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Springfield, MO

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Startup Corner: Drake Hughes and Riley and Alyssa Hughes, Sustainable by Nature LLC

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Minimally viable product …
Our goal is to help people become self-sufficient. We do this through gardens, edible landscapes, water catchment, beekeeping, education, maintenance and permaculture design.

Problem solving …
We recognized that within the past few generations there has been a large disconnect between people and their food. Our goal is to lessen that gap recognizing that if people are outside, hands in the dirt, growing food, they are much more likely to be responsible in their actions toward the planet.

Seed money …
It only took a couple thousand dollars to get off the ground and moving. We bought a couple power saws and borrowed a good friend’s truck and our uncle’s trailer [Editor’s note: Drake and Riley are brothers] for the first six months we were in business and then saved up until we had enough to purchase our own.

Hurdles overcome …
Working with people you are close to is a real blessing, but it also came with a fair amount of challenges. Trying to keep our enthusiasm for the business from creeping into every family event was difficult at first and also on the flip side trying to maintain a certain level of professionalism during our time working together.

Worst advice …
We got a lot of widely varying information on how much to charge that we tried to listen to when we really should have just been looking at our numbers and figuring out how much we needed to charge.

Next phase …
Bringing on individuals that can tackle certain aspects of the business even better than we can. We all have other part-time jobs and are excited for the day Sustainable by Nature will be able to support the three of us full time. We’re also looking forward to being an active role in helping change the Springfield mindset toward sustainable landscapes and food.

Biggest mistake …
Trying to take everyone’s advice and not filtering any of it.  

Pivot …
Getting a good business mentor and reallocating our roles within the business based on our strengths and passions were both major game-changers. Also, getting out and being actively social with people we don’t know was initially uncomfortable for all of us, but it has been more than worth it and has become much easier.
 
Greatest need …
We’re looking for a space in or near town that is large enough for a workshop and still has room to store our inventory.

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