There are some who are raise their own crops, add value and then sell final products to the customers. There are many who are using this model but the name that comes to mind is of http://www.cafegratitude.com/.
In fact there is a movie about one Frank Ferrante whose life was transformed by the employees of this cafe. The process was filmed and made into a inspiring movie (http://mayibefrankmovie.com/).
I would better turn to a an Organic agri-preneur provided I had the land……but as of now I am loving my current state of entrepreneurship – challenging & complex! Only worrying factor is when you say, “May spend years, decades even nurturing and building on a single idea” 😀
Jigyasa, you can start with http://www.windowfarms.org/.
About spending years on a single idea: after initial 18 – 48 months you may find time and resources to diversify or invest in a project that you love. Who knows if your startup becomes REALLY BIG then you may not want to anything else as challenges and excitement should be enough to keep you engaged.