We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Becca Lynde. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Becca below.
Hi Becca , you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
When I was growing up I witnessed my Mom helping everyone and anyone. If someone had a need, even if my Mom did not know them, she would immediately drop what she was doing to assist. Whether it was providing physical things like clothes, food or money or even donating her time, she was so selfless in so many ways.
Through her actions, I learned at a very young age that is better to give than to receive. She picked up people on the side of the road, stopped to pray over people in a car accident and would bring people into our home when they needed a warm place to sleep. I did not quite get how much seeing her in action would impact the way I live today, but I’ve always thought in the back of my mind, if I could just do half of what she did, it would be amazing. While she passed away at the young age of 67 due to early onset Alzheimers, her legacy continues here at our business. There is a beautiful scripture that says, “to much is given, much will be required.” While I do not view giving as a requirement, I’ve seen whole heartedly how you can use what you have been given to bless others in so many ways. It is truly a gift.
Every time we give our barn away for a wedding or donate space for a non-profit, I always think of my Mom saying; “remember Becca, kill them with kindness.” So that is what we do here at our little Farm on Zion Hill Rd.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I grew up in the small town of Quakertown, PA about 45 miles north of Philadelphia. My family owned and operated a restaurant since 1949. My Grandparents initially started the restaurant and my Father ran the business with his brother for over 50 years. I think before I was even able to work legally, we were always helping my Dad at the restaurant. I saw first hand how hard it was to own your own business, but also how gratifying it was to instantly be able to make someones day through your words and service. My Dad instilled in my the true meaning of hospitality from a very young age.
I went off to college, never fully wanting to join my Dad back at the restaurant. I had dreams and aspirations to become a physician assistant, so when I graduated from school, my plan was to go back to earn my PA degree. However, just about that time, my father asked both my brother and I if we would work at the restaurant. This was in the last 90’s and unfortunately the influx of chain restaurants in the area had really take a toll on our family business. I worked there for over 6 years out of college. I always say I received my MBA from the school of hard knocks. I learned every aspect of the business, finance, sales, managing people, handling customers, running events and planning weddings. We worked so hard, I could probably count on one hand how many days off we had in that 6 years, but what I learned and took away was so invaluable.
As the restaurant continued to decline, my Mom at that time was also diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers. It was a really tough time for all of us. We made the very difficult decision to sell the family business. My Dad than took care of my Mom full-time and my brother and I made are way into the corporate world. I took a job in pharmaceutical sales and loved it, but new there was more to see. A few years later a landed my dream job at Medtronic as a territory manager. After 4 years I was quickly promoted to a District manager, managing a team of 22 sales and clinical people. I traveled quite a bit to California and Texas as well. While I loved my job, my heart was wanting to be closer to my family and raising our children.
In 2011, my Dad came to us and needed help with managing my childhood farm as well as caring for my Mom. Having just gotten a promotion at my job and being pregnant with our 2nd child, I was in slight shock. So we prayed and put both of our houses on the market. I really had it all figured out, my parents were going to move in with us and that was it. However, our house sold first, so we were moving our family to The Farm. I never imagined raising our family at The Farm where I grew up, but my husband was so amazing he just said whatever we need to do and we were off.
We knew we were brought back to The Farm for a reason and a purpose. We had always tossed around a few ideas and we talked about starting Weddings on our Farm. Everyone thought we were crazy, but after much prayer and thought we decided to go for it. In 2016 we had an Amish crew restore our barn and in 2017 we hosted our first wedding. The Farm Bakery & Events was official. I remember starting this business over 7 years ago, filled with so much doubt and fear. Would this be successful? Could I actually leave my job to do this full-time? I worked both jobs for over 3 years, so we could keep investing back in our business. In 2019, I finally left my job to work at The Farm full-time. The Farm has grown into more than I could ever hve dreamed or imagined. In the last seven years, we have added additions, more team members and now host on average about 100-120 events each year. We have 4 full-time employees and over 35 part-time team members. We continue to grow and expand! We are launching a new decor & floral studio and have plans in the very near future to start shipping our baked goods across the country.
In closing, I just want to encourage anyone who may have a dream, a thought or idea, to go for it. Life is short, we are not promised tomorrow. But I’m so appreciative to have been able to trade in my company car for a pair of work boots and a Polaris. It’s a gift to be able to serve people on their wedding day and our hope is this business will be in our family for years to come.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Being open to critical feedback – sometimes hearing things that you need to improve on or new ways to do a task are hard to swallow, but I feel like over the years I’ve learned so much about myself by being open to feedback. I’m not sure anyone will get to the point where they do not have anything left to learn, but feedback, even harsh feedback, will only help you be stronger, more innovative, and successful in all that you do. Make sure to surround yourself with people that wiill speak truth into your life, not just what you want to hear.
2. Never be Complacent. – When you run a business, its so important to always stay ahead of the curve and invest in your business. Even when things go really well, we get feedback from our Wedding couples after each event. We learn new things each time and every year we continue to grow and improve our systems. Some of our best ideas have come from our couples and our employees.
3. Don’t let fear prevent you from chasing your dream. – I truly believe some people never act on an idea because they are afraid of failure. Every successful entrepreneur has faced set-backs. I have had my share of several, but I never would have gotten to where we are today without taking a few risks along the way. Transitioning from a corporate job to running our own business has been one of the best decisions in my life.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
I was blessed to grow up with two of the most amazing parents. My Mom loved helping and serving others, she would literally give the shirt off of her back to help others. Even when people were difficult my Mom always said, “Becca, kill them with kindness.” I witnessed how she selflessly would put others needs before her own. My Dad on the other hand is a graduate of the CIA and Pratt Institute. When I say CIA, I mean Culinary Institute of America. He is an amazing chef, baker and business man. He ran a very successful restaurant for over 50 years and loved true hospitality at its core. He loved making lifelong memories for his customers. He loved the instant gratification that he would see by providing top-notch food and quality service.
There is no question, my passion for serving others has come from the both of them. Our mission at our business is for people to leave our Farm and feel like they have had a Ritz Carlton experience, at a tiny farm in Bucks County, PA. Its amazing how your words and service can leave a lasting impression on customers forever.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.meyersfarmbakery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefarmbakeryandevents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeyersFarmBakery/
Image Credits
https://lytlephotoco.com/
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