We recently connected with Krisi Olivero and have shared our conversation below.
Krisi, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
I am uniquely highly logical and highly imaginative. This is great, until it comes time to take a big risk. As soon as a risk is presented, my brain not only immediately imagines all of the best possible outcomes, but also all of the WORST possible outcomes, then I promptly start working out how I would address every scenario, good or bad, until my brain turns into goop and falls out my ear. Cool right? I know, very effective.
Rather than let the “what ifs” eat my brain alive, I’ve made myself a golden rule- if it feels equal parts terrifying AND exciting, it’s a risk worth taking. When I look back at the best moments in my life, they were almost all a pretty healthy mix of both.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a co founder of Alter Eco Farms, a business dedicated to the regeneration of soil. We are a really unique business in the modern world- we are 100% focused on soil health, whether it be in landscapes, lawns, farms, gardens or any soil you step on out in the community.
Our goal is to restore all the soil we can get our hands on. We aim to take soil quality back to the state of an undisturbed forest floor, or as dang close as we can get it! We focus on restoring soil through the reintroduction of native soil microorganisms. Many of these essential organisms have been lost due to human impact, but the role they play in the health of our soils, and our lives, is critical. We find these missing organisms, breed them on compost, and reintroduce them into our soils.
Our work helps regenerate soils, restoring natural nutrient cycling (bye fertilizers), increasing water retention, amending soil structure and reducing weeds, pests and diseases. We are based in Chattanooga, TN and highly focused on soils of the South.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Being a small business owner takes a deft mind, dedication and delusion. You have to be just chill enough to be willing to pivot when things don’t go as planned. You have to be so dedicated to what you do that you don’t consider giving up an option. You also have to be so passionate that you literally cannot understand the definition of the word “fail”.
The best advice someone ever gave me was to talk about what you do to ANYONE. If it comes up when the plumber is over, talk about it. Met a stranger in the grocery store? Talk about it. In the middle of a Pap smear?! Sure, why not talk about it! The more you talk about what you are passionate about the deeper your passion grows. And if you find you ever get sick of talking about it, that is probably a sign that it’s time to move on.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
We have really been hoping to work on projects that affect our local community in a greater way. We are looking to work with small farms, city and state parks, and community gardens that have funding for education or regeneration. If you know someone in the Chattanooga area that would love to be a part of regenerating our eco systems, from the ground up, please connect us via [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alterecofarms.com/
- Instagram: @alter_eco_farms
Image Credits
Ruthie Lunsford
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
