A recounting of my first failed business venture and what I learned from it.
Since I started college, it was a dream of mine to run a hydroponic farm business. After graduating 6 months early with a bachelor's in Environmental Sciences and Agriculture, I jumped straight into action. I left my life behind in Florida, and moved to Pamplona Spain (another dream of mine after living in the US most of my life), but got halted by the covid pandemic that broke out 2-3 months after I got there. Once the lockdown lifted, I started looking for the right plot of land that fit inside my budget. I found one I had liked, paid to reserve it, and sent a request to build a greenhouse to the local government as fast as I could. Almost a whole year after submitting my request, it was approved so I finalized the purchase, and got to work. I spent the next 2 years trying to make this project work, but frankly it died a slow and painful death.
It was my first real attempt at starting a business, and I made just about every mistake possible. Below, I’ve outlined some of the biggest blunders I made:
1. Trying to Do Too Much Alone and Taking on an Overly Ambitious Project
This project was ambitious... perhaps too ambitious. At 22, I decided to build a greenhouse, possibly the first of its kind in Navarra and maybe even Spain. The plan? A solar-powered, wifi-enabled system with automated watering programs and advanced sensors for water, air, and temperature. The greenhouse was to be a geodesic dome: 12 meters in diameter, 4 meters tall, housing hydroponic towers capable of growing thousands of plants in a space the size of a European apartment.
In theory, it was a great idea, but far too large a project for someone who wasn’t an electrician, plumber, mason, welder, or even an experienced farmer at the time. The construction portion of the project was already a big enough project to tackle, let alone designing, building, and then testing the hydroponic systems, or building a customer base! Looking back, I realize I tried to handle too many things on my own. I was ashamed to ask for help, thinking I could manage everything myself. That was my biggest mistake.
No man is an island. I had a fantastic support system, part of a diverse and generous community, but I didn’t tap into it. Now I understand there’s no shame in asking for help when you need it.
2. Being Cheap at the Worst Possible Times
I believed I could build a large-scale business on what I thought was a realistic budget. In hindsight, that budget was laughably small. I should have spent more on professional construction to avoid future heartbreak, and less on unqualified labor that added no value during the critical construction phase.
3. Ignoring My Father’s Advice
My dad is a solution-oriented, logical "robot of an organic machine"—ever practical, ever to the point, and always realistic. He often said: "Always get the right tool for the job." Simple advice, but it took me two years to fully grasp its importance.
For example: after a particularly rainy winter, my land was overrun with weeds. I should have spent 200-400 euros on a weed whacker to efficiently handle an acre of weeds. Instead, I stubbornly used pruning shears—technically, they worked, but the effort was a waste of time and energy on such a large project.
Another example: I needed to dig a shallow trench for irrigation tubing and a 1-cubic-meter pit. Did I rent a ditch-digging machine or an excavator? No. I decided to dig both by hand with a pick and shovel, in some of the hardest, most compact clay soil imaginable. If you’re wondering if I’m a masochist, I wouldn’t blame you.
Take an expert’s advice. We succeed by standing on the shoulders of giants.
4. Tackling Too Many Things at Once—and Getting Nothing Done
This issue compounded all the others. When you're being cheap, not using the right tools, working alone, and feeling overwhelmed, it's impossible to get anything done on time. If the success of a project rests solely on your shoulders, and you can’t cross a single item off your checklist without caveats, you’re doomed to fail.
In my case, I due to my inadequate funding, I was forced to rush stages that should not have been rushed. It was hard to get sales because my crop supply was irregular in quality and quantity. It was irregular because the greenhouse construction was rushed. The construction was rushed because I didn't have the financial wiggle room to complete it in time with proper help. Trying to get from ground 0 to making sales too quickly was just not a smart move on my part.
Takeaways
- Don't be afraid to ask for help. Lean on your support system; it’s there for a reason.
- Budget realistically. Spend where necessary and make sure you have the right funding—it’ll save you in the long run.
- Use the right tools. Invest in equipment that makes work easier and more efficient, even if it feels expensive at first. If you have friendly neighbors willing to lend you the appropriate tools, jump on the opportunity!
- Stay focused. Break down large tasks into manageable steps, and don’t try to tackle everything at once.
Reflecting on my journey, I can see clearly where things went wrong. These lessons will hopefully serve me well in the projects I hope to share with you all soon!
Thankfully, as far as failures go, this wasn’t the worst outcome. I now run the olive grove independent of the greenhouse, and it’s working spectacularly. The olive harvest alone is paying off the capital sunk into the original project. I’ve learned how to do things right, invested in the proper tools, and built the right network to make it all work as far as running an orchard goes.
