Smiles @ The Farm: Chloe Wood | Bringing Structure to Chaos
“During our first two days here, we were asked to help pull a cow out of a swamp, and I was like, this place is insane, I want to stay here!“
As far as a baptism by fire goes, Chloe Wood had a memorable one to say the least. Little did she know that she would go on to do much more than merely rescuing cows, and end up being the General Manager of The Farm. The 24-year-old London native is full of energy and love for The Farm community, always with a smile on her face, kind words on her lips and a warm hug when you need it.
Chloe’s Farm journey started two and a half years ago, when she and her partner Ross Grindlay (check out his ‘Smiles’ story here!) had been travelling around Northland for about three months at the time. They were going up the coast until they found The Farm on the Campermate app.
“I was really hesitant at first, but we came and stayed for two days,” Chloe recalls.
Needless to say, the adventurous rescue of the cow during their first days stuck with them as they continued with their travels. So much so, that they decided to return to The Farm in time to help out with school camps.
“Once we decided to stay, it was our base in New Zealand. We knew we could come back if anything happened or if we had any problems. That was a really good feeling,” she says.
Over the course of their stay at The Farm, they went on a few trips to the top of the North Island, a longer trip to the South Island and even stayed in Auckland for a few months to work. However, despite departing on multiple occasions, they always found themselves coming back to The Farm.
Being born in a concrete jungle, the idea of calling a farm her second home never occurred to Chloe. She moved to Leeds in 2015 to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art at the University of Leeds. In order to pay for her studies, she got a job cleaning glasses in a local bar.
“But, being me, I am not very good at not being in charge. So after eight months, I got promoted to bartender. I had to learn how to make 200-300 cocktails, but I was determined, I wanted to do this! And then I became Assistant General Manager,” she explains.
In this position, she learned a lot about management, money and people - skills that would come in handy later in her work at The Farm. However, fulfilling her managerial responsibilities and studying at the same time meant that Chloe led a very busy life. On top of that, this is when she met her partner Ross.
“I remember my schedule was so full that there was only a two-hour window in the morning where Ross and I could hang out. I did that for six months,” she says.
While others may fare better with more free time, Chloe actually thrives off of being busy.
“I enjoy having a schedule, that’s who I am. I am hyper organised and I like it!” she says with enthusiasm.
Having worked in a management position before, Chloe is naturally drawn to taking on responsibilities and organising activities. After being a regular volunteer at The Farm for five months, she started managing the Projects Team where she spearheaded building projects.
“I realised I liked leading things more than following. I like being able to visualise a whole image instead of just working on one part of it,” she says.
As a result, when The Farm restructured its business model and created the position of General Manager, Chloe was the clear choice.
“People have always come to me to ask questions, so I kind of morphed into the role,” she describes.
With this new position, Chloe’s days have changed dramatically. First thing in the morning, she answers emails and checks the weekly schedule while having her first cup of tea (of many to follow). She spends the rest of her morning holding meetings, strategising and ideating around core business aspects like marketing, human resources and event-planning. Following a short lunch break, she returns to work, ticking tasks off her ever-expanding to-do list.
Her work day comes to a close when the dinner bell - in the form of a community Slack message - rings. With 'shop talk' no longer in the picture, she can immerse herself in the Farm community and play with her dog Winnie. Additionally, she enjoys letting her creative juices flow in the new art and music studio that she and Ross built.
Another integral part of Chloe’s day is educating herself on leadership skills.
“I am such a nerd (laughs). I like learning, that’s my biggest thing,” she says.
Having the chance to learn from other people and dive into different fields such as human resources, finances and marketing is a key aspect that Chloe appreciates about her job.
“Sometimes this can be challenging, but it is very exciting at the same time,” she says.
As much as Chloe tries to structure her work in advance, it often happens that unforeseen obstacles throw a wrench in her plans.
“Every day is different, especially when things pop up and you have to deal with a power cut, no water in the house or a bed that hasn’t been prepared for a new guest. I try to anticipate problems, but sometimes things just happen,” she describes.
Another element of her job that can be difficult to navigate is the fact that The Farm is not only a business, but also a community and a home for people.
“We are an emotional organism that has got peaks and valleys, which is a good but also difficult part. You have to make sure you create an environment where everyone can feel happy in their work and personal life,” she says.
While trying to accommodate people’s needs and tending to immediate emergencies, Chloe sometimes forgets to allocate time for herself.
“My job is very fulfilling. It makes me happy and excited, but also tired. I am very bad at dedicating self-time. So that is a personal challenge. I want to try and take more time for myself - not waking up and starting work on my laptop right away,” she admits.
Despite the stressfulness, Chloe flourishes in her work and life at The Farm. When asked about the things that make her happy here, she instantly named her dog Winnie and her partner Ross with a big smile on her face.
“Also, having my friends close and having that family feeling is really nice. Walking into the kitchen and seeing everyone laughing. Sometimes I just take a moment and realise how freaking great it is,” she adds.
Looking to the future of The Farm, Chloe strives for the various businesses to run successfully under a cohesive structure. Ideally, she would like to employ more people and pay them wages, which she sees as an effective measure of economic success. Her central focus is a happy and thriving community, with more long-term community members living on the property and participating actively. In addition, she is working towards setting and achieving sustainability goals for The Farm to be a ‘Farm of the Future’.
In her personal life, Chloe wants to continue to travel the world with her base in New Zealand. Her current vision is to dive deeper into architecture or interior design - fields in which she can combine her creativity with her natural talent for organisation and structured way of thinking. She imagines studying again and eventually starting her own business, putting her passions into practice.
“Also, I would like to build a tiny home. And just be happy!” she concludes.
Written by Sandra Niederlöhner