On this episode of the Circuit of Success, Brett Gilliland interviews Adam Thatcher, co-founder and CEO of Grace Farms Foods. Adam shares his story of growing up with a World War II veteran father and how it has shaped his values and work ethic. He also discusses his business model of giving away 100% of profits and the Philanthropic Enterprise Act. Adam also shares his own personal approach to time management and the importance of having a purpose in life. Lastly, they talk about how taking action and believing in yourself is key to success.

Full Interview



 

Speaker Brett Gilliland: Welcome to the Circuit of Success. I'm your host, Brett Gilliland. Today, I've got Adam Thatcher with me, Adam. How you doing? Speaker Adam Thatcher: Doing awesome, Brett. Glad to be here. Speaker Brett Gilliland: Awesome having you, man. The background looks cool there. It looks like you're probably at Grace Farms out there in Connecticut. Is that right? Speaker Adam Thatcher: That's right. That's right. Grace Farms is just this amazing cultural and humanitarian center that I've got the pleasure of being able to be a part of and getting to create something really new there. So Speaker Brett Gilliland: Yeah. Yeah. Well, we're gonna dive into it, man, because it's a cool kind of a new business model and something I think people just need to be aware of and, came across each other through social media somehow and, And now all of a sudden, here we are, on the circuit of success podcast. It's a small world. I interviewed, interviewed somebody today and didn't even know it until my research. But, you know, she knew this person, and I knew, you know, it's just it's a small world. It's it's crazy, isn't it? Speaker Adam Thatcher: It is. It's amazing how one or two degrees of separation is it's it's They say those big degrees, but it's usually a lot less. Speaker Brett Gilliland: Exactly. I don't disagree with that. So, well, you are the co founder and CEO of Grace Farms, Foods, And, but it's a it's an unbelievable one hundred percent of the profits goes to, your guys' foundation and charities. And, it's just a it's a great business model. But before we dive in all that stuff, Adam, if you can, I'll always like to start with what's made you the man you are today, which I know is a big loaded question, but you don't just wake up and do the things that doing. So I'm curious on what the backstory is. Speaker Adam Thatcher: Yeah. Right on. Well, I think that what made me who I am today is certainly my experience is growing up, having a really unique sort of family set up. My, my father was a World War II veteran right somebody who was born in nineteen eighty four, that's not you do not talk about something pretty uncommon. And that truly was the greatest generation, you know, not only to have the bravery at twenty, twenty two to go off to war, and be in the submarine service in the Pacific, but then to come home and really build our country to what it is today and to be able to, like, grow up with that type of work ethic being surrounded by that, I think, is really a driver for my own passion to create things make a difference, and leave some kind of legacy that, you know, I think my kids would be proud of. Speaker Brett Gilliland: Yeah. So what did you learn from that? Do you think? Biggest takeaways for that, if if did you have older siblings as well? Or are you, Speaker Adam Thatcher: So I'm Speaker Brett Gilliland: the youngest six. Speaker Adam Thatcher: Yeah. Okay. And, you know, I think from that is having the biggest takeaway I would say is that every day is an opportunity to make a difference. And there's no sense in spoiling it. Right? There's enough hours in the day to contribute in a positive way to your community, to yourself, but then also to create that moment of leisure for yourself too, whether it's, you know, putting your kids to bed, it's you know, sharing a drink with a neighbor who might be going through a hard time, whatever it might be. There's definitely enough hours in the day to make every day count. Speaker Brett Gilliland: I love that. Let's let's stay on that while we can. Because I'm a big believer in that. And so we all can be busy. We've all got the same twenty four hours in the day. So I I look at as itself management time management. Can't manage time. And, so talk about that. What's your schedule look like? I mean, you're a busy, you know, co founder, CEO. I'm the, at the same thing. Co founder and CEO of our firm, things are busy. Right? You get kiddos. I got kiddos. We can give a million excuses of why we can't find time for leisure in putting our kids to bed, but it's important to you. It's a value of yours, I would assume. So how do you do that? Let's kinda dive into the weeds if you will and help our other fellow business owners that listen to this. Speaker Adam Thatcher: Right on. Yeah. Well, I I have three kids under the age of six. Just sent my, my five and a half year old daughter to kindergarten