In this current era of information overload, it is easy to become distracted by factors that take our focus away from what is truly important: knowledge of fundamentals and the foundations of your operation. Anyone who has done any work with me recently would have seen me use the analogy of building a house. The question is ‘Where do we start with building?’ and the answer is the foundations. Once the foundations are solid we can then add layers to these foundations, brick by brick. Would you buy a house that has a fantastic new roof yet the foundations are crumbly and disintegrating? I doubt it, however unfortunately I am seeing all too often that this analogy is the case in a majority of rural businesses.