The Three Ds Miguel Angel Cruz Majasil, Chiapas, Mexico

Desire. Dedication. Dependability.

If, over the last 15 or so years, you have ever found yourself in an audience listening to my husband Bob give his business group presentation on “What Makes a Successful Entrepreneur,” then you will know that he always leads with the Three D’s.

Desire. Anyone that wants to be in business for themselves has plenty of that. That’s the easy part.

Dedication, as Bob defines it, is an adherent, steadfast commitment to bringing that idea to life, with a large helping of determination to overcome every obstacle, on the side.

But perhaps the hardest D is Dependability. It is, after all, just another word for responsibility: to yourself, to your employees and partners, and to your community. It’s about living up to your word every day, and ALWAYS being there, especially when the going gets tough.

The four small producers that are a part of our Farm-Direct partnership with Finca La Fortaleza, from L-R: Solomon Demeza, Pascual Hernandez, Marta Vasquez, and Miguel Angel Cruz

It struck me as I was sitting with a group of four small coffee producers in Chiapas, Mexico, that we could all learn a thing or two about the Three D’s from Miguel Angel Cruz, a coffee farmer working his three hectares of land (a little more than seven acres) in the Majasil region of Chiapas.