Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Nine years in. Healthy business. And I still wake up some mornings sure it's all going to disappear by Friday.
This is the story of a rule I lived by for fifteen years: good things end, so always be building the next thing. It sounds responsible. It sounds like exactly what a smart business owner is supposed to do. But when I finally read the scoreboard, the instinct I trusted — diversify, hedge, always build the next thing — has a losing record. And the instinct I was scared of — pick one thing and commit — is the one that paid.
A finance job lost to a buyout. A conference business that failed. And Modern Grower — the one I went deepest on and stayed with. The fear pattern-matched all three as "thing I care about, could go away." But they're not even the same category. One was someone else's company in a boom-bust industry. One was a cold start with no audience. And the one that worked is years-proven with a moat.
The fear was earned. It's just miscalibrated to the thing in front of me.
Before you build the next thing, ask: is this protecting what I have, or is it just discharging the fear?
➡️ Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at shop.moderngrower.co
🎥 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 🌿
Follow Modern Grower:
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/moderngrowerpro
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/moderngrowerco
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
🔊 Carrot Cashflow: bit.ly/carrotcashflow
🔊 Farm Small Farm Smart: bit.ly/farmsmallfarmsmart
🔊 Farm Small Farm Smart Daily: bit.ly/farmsmallfarmsmartdaily
🔊The Growing Microgreens Podcast: bit.ly/thegrowingmicrogreenspodcast
🔊The Urban Farmer Podcast: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTd1FPZ7J8xS3ebyyIxmBqp1pl2h87RpU
🔊The Rookie Farmer Podcast: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTd1FPZ7J8xRJ0O4mAIdgX94QvXTI0ZZ7
🔊In Search of Soil Podcast: youtube.com/insearchofsoil
Check out Diego's books:
📖 Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon: amzn.to/4hoqUx6
📖 Ready Farmer One on Amazon: amzn.to/42FjrVX
#SeedingThoughts, #ModernGrower, #BusinessMindset, #Entrepreneurship, #SmallBusiness, #FearInBusiness, #FarmBusiness, #BusinessOwner, #GoDeeper, #FocusNotDiversify, #BusinessPsychology, #EntrepreneurMindset, #SmallBusinessOwner, #BuildABusiness, #DiegoFooter, #CarrotCashflow, #FarmSmallFarmSmart
0:00 — "I Still Wake Up Sure It's All Going to Disappear by Friday"
0:45 — The Rule: Good Things End, So Always Build the Next Thing
1:30 — Three Things That Wrote That Rule
3:00 — Read the Scoreboard: The Hedge Lost, the Commitment Won
4:30 — Why I Didn't See It (The Fear Told a Story That Felt True)
5:30 — The Miscategorization: A Cold Start ≠ A Proven Business
7:00 — The Regret — And Why It's Actually Wrong
8:00 — "It's the Prologue"
8:30 — Measure in Attention, Not Dollars
9:15 — One Question Before You Build the Next Thing
**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Nine years in. Healthy business. And I still wake up some mornings sure it's all going to disappear by Friday.
This is the story of a rule I lived by for fifteen years: good things end, so always be building the next thing. It sounds responsible. It sounds like exactly what a smart business owner is supposed to do. But when I finally read the scoreboard, the instinct I trusted — diversify, hedge, always build the next thing — has a losing record. And the instinct I was scared of — pick one thing and commit — is the one that paid.
A finance job lost to a buyout. A conference business that failed. And Modern Grower — the one I went deepest on and stayed with. The fear pattern-matched all three as "thing I care about, could go away." But they're not even the same category. One was someone else's company in a boom-bust industry. One was a cold start with no audience. And the one that worked is years-proven with a moat.
The fear was earned. It's just miscalibrated to the thing in front of me.
Before you build the next thing, ask: is this protecting what I have, or is it just discharging the fear?
➡️ Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at shop.moderngrower.co
🎥 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 🌿
Follow Modern Grower:
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/moderngrowerpro
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/moderngrowerco
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
🔊 Carrot Cashflow: bit.ly/carrotcashflow
🔊 Farm Small Farm Smart: bit.ly/farmsmallfarmsmart
🔊 Farm Small Farm Smart Daily: bit.ly/farmsmallfarmsmartdaily
🔊The Growing Microgreens Podcast: bit.ly/thegrowingmicrogreenspodcast
🔊The Urban Farmer Podcast: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTd1FPZ7J8xS3ebyyIxmBqp1pl2h87RpU
🔊The Rookie Farmer Podcast: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTd1FPZ7J8xRJ0O4mAIdgX94QvXTI0ZZ7
🔊In Search of Soil Podcast: youtube.com/insearchofsoil
Check out Diego's books:
📖 Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon: amzn.to/4hoqUx6
📖 Ready Farmer One on Amazon: amzn.to/42FjrVX
#SeedingThoughts, #ModernGrower, #BusinessMindset, #Entrepreneurship, #SmallBusiness, #FearInBusiness, #FarmBusiness, #BusinessOwner, #GoDeeper, #FocusNotDiversify, #BusinessPsychology, #EntrepreneurMindset, #SmallBusinessOwner, #BuildABusiness, #DiegoFooter, #CarrotCashflow, #FarmSmallFarmSmart
0:00 — "I Still Wake Up Sure It's All Going to Disappear by Friday"
0:45 — The Rule: Good Things End, So Always Build the Next Thing
1:30 — Three Things That Wrote That Rule
3:00 — Read the Scoreboard: The Hedge Lost, the Commitment Won
4:30 — Why I Didn't See It (The Fear Told a Story That Felt True)
5:30 — The Miscategorization: A Cold Start ≠ A Proven Business
7:00 — The Regret — And Why It's Actually Wrong
8:00 — "It's the Prologue"
8:30 — Measure in Attention, Not Dollars
9:15 — One Question Before You Build the Next Thing
**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
