Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Raspen

Hi Ashley, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I found my passion for teaching Fitness almost 2 decades ago, knowing that was I was meant to do in life. I also was drawn to the farming world. I loved talking and learning about farm life and all the walks in their life as farmers. I talked to strangers at auctions, fairs and Amish friends. I was intrigued by this life. One day I brought home chickens and became obsessed . Then i decided on one goat . Which led to over 50 Goats , Pigs , and a tribe of Donkeys now .

I worked in a local gym managing group fitness but barely made ends meet with them paying in peanuts . I put my heart and soul into my job but I always felt like there was more to this journey . Everyone became obsessed with my one goat Niko and an old time member came in with a magazine featuring a model with a goat on her back looking so regal . She said does this Now !
So my wheels started turning and i was approached by a yoga business that wanted to partner with me 50/50 . I pondered because i knew zero about owning a business and never actually envisioned that in my journey but my husband said absolutely not and man was i glad i didn’t take the offer.

After a lot of naysayers and people that said I was crazy for starting this I filed for the business name Buttinhead Farms . Even my accountant said just stick to what I’m doing . Boy am I glad I didn’t listen .

After one year in business juggling my gym job and my own business covid hit and i finally decided it was the push i needed to go big or go home . I resigned and never looked back . I will say sending that resignation letter was one of the hardest moves and especially during the uncertainty of Covid times . My husband also quit his job to take the business full time with me .

We now have grown to doing Piggy Yoga , Concerts, over 28 University’s , Team building, Weddings and much more .
I now get to choose work that fuels my soul and release things that don’t fuel my fire .
I get to work with some of the most amazing people in Pennsylvania , New Jersey & New York .
my biggest advice is to never Kiss @ss only Kick it .
Embrace your journey and stay Present .

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

Owning a small business is like riding a very rough windy wooden roller coaster . One day everything is spectacular and your on a high on life and the next day your in fetal position having a breakdown . The pressures of business owning are never ending . I have to juggle and multi task so much . My inbox is my biggest challenge making sure I’m responding to everyone . We’ve lost the compassion that there’s actual humans trying to manage everything behind the scenes . People want immediate responses and forget business owners need time .

Customers and luckily I have such amazing, kind and beautiful customers but there are those handful that are new to us and they sure do keep me on my toes with their questions and inquiries .

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Buttinhead Farms?

What I’m extremely good at is taking people from reality and all their problems and stressors of life and allowing them to escape reality . I get people to break through comfort zones and be weird and silly .
There’s no one out there that can duplicate what I give people . They may try to imitate but they don’t have me .
Our tribe was birthed by me , trained and loved by me. We have a bonded connection you just won’t find anywhere else plus the multiple personalities. lol . Its a gift .

I’m so proud how far we’ve come and that I set standards and stuck with them . I despise petting zoos and although I’ve been asked 5 trillion times to do them , I just wont put my tribe through that . They deserve the best life .

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?

I have a bunch of Amish friends and when I’m stressed or feel like quitting I go visit them to feel the simplicity of life . I also help them market their goods and give them tips on business growth .

I also have a fear of teaching on stage . Weird but i need the energy of the people close to me .

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.buttinheadfarms.com
• Instagram: Buttinhead farms
• Facebook: Buttinhead Farms

Image Credits

JillHoyt Photography

Kalen Sowul Photography

My beautiful daughter Alaina