Step 2 - Finding the right match

Be strategic. It is important to balance the need for exposure to lots of people against selectively getting in touch with the people with the best credentials. Possible avenues are: 

1. Personal and professional networks – Do you, a colleague or a local agent know someone or someone who can spread the word? This approach gives you access to recommendations and intelligence at little cost. Attending discussion or business groups will strengthen your network, and may be a good way to discover opportunities for collaboration near you. 
2. The media – Don't restrict your thinking to adverts in the farming press or newspaper, but look to what is offered by social media. Update personal profiles on sites such as LinkedIn, and follow online discussion forums. Opportunities may also be promoted to the media as new stories in themselves. A good website can also be a powerful tool: this could include a blog that documents your journey. Linking all of these aspects gives you the best opportunity to be found by likeminded collaborators.
3. Brokers – A range of professional and voluntary organisations may assist in connecting potential collaborators. Examples include firms of rural surveyors and valuers, agricultural colleges or organisations such as Fresh Start Land Enterprise Centre (England). Other industry membership organisations (such as NAAC, NFU, CLA, TFA, NFYFC) may also be able to assist.

Ideally you will be in a position to compare several options before making a choice. You will need to be methodical and to use your instincts.

1. Initial contact by phone, or video call to start the general conversation.
2. Meet, at least once, onsite where the business model will be delivered. It is essential for the parties involved to meet at the site of the land and also at a location where the proposed business operator already conducts any business, as this can often be more revealing than the conversation itself. It also emphasises the two-way nature of the arrangement.
3. Use a checklist and think through these areas:
   • Practicalities – Could it work?
   • Personalities – Will you get on?
   • Circumstances – Evaluate the timing: does it seem especially favourable, or perhaps not very favourable?  
4. Be clear about your needs and goals, and avoid wishful thinking. Honesty and respect on both sides is a must. If you have nagging concerns, flush them out and address them now. Whatever the outcome, its better to know.

It is worth remembering a difficult conversation at the outset of an agreement can be more kind than letting an opportunity start and grow only to be cut short as the goals of those involved don’t match. Remember: clear is kind, unclear is unkind.

That landowners are looking for:

1. Realistic business ideas or people to work with a new business idea ‒ The landowner has a financial interest in the business doing well, so drive and enthusiasm must be backed up with a robust business case. It’s essential for a farming operator to have written a detailed business plan and have a full understanding of your plan content and the figures contained in it. Get advice, test your own ideas and develop your approach. 
2. Professionalism ‒ They need to be confident that compliance issues, contractual commitments and the day-to-day business will be managed competently. 
3. Commitment ‒ They want people who are committed to the length of the term agreed; a high turnover of tenants or business partners outside of agreed terms is expensive, time-consuming and risky. 
4. Clear communication ‒ Is important in all working relationships, all the time. 
5. Practical proficiency ‒ Is critical for the day-to-day running of any land-based business, and a good farming entrepreneur will be seen as an asset to have around. 
6. Drive and confidence ‒ To see the plan through and to establish resilient business models. 
7. A positive mindset ‒ Making a living from the land can be hard and even the best business relationships have frustrations, so finding people who are solution-focused has value. 
8. A sound financial position ‒ They need to be confident that start-up costs can be met, and that the business has the creditworthiness to invest and grow. Evidence of access to capital, or a financial portfolio from previous investment and business, will be beneficial. 
9. Shared values ‒ While the new enterprise needn’t be exactly what the landowner would do, it should fit and respect their business ethos. 
10. Somebody they get on with ‒ Farm communities often involve working and living in close proximity. Finding people who respect the existing community culture. 

That farming operators are looking for: 

1. A fair deal ‒ They might be betting their future on this, so a solid and transparent deal will be important.  
2. Stability ‒ They will need to put a great deal of commitment into their new business, so they need to feel confident that circumstances are fairly stable. 
3. A can-do approach to problem-solving ‒ The practical capacity to react, solve, move on is priceless. 
4. Clarity and consistency ‒ Is important to both. It saves time and builds trust. 
5. The right infrastructure ‒ Can they run their business from the property? 
6. Access to markets ‒ Are there established routes to market, promising leads or favourable local demographics? Is passing trade important to their business and, if so, does it exist? 
7. Space to develop ‒ In terms of physical space, business growth and scope – will they have the freedom to adapt and grow as they go along, if they want to? 
8. Opportunities for collaboration ‒ It may be marketing, logistics or machinery. The existence of complementary enterprises, open to working together, can be attractive to a start-up which has yet to build its capacity. 
9. Experience ‒ Some will value the advice and perspectives of an experienced mentor; this may be another farmer or other established businesses. 
10. Encouragement ‒ Is welcome if it is optimistic and emboldening. 

Remember

Any collaboration needs to be beneficial for both parties. There will be risks on both sides to consider, but talking through and creating the right agreement should help minimise these for all involved. Talking, reviewing and creating a sound working relationship is key.