#278: Your 2026 Farm Marketing Business Plan - Part 4: How to Build a Profitable AND Fulfilling Farm

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE What happens when you finally hit your farm revenue goals—but you're exhausted, overwhelmed, and thinking about quitting? It's more common than you'd think. In this final installment of the four-part Year-End Business Marketing Planning Workshop, host Charlotte Smith tackles the piece most farmers skip: personal fulfillment. Because a profitable farm you hate running isn't really success. Charlotte shares from her own experience running a raw milk dairy. After eight years of hosting a popular (and profitable) farm camp, she realized she was done—and gave herself permission to stop. When she turned 50, she hired and trained milkers so she could step back from the physical labor she'd outgrown. These weren't failures. They were intentional choices that made her farm sustainable long-term. In this episode, Charlotte guides you through questions like: What did you actually enjoy doing this year? What are you complete with—and ready to never do again? What was your biggest moneymaker with the least effort? And critically: Who do you need to become to hit your 2026 goals? She also walks through a practical exercise for projecting revenue by product. List every way you make money on the left. Write your 2026 sales goal for each on the right. Add it up. Does it match your total revenue goal? If not, you've just identified the gap you need to solve—whether that's raising prices, adding volume, or cutting what isn't working. Charlotte gets honest about the mindset shifts that made the biggest difference for her, including giving up weeknight wine to improve her sleep, energy, and focus. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE Are you running your farm business without knowing your numbers? In this episode, we dive into the essential metrics that separate profitable farms from struggling ones—and why tracking them is non-negotiable for growth. This is part three of the year-end business planning series designed to help direct-to-consumer farmers build their 2026 marketing plan. The core message: what you don't track, you can't improve. Key numbers covered in this episode: Weekly customer count: How many customers do you serve per week across all sales channels (farm store, farmers market, online, deliveries)? Customer growth: How many new customers did you gain this year compared to last? Email list size: Your subscriber count one year ago versus today—and why email marketing software is legally required for sales emails Email metrics: Open rates, click rates, and why you shouldn't judge these numbers negatively Ad returns: If you're running Facebook or Instagram ads, what's your dollar return on investment? Gross sales and expenses: Total farm income minus all costs, including what you pay yourself The episode also addresses common mindset blocks around tracking numbers and emphasizes that building a profitable farm requires equal time on business skills as on physical farm work. Small-acreage farmers can absolutely achieve strong profits when they master these fundamentals. A free two-day training called "The Farm Marketing Fix" is coming January 19-20, with live feedback on marketing materials and strategies for profitability. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE Are you farming without a clear sales goal? In this episode, Charlotte Smith—farm marketing expert and business coach who works with 300+ farmers annually through her Farm Marketing Mastery program—reveals why having a specific revenue target is the difference between a thriving farm and one that struggles to survive. Charlotte walks through her proven goal-setting framework, explaining how to choose your gross sales projection even if you're brand new to farming or unsure what you'll sell. She shares real client success stories, including a farmer who made $100,000 in beef sales in one week and another who generated $2,000 before breakfast from a single email. You'll learn Charlotte's counterintuitive approach to goals: if you don't hit your target, don't lower it—extend the timeline instead. She explains why goal-setting is really about personal transformation and developing the marketing, mindset, and time management skills needed to reach any revenue number. The episode also covers a critical business planning exercise: evaluating what worked and what didn't work on your farm last year. Charlotte shares her own experience letting go of a successful farm camp program and teaches you how to distinguish between ventures worth refining versus those ready to release. Whether your goal is $10,000 or $10 million, this episode gives you the exact planning process Charlotte's clients use to build profitable farms across the country. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery. Resources & Links Mentioned Training & Programs Farm Marketing Fix (Free January 2026 Training): https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass Farm Marketing Mastery: https://charlottemsmith.com/mastery Five-Day Launch: Sales strategy taught within Farm Marketing Mastery Key Takeaways Choose a specific gross sales number – Any goal is better than no goal; leaving revenue "up to chance" dramatically increases the likelihood of going out of business. Work backwards from your goal – Break annual targets into quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily actions. Don't lower goals; extend timelines – If you don't hit $100K in 12 months but reach $65K, keep the $100K goal and extend to 15-18 months. Goal-setting transforms you – The real value is developing skills in marketing, boundary-setting, decision-making, and time management. Evaluate what worked AND what you still want to do – Something can be successful and still be worth letting go (like Charlotte's farm camp). Write it down by hand – Physical planning exercises significantly increase follow-through compared to just thinking about goals.

