Ep. 149 Travis Holzem
from Hello Chaos Hosted by Travis Holzem, Jennifer Sutton, Chandler Mays (Producer)
Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ Sustainable models can scale Travis built a growing business by designing and installing edible landscapes, supported by a nationwide network of trained installers. 2️⃣ When it falls apart, rebuild smarter He rebuilt his company from scratch after losing it to a bad partnership, proving that skills and grit are stronger than ego or paperwork. 3️⃣ Your business is your ecosystem His permaculture mindset applies to entrepreneurship too. Founders thrive when they build systems that support life, growth, and collaboration. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to Hello Chaos 01:29 Travis’s path from military to marketing to mission 04:44 From bartending tips to a web design business 10:29 Building a better greenhouse and learning what not to do 16:13 Transforming suburbs with food forests 24:48 The business fallout that forced a restart 28:41 Launching a national network of permaculture designers 38:51 Creating a self-sufficient homestead community 42:19 Best advice for founders: “Leave your ego. Keep your mission.” 🔗 Learn more and Connect with Travis Website: https://foodforestdesignmn.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travisholzem/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodforestabundancemn/ X: https://x.com/MnFood Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community HERE and connect with us on social media for the latest updates and more great content. Connect With Us: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube
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What this episode covers
What does bartending, the Marine Corps, and web development have to do with launching a sustainable landscaping business? Everything if you're Travis Holzem. In this episode of Hello Chaos, Jennifer “JJ” Sutton talks with the founder of Food Forest Design Minnesota about how he turned a lifelong curiosity with growing food into a full-time venture helping families and communities rethink their yards and their food. This is a story about building from the ground up. Travis shares how he bounced back after a failed partnership, what it really takes to scale a service-based business, and why resilience and self-reliance matter more than a pitch deck. He’s not chasing trends. He’s building a business that feeds people and challenges the systems we take for granted.
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