b'Out of Adversity Grows SuccessFaith, following a dream and believing in the Golden Rule guide Jeff Meints and his approach to business.Julie Deering jdeering@issuesink.comSOMETIMES HITTING Aso-called bottom can spring- rather to teach.board you to the top. For each setback, Jeff Meints has come- We learn from moments of difficulty, Maxwell writes. Once back 10-fold. Today hes the president and CEO of Titan PRO, awe reach the peak of the mountain, things are much clearer. farmer alongside one of his sons, president of the IndependentThen, were prepared for the next mountain to climb.Professional Seed Association and a delegate to the U.S. GrainsSecond, Maxwell says when you encounter adversity, take a Councilnot to mention that four of his five children work forstep back, assess the situation and determine best next steps. Titan PRO. Lastly, remember why you started on the path in the first place.Google Jeff Meints and you will see a list of challenges hesTheres no fancy books, curriculum or business philosophy had to overcome. He got caught up in the legality of whetherthat the Iowa native buys into. Its a very simple approach.seeds can be patented with the landmark case that made its wayDo what you say you are going to do, Meints says. I try to to the U.S. Supreme Court. Then about 10 years later, he discov- create win-win-win situations: a win for farmers, a win for dealers ered fraudulent activity by his business partner, forcing a split.(our customers) and a win for Titan PRO. If we can do that, every-Throw a divorce and the raising of five kids in there and you havething else will fall into place.an environment that would set some guys on a downward spiral. In leading Titan PRO, Meints draws insight and perspective Through it all, Meints never thought about walking away ornot only from his conversations with customers but also from his doing something else. own experiences.This was my dream and I never considered abandoning it. I loveAt the ripe age of 19, Meints found himself married, in school what I do and Im very passionate about it. I love being in the seedand selling insurance, working on commission.and chemical business. I love being unique to the industry and deliv- If we were going to eat, I had to sell, he says. Thats where I ering that package together. I love creating win-win-win situations. really cut my teeth. I learned how to make a presentation, how to If its not obvious, Meints takes everything in stride. prospect, recruit and hold someones attention.You are going to have good days, and youre going to haveAfter two years, Meints joined his father and brother on the bad days, he says. Success is not a straight line up. Im alwaysfamily farm in Sheffield, where they grew corn and soybeans and thinking about how we can take a situation and make it better.raised hogsthat was in the late 80s. Then in 1990, Meints had Youve got to figure out the best path forward and just do it. the opportunity to start selling seeds; this was before the intro-duction of traits.Overcoming Adversity Large farm managers were getting big discounts that the According to John Maxwell, author of several New York Timeslocal guys couldnt, Meints says. There were several buying bestselling books and an Inc. No. 1 leadership expert, adversitygroups that you could join but you had to pay a fee to get their in life is a given and it can signal a coming positive transition ifdiscounts. We didnt want that fee, but we knew we needed the responded to correctly. volume to get the best deal possible.Maxwell shares three ways to overcome adversity. The first isWe started selling seedand then offered chemicals and to recognize that adversity doesnt exist to bog you down, butthen worked to build a dealer force.30/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2020'