In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, we are talking about Homesteading and Small Business Tipping Points with Nicole Sauce.  I had an opportunity to catch up with Nicole and talk about her journey from leaving the city in the Pacific Northwest to rural living in Tennessee, essentially going from city mouse to country mouse.  She is doing what Julie and I (and many members of this audience) are dreaming about doing.

In our own lives, we go through events that become defining moments for us. Those are the key tipping points that change us, change our lives and change our future completely. What were the tipping points that triggered Nicole’s journey and what lessons did she learn along the way?

We answer those questions as we talk about a number of topics including breaking free of the corporate cube world to start a small businesses, becoming self-sufficient, canning and homesteading. 

Background about Nicole Sauce

homesteading, self-reliance, gardening, canning, simple living, living simply, small business, tipping points with Nicole Sauce
Nicole Sauce is Living Free in Tennessee – Photo courtesy of Nicole Sauce

Nicole is a fellow traveler on the homesteading and self-reliance highway.  She has started a number of different small businesses and endevours including rental properties, corporate training, website design, roasted coffee, podcast and associated membership site, Spring Workshop and a newspaper.  Did you know she has goats, gardens, cans and sings in a choir? 

Nicole is the host of the Living Free in Tennessee Podcast, and Julie and I enjoy listening to her show.  She is hosting a Spring Workshop on her property in Tennessee from April 25 to April 28, 2019, and at the time of the podcast, she had 9 tickets left. 

Today (February 27, 2019) she has 5 left. If you want to learn about cheese-making, fermenting, energy independence, how to build a rocket stove, small business ideas and hang out with some great homesteaders, head over to the Living Free in Tennessee website and click the big red easy button on the right side of the homepage.  I will have a direct link in the show notes for you as well.  

Tipping Point Topics

Nicole and I talked about the following topics on today’s Podcast:

  1. Nicole’s journey from the Pacific Northwest to Tennessee – The tipping points that define the journey
  2. City Life versus Rural Life – Ants, Bugs, and Rodents
  3. Small Businesses and Endeavors – 
  4. Finding a Small Business or Side Hustle
  5. Spousal Support – Getting the spouse on board
  6. Mindset and Preparedness
  7. Gardening and Canning
  8. Homestead Lessons Learned
    1. Listen to Podcasts about land and homesteading
    2. Each property has its own character: good, bad and ugly
    3. Observe your property before doing – don’t be in a hurry
    4. Scale up slowly; develop a rhythm and cycle
    5. “Check yourself before you wreck yourself” – Greg Burns
  9. Building an Audience on Social Media or Networks
    1. Servant-Warrior Mentality
    2. Answer Questions
    3. Be there when you can
    4. Get and use experts when you can’t answer questions
    5. Learn what social media works for you
    6. Consistency
    7. Honesty
    8. Integrity
    9. Be an honest and authentic representation of who you are
  10. Living Free in Tennessee Podcast – Past, Present and Future
  11. Where to Find Nicole and the Spring Workshop
  12. My Three Things

Links

You can find Nicole at the following locations:

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Special Thanks 

Thank you so much for being on the Small Scale Life Podcast, Nicole.  It was a lot of fun, even with all the technical problems!  We covered a lot of ground, and I am looking forward to your book on My Three Things.  That will be a great read, and I wish you much success in the future.

Next time, we’ll make sure that Julie isn’t caught in a snowstorm and can join the conversation.  I know she has a lot of questions and topics she would love to discuss.  

Putting It All Together

homesteading, self-reliance, gardening, canning, simple living, living simply, small business, tipping points with Nicole Sauce
Not all rural living is unicorns and rainbows; sometimes it is tough to travel! Western Minnesota – February 15, 2019

There are a lot of great lessons learned from this conversation with Nicole Sauce. In our own lives, we go through events that become defining moments for us. Those are the key tipping points that change us, change our lives and change our future completely. What are your tipping points? What lessons did you need to learn from them?

Whatever you are dreaming about as you work your way towards living the life you love, make sure you keep Nicole’s comments about being consistent, honest, and authentic in mind. You will reap rich rewards if you sow these three seeds in your life’s garden.

Go get em, Lifers, and as Nicole says, “Make it a great week!”