03/31/2026
A Full-Circle Moment: From Microsoft to the Farm
Today I found myself back on the Microsoft campus—this time not as an employee, but as a small business owner doing a retail pop-up at The Commons.
And I have to say, it felt a little surreal.
It’s been about 13 years, and standing there today reminded me how much life can evolve… while still carrying threads of where you started.
At one point, my career centered around technology, collaboration, operations, and helping organizations work smarter and more efficiently. Today, I run a small farm business focused on growing h**p and creating h**p-based products.
Those two worlds might seem far apart.
But being back on campus today reminded me that they’re actually not as different as they appear.
At HydroJenn Farms, we still rely on many of the same tools and disciplines that support modern organizations every day. We use Microsoft 365 for communication, collaboration, organization, documentation, and day-to-day operations. The scale is different, of course—but the mindset is very much the same.
Because the truth is, running a farm business today isn’t just about growing plants or making products.
It’s about building systems.
It’s about consistency.
It’s about communication, planning, problem-solving, and being able to adapt quickly when things change.
Those aren’t just “corporate” skills. They’re business skills. Leadership skills. Life skills.
And I’ve come to appreciate that no chapter of your career is ever wasted.
The things you learn in one season of life have a way of showing up again—often in ways you never expected.
That has definitely been true for me.
The years I spent working with Microsoft technologies and in professional environments shaped how I think, how I operate, and how I build. Even though my work today looks very different, those lessons still show up every single day—just in a different setting and with a different mission.
Today, instead of supporting enterprise systems or shipping solutions at scale, I’m building something rooted in cultivation, wellness, and creating thoughtfully made h**p products.
And yet, in many ways, I’m still doing what I’ve always loved: building something meaningful, solving problems, and creating value for people.
Being back on campus today gave me a chance to reflect—not just on where I’ve been, but on how every part of the journey continues to shape where I’m going.
I’m grateful for the experiences, the people, the lessons, and the foundation that helped prepare me for this chapter.
And I’m equally grateful to be building something of my own.
Different industry. Same foundation.
Sometimes growth doesn’t mean leaving your past behind. Sometimes it means carrying the best parts of it into something new.
Today was a reminder of that.
HydroJenn Farms
Something good is growing here.
