Shownotes
Brett Hicks spent 11 years juggling three demanding lives simultaneously: running a poultry operation, building a real estate business, and serving in ministry. Then a business partnership dissolved, forcing him to make a decision most people never have the courage to make. Instead of viewing the loss as failure, Hicks saw it as divine intervention—a chance to walk away from agriculture and pursue full-time ministry. This episode explores what it means to leave something you built, how faith intersects with business decisions, and why some of agriculture's greatest lessons come not from success, but from the willingness to step into the unknown.
In this episode, we cover:
- Faith isn't waiting for permission—it's taking the first step. Hicks draws a parallel to Moses at the Red Sea: the water didn't part until after he stepped forward. Many farmers and entrepreneurs pray for doors to open while still clinging to their old ones. True faith requires closing one door behind you before God opens the next.
- Compartmentalizing work and life doesn't work in agriculture—and shouldn't. Unlike most industries, farming naturally weaves family, faith, and business together. Hicks brought his daughters to the farm, ran his business with his wife beside him, and served his church while building his real estate niche. This integration, not separation, created resilience and meaning.
- Growth happens in incremental steps, not giant leaps. Whether training for a half-marathon or building a thousand-acre operation, the lesson is the same: start small, add incrementally, and build momentum. Hicks trained by running one mile daily, then a quarter mile more each week. Quick pivots—like his impulse poultry purchase—rarely go as planned.
- The real crisis in agriculture isn't financial—it's spiritual. Successful farmers in their 50s and 60s are hitting walls not because their operations are failing, but because they've lost sight of their purpose. Hicks emphasizes that retirement without redirection leads to emptiness. The solution isn't selling out—it's finding new ways to invest time and talents that bring value.
- Your value isn't in your business; it's in how you serve others. Hicks left a lucrative real estate career to pursue ministry because helping people mattered more than accumulating wealth. For those feeling called to something beyond their operation, the answer lies in mentoring the next generation, teaching others the trade, and finding fulfillment in passing on knowledge—not in clinging to what you've built.
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