Today we’d like to introduce you to Corbin Bosiljevac.
Hi Corbin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After graduating college and working as an outside salesman for a Fortune 1000 Tech company, my health started to degrade. Living a fast-paced lifestyle by working hard and playing harder led me to make some bad dedisions and drug use entailed. It got so out of hand that I ended up getting a 90 month federal prison sentence. While in incarcerated, I focused on getting my life back together and was able to get a job working with the Garden Project at Leavenworth federal prison. For 4 years, I learned to grow plants, indoors and outdoors, while donating our harvests to local charities. This was the blessing that saved my life and I started my company Boundless KC Urban Farm with 2 goals in mind: Grow high quality food and get it to as many people as possible. This story is outlined in a book I wrote called “On to the Next Thing” published in 2021.
It took me several years to get on my feet after being released from prison, but I eventually moved back to Kansas City and started my business on a shoestring budget. I even drove Uber in the early mornings before I started working to make ends meet. Determination and drive were my new focus.
I began doing pop ups all around the Kansas City metro. Farmer’s markets, health fairs, etc. This is when I started meeting chefs who were interested in the microgreens I grew, and individuals who wanted to level up their health by trying out our Superfood Booster products. The business began to grow, mostly organically by just talking to people and business owners about what we do. I was enthusiastic because forcusing on my well being had changed my life and I was offering something that could be life-changing to others as well; even without changing much in their already busy lives.
Today, we have to facets to our business. One is growing and providing fresh microgreens to restaurants and chefs around Kansas City. There are over 20 establishments who have benefited from our speciality grows and the quantities that we provide. Individuals also eat our fresh microgreens by picking them up at the markets or participating in our delivery services each week.
The second focus of our business is our freeze-dried superfood products that we manufacture. The flagship item is our Boundless Booster which is a mix of several microgreens that are cut fresh and then freeze-dried. This maintains the nutrient density while extending the shelf life to over a year. It is available in several stores around KC and we are in the process of purchasing more equipment to increase production. We also make freeze-dreid powders out of our microgreens with micro-broccoli, pea shoots, and micro-beet being our most popular. Freeze-dried lion’s mane is also a favorite and is becoming more well known.
Our newest focus is online ordering and shipping freeze-dried products nationwide.
Today we are still running fast and simply love being part of the Kansas City community.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been much smoother than expected, although nothing about starting a business is easy. My father told me that he thinks my time in federal prison taught me perspective and helped my endurance and patience with the business world. It certainly taught me how to deal with a larger variety of people. So, when I have had to change locations of my growing area, deal with the loss of entire crops, or talk to customers about paying invoices, I don’t get too rattled.
There are many things that I have had to do while running the business that were beyond my knowledge. Permitting, marketing, prioritizing, and even figuring out the best way to freeze dry items. The most difficult thing to date would be scaling my business. By trying to keep my costs down and not taking any investment money, it has grown slower than it could have, but I am OK with that. Time is more important to me than money and I appreciate the steady pace at which my business is growing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Boundless KC Microgreens and Urban Farm?
Our organization has grown mostly by listening to what the public wants, and then filling that void for them. I simply wanted to grow speciality foods for people, and I quickly learned that growing indoors would be best for me. I could control the environment and produce high quality microgreens. After perfecting our growing process, we had to find people who appreciated our greens as much as we did. I believe that talking to individuals and small groups is the most effective way to do this. Not spending lots of promotional money, but impacting individuals with our story, our products, and our focus.
That being said, I am most proud of our Boundless Booster which is our freeze-dried flagship product. It is a simple way to level up your food whithout changing anything about your everyday diet. We teach that by just adding a pinch of our Boundless Booster as a garnish to whatever food you are already eating adds real, clean superfood to your meals. It is picky eater approved and parents love to add it to their kids mac-n-cheese or sandwiches.
But, none of this would have happened if I didn’t already love to grow fresh microgreens weekly. I can take the power of these little greens and provide them to chefs who love to level up their cuisine. Then, I can grow even more microgreens to freeze-dry so health conscious people everywhere can level up their well-being!
Right now, we are in a growth mode and making sure our processes are strong. Once comfortable with our SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures), we plan to scale and even replicate our model in other mid-sized cities. Think: Boundless Des Moines, Boundless Tulsa, or Boundless Omaha.
Regardless, we love the Kansas City community and will also grow our involvement here locally.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Ingesting a vast variety of information is important because the world today is very complex and complicated. I had the ability to read hundreds of books while in prison which broadened my view of the world and gave me an open-minded perspective when learning how to connect with individuals. Reading and listening to biographies seem to bring me the most pleasure and enlightenment. Today I listen to numerous podcasts on entreprenurial topics, health, farming, and food. I will share that if a person listens to Jay Shetty, Joe Rogan, and Vishen Lakhiani then you will get a well-rounded and infomative position from where to evaluate your place in the world.
My favorite book is the one I authored titled, “On to the Next Thing.” It is a memoir on crime, choices and change. I spent years taking notes about my experiences in prison. Reflecting on what got me there, how to fix it, and what to do with the rest of my life are what got me through those 5+ years inside. It is a story about never giving up, no matter how far you have fallen. The pages are entertaining and informative all at the same time.
Pricing:
- Boundless Booster is $25 at local stores or farmer’s markets.
- Crunchy Mix fresh microgreens is $4 per ounce at our pop ups or by delivery.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://BoundlessKCFarms.com
- Instagram: @BoundlessKCMicrogreens
- Facebook: Boundless KC Microgreens
- Twitter: @CorbinBosiljev1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0rTri08lAY
