From Farmer to Hunter
Humans figured out something that few other animals on the planet do – farming. The intentional planting, nurturing, watering, protecting, and harvesting of calorie-producing food sources.
For a long time in our existence, we were hunters and gatherers. Most animals are hunters; some are gatherers/foragers (think squirrels). If you are curious, a quick search showed me that several animals do farm – for example, termites build their big towers that become climate-controlled mounds where they cultivate and harvest fungus that they grow on plant waste they bring in. The more you know!
Back to humans.
Farming was a huge innovation in our development from nomadic tribes to villages, then towns, then cities. When you no longer have to rely on moving with the seasons to ensure adequate food, you can stay put and harvest what you plant.
Now the challenge with farming is that it takes a while to get the results.
The fruit of your labor.
The harvest.
The steps, time, and energy it takes to generate a harvest means it’s not an ‘instant’ food source. If you want to live long enough to eat that corn, or wheat, or apple – you better be able to hunt and gather.
Business is that same way.
For business brokers, especially when you start, you might not have much of a farm to harvest. There are those brokers who get into the business after cultivating relationships and their network for years and years, where they can gather and harvest from that relational farm enough to get some deals going. But for most, they are in hunting mode.
The key is to make sure and do both – hunting and farming. In my first book, I wrote a chapter about generating referrals as that farming method. But you must eat for today, so you should be focused on hunting in your prospecting. These are the intentional outbound activities that should generate conversations with your ICP.
Here is the key – you have to think short term and long term.
Short-term thinking is eating for today. It’s that first year, two years as a business broker. Your mind is telling you – who cares about putting content online and growing a referral network of partners? I might not make it that long!
It is important to do both.
To put in time for hunting, and also create content that you can put online, and start forming more relationships that could lead to referrals. Every little seed you plant could really help you out later.
Don’t get stuck so deep in ‘survival’ mode that you only think of ‘today’.
Because what will happen is that tomorrow will be the same as today, and the stressful loop will continue.
Side note about time travel – it’s real. We are all time travelers. [Stay with me…I know…weird segue.] What we do now will affect our future self.
As your own time-travel beneficiary, what will your future self be grateful that you did right now?
If your future self could go back to right now, what would it want current you to do that would help down the road?
In business, it’s the content you could be creating today – that is the seeds in the farm that future you could sit back and harvest. Just something to think about
Back to us, now.
Another trend I see, especially with business brokers, is that they get busy in transactions. Or they get comfortable with what has been stocked up for winter.
Then it runs out.
Or the deals all close.
The panic kicks in.
Nothing has been ‘planted’ for the next season. The pipeline is empty. The digital channels are bare and neglected. Weeds have grown all around, and it’s going to be a rough season of replanting, rebuilding, and being forced back into hunting mode.
When winter thaws, spring arrives, and food becomes more available, you need to be careful not to realize THAT is the time to start planting the garden.
When you are hungry in winter, it’s too late.
During that busy period of transactions – THAT is the time you need to ensure your content and referral engine are still running, not stopped.
The transactions will end (hopefully with a successful close/payday).
Will your garden be ready to harvest more and keep from getting stuck in survival mode?
If it isn’t, you will be destined to repeat the cycle of busy, starving/worried, busy, etc.
And what I can promise is that one bad ‘hunting’ season could be the end of your business.
Featured Podcast Episode
What if staying loyal to every deal and client is actually holding you back from real growth? Are you investing enough in your own education and network—or Sometimes, the urge to never give up on a transaction or client feels noble, but it can quietly drain energy and limit your trajectory. The brokers who stand out aren’t just tenacious; they know when to let go and move on. Real growth comes from building long-term referral networks, investing in self-education, and putting strategy over sheer hustle.
This episode features Joshua Carnes, owner of Lion Business Advisors and host of the The Texas Business Broker Podcast, in a candid conversation. We dig into what’s really changing for business brokerage in Texas and beyond: the value of industry education, why more advisors are needed, the crucial difference between hunting and farming deals, and powerful lessons learned the hard way—like when to walk away from time-sucking transactions. Josh also shares actionable growth strategies drawn from his marketing background and explains why improving your online presence isn’t just smart, it’s essential.
To hear the full story and more broker growth hacks, listen to the full episode now! https://businessbrokergrowth.com/podcast/
Until next time,
Jason
PS. Take the Digital Impact Assessment (free) →https://get.businessbrokergrowth.com/assessmentNL
