Small businesses are the lifeblood of their community. For this Spotlight on Small Business, we’re shining the light on Bell Urban Farm.
Bell Urban Farm, owned by Kim Doughty-McCannon, is an urban farm in the heart of Conway.
“We grow on less than an acre, and we grow mainly cut flowers and plants for your home garden. In the fall and winter months, we produce dried floral arrangements and evergreen wreaths,” Doughty-McCannon said. “We started the farm in 2017, and in 2020 we opened The Farmstand, our on-site local foods grocery store. The Farmstand is open seven days a week and features Arkansas-grown and Arkansas-made products.”
Doughty-McCannon shared what her day-to-day role as a small business owner looks like.
“It varies by the day and by the season. Usually, I do some office work in the Farmstand, ordering products, and finances, meeting with my team (we have seven staff members), helping out on the farm, making flower bouquets, planning events, working the register, stocking shelves, garden planning, social media and so on,” Doughty-McCannon said.
Doughty-McCannon shared some upcoming seasonal plans for her business.
“Since we are a farm with a retail business, we are almost always planning new events and sales seasons for the store. Our Spring Plant Sale is our largest event of the year, which we wrapped up in April, but we are looking forward to a productive and busy summer flower and produce season,” Doughty-McCannon said. “We have vendors pop up at our farm monthly, like Loblolly Creamery, and we have events and workshops. Most recently, we have started hosting local musicians for our “Bell Tones” music at the farm events. Zack, my husband and our co-owner, recently launched his new seed company, Honeycomb Seed, which features open-pollinated seeds and a seed bank.”
Doughty-McCannon shared some of the challenges that she has faced.
“Running a small business is always a roller coaster, and there have been many ups and downs. Navigating COVID, supply chain issues, harsh summer weather hurting our local farmer’s produce and slow sales seasons while still needing to pay ourselves and our staff. You have to be ready to give it your all and take the good times with the bad,” Doughty-McCannon said.
On the other hand, Doughty-McCannon shared some of her successes.
“Probably our biggest success was just the opening of our Farmstand grocery store. We ran a successful Kickstarter fundraiser campaign and raised $155,000 in order to renovate an old farmhouse and turn it into the retail space that it is today. Our family, friends and community rallied behind us to help raise these funds, and I still think about this almost daily! Now that we are open we can live out our mission of connecting our community with locally produced food and goods,” Doughty-McCannon said.
Doughty-McCannon offered a word of advice to aspiring small business owners.
“Seek out mentors in your area of work! We had so many questions when we were first starting out, and I found a few folks that were doing similar things to what we were trying to do and asked them lots of questions! Luckily, they were kind enough to answer. Also, finding a good accountant, bookkeeper, social media person, etc., really helps keep everything flowing smoothly,” Doughty-McCannon said.
Lastly, Doughty-McCannon shared some of the life lessons that she has learned as a small business owner.
“Owning a small business can be simultaneously one of the hardest and the most fulfilling things out there. This is a daily struggle, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I want to live a life I am proud of! I don’t want to punch a clock every day just to make money to pay the bills. I want to figure out how I can make money doing something I am passionate about! I want my kids to see me live a passion-filled and driven life. We have also learned once you get your business up and running, you must employ a great team that will help you shoulder the load so you have time to take a step back and disconnect when needed,” Doughty-McCannon said.
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