A duo used TikTok to find farm help, attracting 4,000 applicants. Here’s how they made their dream a reality, and how you can invest in one, too

When you can’t find farmhands the old-fashioned way, it might be time to think outside the silo.

That’s exactly what the founders of Yellowstone Farmstead did. The agricultural venture, nestled at the Montana side of Yellowstone National Park, began as Shugabeet Farms — a solo project launched by sixth-generation Maine farmer Sage LeBlanc. In 2024, she joined forces with fellow East Coaster Allison Larew, former Garden Director at Chico Hot Springs, to grow their shared dream of a sustainable, community-rooted farm.

But finding the right team to bring their vision to life wasn’t easy.

“I remember looking at Sage and we had gone through applications and I was like, ‘Gosh, I wish we could grab from a bigger pool.’ I was like, ‘It’s our time to try TikTok,’” Larew told 4KXLF News.

After combing through nearly 4,000 TikTok applications, the pair hired 12 new employees — mostly women. The farm has grown to 10 acres since then. But it wasn’t just social media that brought Yellowstone Farmstead to life. It was their entrepreneurial spirit that turned a shared dream into a thriving, boots-on-the-ground business.

From the desert to the valley

It didn’t take long for word to spread. Within just a few months, a dozen new hires packed up and moved to a remote stretch of Paradise Valley, Montana, leaving behind lives in places like Texas, Oklahoma and even Alaska.

Adriana Lopez was one of them. She left the Tohono O’odham Nation in southern Arizona for her first experience living outside the desert.

“I’ve never left the desert. First time. My family was like, ‘She’s going where? What is she doing?’ It was scary. It was a big leap for me,” she said. To help ease that leap, the farm offered free on-site housing in exchange for just 15 hours of work each week — a perk that’s hard to beat.

The founders leaned heavily into social media to find the right people, and it paid off. Roughly 90% of local businesses now use social media to promote their services, and 78% say it’s crucial for driving revenue, according to Synup’s Social Media Marketing Statistics. For this small operation in Paradise Valley, platforms like TikTok were more than a marketing tool — they were the bridge between big dreams and the people who were ready to chase them.

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Planting roots in passion

For Larew and LeBlanc, building a business wasn’t just about making a profit. It was about turning a dream into something tangible. They set out to build something far beyond the average farm, but bringing that vision to life took more than just grit and good intentions.

They secured land through a deal with Church Universal and Triumphant — a group once known for its doomsday prophecies — and rolled up their sleeves to convert former church housing into apartment units for employees. They built greenhouses, plowed fields and planted thousands of seeds — not just in the ground, but in the future they envisioned for themselves.

That kind of passion isn’t just poetic — it’s powerful. Jay Chaudhry, self-made billionaire and founder of cybersecurity firm Zscaler, told CNBC’s Make It that passion is the real game-changer when it comes to building something that lasts.

“If people don’t have passion,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how much experience they have. It just doesn’t matter for any job. You won’t have that internal drive to keep working toward solving problems and moving ahead.”

Root your own investments in Canadian small businesses you care about

Whether you’re planting carrots or coding apps, investing in your passion may be the most rewarding decision — both financially and personally — you’ll ever make. While you may feel limited in following your personal passion to the same degree as Larew and LeBlanc, you can still invest in small businesses that yield similar results. And in some cases, you can find a small business to invest in that touches on your own passions.

Here are four ways you can invest in small businesses that align with your interests.

1. Equity crowdfunding. Crowdfund investing through digital platforms allows you to support private Canadian businesses that resonate with your values. Through your equity, you become a shareholder with a direct stake and participation in the business’s growth.
2. Stock exchange or public equity investing. If a business is publicly traded, you can buy its shares through stock exchanges like TSX or TSX Venture, for example, providing liquidity and transparent pricing. While publicly traded small companies are rare, this route works well if a business has gone public.
3. Angel investing. High-net-worth individuals can invest directly in early-stage companies in exchange for equity. These “angels” — typically defined as “accredited investors” — often bring mentorship and credibility, in addition to capital. For Canadian investors, networks like the National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) help connect investors to startups that match their own values and interests.
4. Venture capital (VC). Venture Capitalists invest in early-stage startups and provide substantial financial resources to businesses with high growth potential — VC firm’s involvement is hands-on, often sitting on the board and guiding the company’s focus. It offers potentially massive returns, but is equally high risk. This approach is ideal if you’re looking to make a sizable investment and have more impactful involvement.

Sources

1. Bowleg Farmstead: Our Story

2. 4KXLF: Montana Ag Network: Young farmers find unique solution to labor shortage: TikTok by Keagan Hasha (May 28, 2025)

3. Synup: 80+ Industry Specific Social Media Marketing Statistics For 2025 by Madeleine Johnson (Jan 16, 2025)

4. CNBC: 66-year-old billionaire says there’s 1 trait it takes to succeed: ‘It doesn’t matter how much experience they have’ by Gili Malinky (Sept 16, 2024)