Former Accountant Heads Back to the Farm

By Melissa S. Monroe
San Antonio Business Journal

Rich Barkley holds the key to his business in a small white notebook he carries in his back pocket.

Inside that notebook are the names of the clients of Barkley’s Home & Ranch Center in Boerne, as well as the products they have purchased. Barkley uses that notebook to get to know each customer individually. It also helps him develop a customer profile for his business.

His method appears to be working. In just three years of business, Barkley has increased his client base to more than 4,000 customers. Barkley’s retail operation posted more than $1 million in revenues last year. His company also has been recognized as having the top annual increase in feed sales in a 72-county area of South Texas.

Barkley’s Home & Ranch Center is not just a feed store; it’s a multipurpose store. Located at 32450 Interstate Highway 10 West, Barkley’s store stocks feed, ranch supplies, veterinary supplies, fencing, home and garden supplies, boots, fertilizers, and educational tools for customers to understand more about their livestock.

Read the full story here.