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE What would your farm look like if you knew—really knew—you couldn't fail?   Most of us stopped dreaming big somewhere around middle school.   We've been trained to set "realistic" 10% growth targets we can hit by just grinding harder.   But here's what I know after years of coaching farmers: working harder has a ceiling. You cannot out-hustle your way to your dream farm.   In this episode, you'll discover: - The exact questions my clients answer before seeing results like 86% sales increases - Why "impossible" goals actually work better than practical ones - How to put yourself on your own non-negotiables list - Why failure is literally the only path to success   This is Part 1 of 3—let's build your 2026 marketing plan together. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE What if the real reason you're exhausted isn't the workload—it's a single emotion you don't even realize is running the show? Guilt is silently hijacking your decisions, pushing you toward $20/hour tasks while $5,000/hour opportunities slip away. It's why you say yes when you should say no, why rest never actually restores you, and why "being responsible" might be the most reckless choice you're making. In this episode, you'll discover: The 5-step guilt cycle controlling your farm decisions without your permission How to catch guilt in the act before it costs you thousands The single question that created a 60-second breakthrough for one farmer Why one farmer was up until 2 AM making mistakes and resenting her neighbor—all traced back to this invisible force This isn't about hustling harder. It's about finally seeing what's been invisible—and breaking free from the pattern that's keeping you stuck. If you've ever thought "I should just be able to handle all this," this one's for you. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Master Class:   The Farm Marketing Fix   Sign Up HERE    Ever feel like a failure because you can't keep up with everything on your plate?   Picture a farmer homeschooling three kids (including a two-year-old), milking cows at dawn, moving 400 sheep, tending chickens, making every meal from scratch—and wondering why the farm wasn't profitable.   When I asked her what she wanted, she gave me ONE word: "Less."   Oof. I felt that in my soul.   Here's what we uncovered in this coaching session: - The brutal math - She had the equivalent of three 40-hour-a-week jobs. No wonder she felt crushed. - The focus revelation - We used my method to figure out how much she could actually take on (spoiler: not all of it) - The clarity moment - After one call, she chose her ONE thing (sheep), ditched the rest, and you could literally HEAR the relief in her voice   This isn't just about doing less work. It's about doing the RIGHT work so you can stop being busy but broke, overwhelmed but not profitable.   If you're running yourself into the ground trying to do ALL the things, this episode is your permission slip to choose differently.   Click HERE and Let's Meet!    Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE You know how when you sit down to write your Black Friday email, you get all worried about leaving someone out? You want to reach your older customers AND your younger customers, those with kids and those without, AND that person who bought from you six months ago. So you do your best to include everyone! But nobody buys. 🤦‍♀️ Total crickets. I get it. I used to do this exact thing. I worried that getting too specific would turn some customers off. Turns out there's a way better approach. In this episode, I walk through a real email from a flower farmer I just coached: You'll see her original version, what we changed, and why one sold out her products while the other would've bombed My simple notebook trick for collecting the phrases that make people stop scrolling and think "Wait, are they reading my mind?" Real results: One farmer used this and sold out her beef from summer. Another sold out half her spring flower shares before Christmas even happened Why this isn't just about Black Friday - this works all year long If your marketing hasn't worked before? Not to worry. It's a skill you haven't learned yet - and I'm here to help. The truth: Generic marketing feels safer. Specific marketing actually sells. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.  

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE I just got off coaching calls with brand new Farm Marketing Mastery clients, and I keep seeing the same patterns over and over again. These farmers are making mistakes that are costing them thousands of dollars and countless hours—and they don't even realize it. Here's what might surprise you: You're probably stuck in at least 3 of these traps right now. Most farmers are in 4 or 5 before they get help. And here's the thing—these aren't complicated problems. But they ARE keeping you exhausted, overwhelmed, and unprofitable. In this episode, I reveal: The biggest lie you're telling yourself about time (and what to do instead) Why selling multiple products is actually costing you money The one shift that helped my clients make more in 60 days than they made all last year How your thoughts are literally creating your broke results (backed by science) The counterintuitive truth about email that most farmers ignore Some of this might be uncomfortable to hear. It might even seem to go against what everyone else is doing. But that's exactly why it works. If you're working sunrise to sunset, not paying yourself, and feeling like you're spinning your wheels—this episode is for you. "Charlotte, I didn't believe you at first, but we trusted you. We made more money in 60 days than all of last year." — It's not magic. It's focus. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.  

Click HERE and Let's Meet!   Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.   If you've ever looked at your prices and thought, "I can't charge that much!" this episode's for you.   I just held a coaching call that completely shifted how one farmer thinks about pricing. She'd never charged for anything in her life. Never run a business. Was a stay-at-home mom for 20 years. And she was building a healing memorial garden for her community.   But she was paralyzed by guilt about charging money for something meant to help people.   Sound familiar?   In this episode, I'm sharing the exact framework I walked her through—the Belief Triad—that's helped hundreds of farmers finally charge what they need to stay in business.   Here's what you'll discover: - Why 98% of farms go out of business by year five (and the ONE skill that could change that) - The truth about what your customers actually want (hint: they WANT to pay you) - Why your fear around pricing isn't about money at all—it's about something much deeper - The exact strategy I use before doing anything scary in my business   If you've ever felt shame about wanting to make money from something meaningful, or thought "Who am I to charge these prices?"—this episode will change everything.   Your farm can't serve your community if you're broke. 🤦‍♀️

Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery. I used to wake up before dawn to milk cows, spend all day running kids around and doing farm work, then collapse exhausted every single night. Sunrise to sunset - and still no money left at the end of the year. If you're working that hard but there's still nothing left... I need you to stop what you're doing and listen to this episode right now. I mean it. I just got off a coaching call with a farmer who was doing ALL the right things: Amazing website. Farmers market every Saturday. School partnerships. Food pantries. Multiple product sizes. On paper, she looked like she had it figured out. But here's what was actually happening - she was stuck at $80K and couldn't break through. No matter how hard she worked. The problem wasn't that she wasn't doing enough. The problem is she was doing TOO MUCH. In this episode, you'll hear: Why selling chicken, beef, AND pork actually STOPS you from having money leftover at the end of the year The "Scatter Trap" and how it keeps farmers broke - so just know that The "Rule of One" that gets you profitable faster than anything else (most farmers get this totally wrong) The simple fix that helped farmers go from stuck to sold out Here's what changed everything: One product. One sales channel. Consistent effort in ONE direction. That's it. You'll hear the actual coaching call - the breakthroughs, the "aha" moments, the relief when this farmer realized she could let things GO and actually make money. Bottom line: You don't need to do more. You need to do LESS.