today first time. Speaker Brett Gilliland: Oh, boy. Speaker Adam Thatcher: Which was an amazing, you know, milestone for us as Speaker Brett Gilliland: a Tears. No tears. Speaker Adam Thatcher: No tears. Luckily, because I got to drop her off instead of getting putting on Speaker Brett Gilliland: a bus today. So that Speaker Adam Thatcher: was our good attitude. And, you know, What what does a day look like? Right? So I I tend to wake up early, right, probably anywhere between five and 05:30, spend the morning to myself. I like to do a lot of stretching. I like to drink a lot of water and tea in the morning to really get my my body prepared for everything else that's coming. And then, taking care of my kids in the morning is the best thing. Right? Getting them up, making breakfast for them, talking to them about how great their day is gonna be, so I can find them for a successful day, and, and, and the ways that they define success, which is mostly fun and learning. And then, and then as soon as I drop them off, I'm able to just switch my mindset into, okay, what's on what's on the docket today? If not having that already prepared the night before, if I need to get it prepared the night before. And I use that drive after dropping the kids off to say, okay. How am I gonna make the next eight hours, the most productive eight hours they can possibly be before, you know, I transition back into family. And then after I put the kids to bed, I'd like to take an hour or, well, first, I always we always dedicate fifth we tried to dedicate fifteen minutes, between my wife and I, right? Like, how was your day? Like, tell me how you're doing, hopefully being at giving ourselves a chance to even do, a little bit of bible study if given the opportunity as well, some self improvement and, and, you know, couple improvement together, investing that time is really important, and then taking another hour to sort of that max. For a little bit more work prepping for the day before the following day before I go to bed. And believe it or not, still get about, you know, seven hours of sleep a night, which is all that I need. I know some people need more, but, that's what Saturday, Sundays for is pick Speaker Brett Gilliland: up that extra hour. That's right. Decrease that sleep debt. Awesome. Just taking them some notes there. Love that. So do you exercise? Are you a big exercise guy? I know you said stretch and all that stuff. You a big fitness guy? Speaker Adam Thatcher: You know, funny enough. I'm not. I'm a big skier. I spent eight years living in Lake Tahoe, California. I worked for two amazing ski resorts out there on the North Shore. And so that was my daily exercise routine. And I am not a big exercise person, but I find that my own daily routines of a healthy diet and stretching ends up being enough for me. I'm a passionate and avid gardener. So on the weekends are usually spent with a shovel in my hand, putting, you know, moving plants around and that sort of thing. I end up busting enough of a sweat that I haven't, you know, Haven't haven't put on too much of a of a dad thought. I doubt it yet. Speaker Brett Gilliland: I love it. That, Edgewood Resort out there in Tahoe. You been there? Speaker Adam Thatcher: So I've been to, a number of them for sure. I had the pleasure of working at, what was Squa Valley and Alpine Meadows, which is now Palisades Tahoe. Home to some of the the best big mountain skiing out west. Speaker Brett Gilliland: Yeah. The Edgewood golf course there is amazing. I'm a big golfer, so loved it out there. Speaker Adam Thatcher: Yeah. Speaker Brett Gilliland: It's beautiful. So, so again, continuing on this routine thing. What what would I find if I followed you around day in and day out? Again, imagine the person listening this now is exercising and driving down the road, and and they're busy. They're in their schedules. What what do I see from you from either time management? Again, you said you can't manage that. So self management but buffer in your calendar? Are you a back to back back meeting guy? Like, what's that look like for you? Speaker Adam Thatcher: Yeah. It's a great question. I would say that while undiagnosed, I will, I will diagnose my, myself as having a slight ADD. I like to multitask on many different things so that I'm never waiting for a response, and when that magic moment pops in your head, I like to be able to hit it right away and then come back to what I was doing because I think that different work areas inform how you're gonna be the most successful in, a certain topic. So I, at any time, I've got probably about ten to twelve tabs open on, right, on on Google Chrome. And I like to jump between them, so that I'm constantly making progress together. And what it ultimately turns into is, those I consider that my version of being focused. When other people watch me, they can't stand it. But it ends up creating sort of this,

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