We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daryn Keiser a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Daryn , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?
I believe that our education system focuses so much on sending kids straight to college from high school. So many students, myself included, are forced into thinking that is our only next step. I did not have the option right out of high school to go to college. I had a complicated family situation and college just wasn’t an option for me. Even though most of my friends were headed to college and that what the teachers/counselors were preparing us for.
I wasn’t able to attend college until 11 years after my high school graduation date. The classes I took were filled with young kids fresh out of high school. VERY few of them took classes seriously. For the majority of them it was just what they were told to do next. What they believed was expected of them. Very few of them actually wanted to be there, were grateful to be there or had a true understanding of the privilege it is to go to college. I had a different perspective, I am a wife, a mother, a business owner, and in my 11 years since graduating high school, I had a lot of life experience. These kids in my class lacked the life experience and to them college was just the next phase of life, not a privilege. I went to class everyday grateful for an opportunity to be there.
We need to stop forcing kids into thinking college is the next phase of life after high school. If I would have known college was not my only option after high school, I would have pursued a career, a vocational school, a technical school, getting a certificate, I would have done something. But I was forced to believe my only option was to find a entry level job or go to college. And if I chose an entry level job, I wouldn’t be as successful as those who picked college.
Being able to go to college is a privilege and it isn’t seen that way. Kids coming out of high school need to have some life experience and find who they are in life, what they want to do before committing themselves to a program they aren’t really sure about. For me, the life experiences I have had helped me narrow down what I want to do with my life, which career I want to pursue and how to achieve those goals. Not being allowed the privilege of attending college has given me an appreciation for now being able to attend college and a desire to be a successful student.
Daryn , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I have always been an artsy and crafty person, and I have always known I wanted to produce something that people could enjoy. I started with photography which has always been a passion of mine, and I have always dreamed about owning a store/company that I could sell my ideas, my creations. But my photography is what got me the most inspired. I wanted to start a website where I could advertise and sell my photos, and things just went from there. I decided to make soaps using loofahs grown from my garden, pressed flower crafts from the flowers I grew and so many other fun things! I started creating a website and I launched it the same time a book I wrote was about to be available. Its always been in the back of my mind that writing a book would something spectacular, I just didn’t know what I would write about. I had this amazing, beautiful garden and me and my kids worked hard to produce. I decided to write a book for my kids about their garden and how hard they worked to get this beautiful garden.
Being a stay at home mom at the time, I wanted to do something that could help provide extra income for my family while doing something that I enjoyed. I created my website and business to promote home grown, hand made arts and crafts. I want to bring as much joy to people as making and creating those things has done for me.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
One of the hardest parts of being a small business owner is trying to grow and maintain your clientele. I am always thinking of different projects and different things I can create that I think people would love. It can be really disappointing when you have this great idea, and it turns out not to be a best seller. For some reason, people have no problem spending $20 on a mass-produced item through a large corporation but ask them to spend $20 on a handmade product and they don’t want to spend it! It can be really discouraging and upsetting, but I have learned that you just have to keep trying and keep putting your stuff out there.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I am still building my social media presence, and one day I hope to have a larger audience. All of my posts are from our real life from around our farm. I think people get caught up in the extravagance of social media and forget that in real life not everyone has thousands of dollars to spend on building chicken coops, and other projects. Things don’t have to be fancy and expensive to be functional. I like to try and remind people that sometimes simpler things are better! The simple joy of picking flowers you grew in your garden, using the loofahs you grew to make soaps. There is joy in the simple things, and I want to share that joy with everyone. My advice to those who are just starting out like me is, don’t be discouraged by a slow start or if you don’t have all the followers you want. You can’t make a home overnight, what makes a home is years of memories, pictures and things acquired. The same goes for a business. It can’t be grown overnight, it takes time, dedication and patience!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://flyingkwfarmsllc.com
- Instagram: flying_kw_farms
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flyingkwfarms
- Other: TikTok- @flyingkwfarms
