Meet Robert Elliott

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Robert Elliott. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Robert below.

Robert, so great to have you with us and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with the community. So, let’s jump into something that stops so many people from going after their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. We’d love to hear about how you dealt with that and persisted on your path.

Everything I’ve built is based on things I’ve heard from the haters and nay-sayers. I look at life differently in many regards than most folks do. When someone says, “You can’t do that,” my question then becomes, “Why?”

I’ve had many people through life that wouldn’t believe in the mission I’ve started that tried to shut it down before it got going and became what it is today. Each of those fueled me to go further with it and caused me to have a stubborn determination to prove all of them wrong. What’s interesting about that is the fact that when I’ve reflected on those interactions in the past, I’ve noticed that they didn’t want me to pull off building the nonprofit I built simply because of jealousy or their own laziness to chase their dreams. They’d rather shoot yours down than go after their own and have the ammunition to say, “See, I told you it couldn’t be done,” when all the while it could. It just takes effort and determination.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

The organization I founded in 2015 is The Veteran’s Farm. We are a nonprofit that maintains entry-level models of agricultural production (livestock, poultry, vegetables, nursery, and hydroponics) where military can come and learn about hands-on production of each of these things on our 53 acre training facility outside of Fort Bragg, NC. We also manage a 1,000 farmer veteran network in the state comprised of military veterans who are actively farming and assist each other to help grow farms. We offer therapy as well on the farm to help reduce the number of veteran suicides through innovative programming we’ve put together over the years and providing veterans with access to mental healthcare, benefits assistance and much more.

We didn’t just build an organization; we built a community.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Everyone has a story, but very few are willing to tell it. Being open about your story displays the passion you have for the work that you’re doing as long as it’s work aligned with things you know. Only you know your story and how it can apply towards helping others. What’s been interesting to me is that utilizing your past to help others in positive directions can actually support you in the future. You simply have to take a step towards doing what you’ve always wanted to do. Also, always remember that you are the face of your mission at all times. Be polite, be professional, but always know what threats are around you and how to mitigate them.

Make a plan and execute. Don’t think about it, talk yourself out of it, or let the fear of failure creep into your head. Just move. So many people in this world are simply afraid to jump when it comes time to chasing your dream, and learning how to manage fears of failure will help. As the saying goes, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Also, changing your perspective on things will help. For instance, instead of considering a failure as such, look at it as a learning experience instead. No matter what you do in this life, you are going to face challenges. Learn how to think ahead of those challenges. Look at what you envision as the end-goal and work backwards from there to plan out the entire vision. Consider every possible threat to your plan and adjust accordingly. Be flexible as well throughout your journey, because when you’re doing the right things for the right reasons, opportunities that you’ve never considered will show up at your door.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

My network 100%. I am absolutely nothing without people around me who believe in the mission, see the vision, and can help me in my weak areas to push forward with what we’re doing. So much of this world isn’t about what you know, but rather who you know.

Also, never be afraid to reach out to people. As an Executive Director, I have to be an extrovert. If you aren’t, perhaps that’s not the best role in an organization or company for you. Being realistic about your strengths and weaknesses is absolutely paramount to your success.

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Image Credits

The Veteran’s Farm

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