Discover the inspiring story of Audra Query, founder of Girl Meets Dirt, who transitioned from a Wall Street career to building a seasonally rooted, award-winning preserves business on Orcas Island. This episode explores her journey of intentional living, embracing seasonality, and balancing entrepreneurial ambitions with a meaningful lifestyle. We talk about the benefits of doing things the hard way, the challenges of running a business on an island, and resisting the pressure to scale. Enjoy! Key Topics: Audra's transition from a Wall Street career to rural entrepreneurshipThe importance of seasonality and place in food business storytellingHow her upbringing and background shaped her values and business approachChallenges of building a business on a small island and strategies for resilienceBalancing motherhood, personal values, and business growthThe role of intuition, openness, and serendipity in entrepreneurial successFuture aspirations: scaling versus maintaining mission-driven qualityLessons learned from market research, community support, and mindful scalingThe significance of storytelling, terroir, and authenticity in premium food brandsInsights for entrepreneurs seeking to create resilient, meaningful businesses Sound Bites: “I had what I call an accidental career on Wall Street that lasted for 10 years.”“I looked at [my mentor] and despite my admiration I said, I don't want that life.”"There's no such thing as work-life balance. There's a pendulum, and it swings."“I needed to carve a path for myself that accommodated my values.”“He actually said, how about the islands? Why don't we move there? I was like, yes, but who are you and what did you do with my husband?”“I see this lovely little fence garden and six garden beds and the wheels start turning“The origins of Girl Meets Dirt was my personal story and journey of getting my hands dirty and teaching myself how to grow things. It started with seeds and vegetables, which I then started preserving. Then one fruit tree yielded 150 pounds of plums and things changed.”“I'm a storyteller, a writer. That's where my real heart and soul is. And I thought, there's a really special story to tell here about terroir and rootedness and seasonality and sense of place.”“We're still doing things the hard way, you know, making things in six copper pots on an island and each jar ships via the ferry. It's very difficult to run a business on this island.”"Part of our operational strategy is in harvest we take in all the fruit and then we prep and freeze it. Then we can cook off throughout the year so that we're busy, and we can also respond better to demand.”“I think it's challenging for us though as a CPG brand and the expectations to scale. I know how to do it, but I've resisted it this whole time because I want to see how far I can get doing it the way that I'm doing it, which is highly attuned to my mission and my morals.”“Keep doing the same thing, that one thing until you cannot possibly do it any better.”“If I start to think it doesn't seem possible, I'm actually drawn to it even more.” Lessons to Action: Focus on doing one thing well and optimize itTrust your journey and listen to your intuitionBuild a business that aligns with your values and lifestyle Timestamps: 03:00 - Introduction to Audra Query and Girl Meets Dirt’s story 05:25 - From Wall Street to Orcas Island: making a pivotal life change 08:08 - The influence of mentorship and the realization to pursue purpose 12:00 - Embracing seasonality and place in food production 15:38 - The journey of buying land and starting a garden 20:32 - Personal story behind the genesis of Girl Meets Dirt 25:27 - Navigating challenges of island business and seasonality 31:21 - Community support, wholesale growth, and local connections 34:44 - Motherhood, business expansion, and balancing priorities 39:45 - Unique challenges and strategies of island entrepreneurship 45:21 - Future growth plans, ambitions, and the question of scale 50:30 - Overcoming industry pressures and staying true to mission 57:08 - Favorite foods, recipes, and inspiring books 61:37 - The importance of ingredients, flavor, and authenticity 64:49 - Vision for a better world through shared food and communityResources & Links: Links: Audra Query on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/audra-query-9920064/ Girl Meets Dirt - https://girlmeetsdirt.com Girl Meets Dirt on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/girl-meets-dirt/ Girl Meets Dirt on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/girlmeetsdirt Girl Meets Dirt on Instagram - https://instagram.com/girlmeetsdirt Girl Meets Dirt on X - https://x.com/GirlMeetsDirt Girl Meets Dirt on Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/girlmeetsdirt … Messy Confiture by Christine Faber - https://www.amazon.com/Messes-Confiture-Christine-Faber/dp/ … Brands for a Better World Episode Archive - http://brandsforabetterworld.com/ Brands for a Better World on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/brand-for-a-better-world/ Modern Species - https://modernspecies.com/ Modern Species on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-species/ Gage Mitchell on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gagemitchell/ … Print Magazine Design Podcasts - https://www.printmag.com/categories/printcast/ … Heritage Radio Network - https://heritageradionetwork.org/ Heritage Radio Network on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/heritage-radio-network/posts/ Heritage Radio Network on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeritageRadioNetwork Heritage Radio Network on X - https://x.com/Heritage_Radio Heritage Radio Network on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/heritage_radio/ Heritage Radio Network on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@heritage_radio … The Food Institute - https://foodinstitute.com/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
