I’ve always been a planner, but somewhere along the way I learned that planning without action doesn’t get you very far. That’s why I adopted the mentality of just taking the next step—get started, then adjust. Repeat. Eventually, you’ll be a lot closer to your goal than if you just planned and never did.

Whether you want to run a race, bake a cake, grow a garden, or grow a brand, the first step is always to build a solid plan. The next step is to take action, build the foundation that enables you to keep building momentum, and figure out what’s next from there.

You should absolutely have a big goal or vision for where you want to go, but no matter how much you think ahead, things will not work out exactly like you thought. That’s why growth should be viewed as a series of next steps, enabling you to reflect, adjust and keep pushing forward.

A native Vermonter, I’ve always been passionate about the simple things in life: being outdoors, eating good food, moving my body and experiencing the world around me. For me, this looks like ultramarathons, growing a ton of tomatoes, raising pigs, baking sourdough and travelling near and far with my permanent Adventure Buddy (aka husband). Almost every hobby I have requires lots of planning and lots of action—months of training, daily feeding, creating intineries—and each adventure gets accomplished by showing up, taking the next step, adapting and repeating.

I bring this same sense of practicality, commitment, strategy and fun to my work, and I look forward to applying it to your business, too!