Bryce Irlbeck ('14 agronomy) and Tyler Bruch ('04 agricultural studies) recently took time to share entrepreneurial insights with Iowa State University students engaged in the summer incubator program, Rural Entrepreneurship Academy. The two are owners of a business that is one of the fastest growing businesses in agriculture, Boa Safra Ag. The company offers advanced tax services and scientific reporting that enables agricultural landowners to realize significant income tax deductions.

“We’re forty-two months since starting the business,” comments Bruch. “We’ve had three hundred percent growth or more each year. We have customers now in forty-nine states, with more than three thousand customers and twenty employees. We’ve created great value for customers and so the business has grown alongside that value creation.”

Bryce Irlbeck (left) and Tyler Bruch (right) recently appeared on the Farm4Profit podcast.

“What does it take to create such a successful business?” asks an ISU student entrepreneur?

“Create a crappy one first,” laughs Irlbeck. “Then when a good one comes along, you’ll recognize the difference.”

The pair started their first business together in 2017, AgriSecure. That business provides planning, execution, tracking, and analysis tools for organic farms. 

AgriSecure eventually reached a level of success, but Bruch described the struggles of achieving profitability. “We were working very hard and getting very little financial reward,” he comments. “You need to value your time. There’s 8,760 hours in a year. Be efficient with your time. It takes time to build a business, but in the end is there a return to your time that justifies the hard work and risk?”

That way of valuing time informs how they work with building Boa Safra Ag. “We have one all-hands meeting per week,” explains Bruch. “We’re 100% remote, so the meeting is virtual, but it’s all business and takes no more than thirty minutes. “Meetings are often such a waste, so have as few as possible. If you hire great people, train them well, promote ownership mentality and then get out of their way, the business will run smoothly.”

Apart from their shared business interests, Irlbeck and Bruch also both manage large organic farming operations. “Farming organic is a lifestyle change,” explains Irlbeck. “There’s a lot to figure out to manage the crop and pest pressure effectively, but you get to develop markets and customer relationships that are more profitable. We’re selling corn for a much higher price than conventional corn. We put a lot more work and risk into every bushel than conventional farmers, but we’re also rewarded for it.”

Do these Cyclone alumni agricultural entrepreneurs have any more advice for the next generation?

“No matter how successful you and your businesses may be, you will still not have ‘made it’,” comments Bruch. “Don’t let anyone put a ceiling on your success. Keep building, keep grinding, and always play like an underdog!”