I met Luke Jones recently. He has managed to combine his passion into his business.

He has always loved horses, and competes in high-level eventing.

He is also an architect and designs equestrian centres – this is the definition of your business being your passion.

Luke grew up with horses in the Adelaide Hills. After school, he went to the United Kingdom where, fortuitously, there were a couple of world-class eventing riders based nearby.

Luke took the opportunity to get to know them and immerse himself into their world. This turned out to be an important ingredient that would bear fruit in the years to come.

Architecture wasn’t the first option as a career path, but fate intervened, and it was the degree that he ultimately chose.

After completing his studies, he worked for an Adelaide Hills architectural firm specialising in residential designs.

All throughout Luke’s study and other pursuits, he kept on riding. A sliding doors moment came along when he was 29.

He was engaged to design what is a pre-eminent equestrian facility in Australia called Boneo Park on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

Luke had not met the developer of Boneo Park and was recommended by an acquaintance.

The call came out of the blue. In my mind, this shows the power of having a great reputation and garnering trust with others over time.

I know so many agribusinesses that operate the same way. Being a decent person and getting the job done goes a long way. Your reputation will precede you in these circumstances.

Before the Boneo Park project started, Luke went to Europe to do as much research on similar equestrian precincts as possible.

Boneo Park has been an enormous success, and this has presented Luke with other opportunities as a result.

Enjoying what you do, and therefore doing an excellent job is a win for everyone involved.

Luke didn’t really plan to grow this niche with his business, and it has kind of just evolved that way.

He has such a unique skill set that it’s nigh on impossible for others to replicate the business model.

This is driven to a significant extent by Luke’s innate understanding of how horses think and act, and therefore, what is the best design that suits the natural instincts of the animal.

The horses are front of mind when designs are undertaken.

As Luke still rides competitively, he has a training regimen and he also has a coach. Again, this has parallels to farming, as many professional agribusinesses access outside expertise.

While talking with Luke, it was easy to see the passion he has for what he does. This type of enthusiasm is quite infectious, and others can easily tap into this.

The lessons here are relevant for any business owner, including an agribusiness.

Having passion and exuberance for what you’re doing is one of key pillars for success in any endeavour.