Profitable Mindset

#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 [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] 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! [https://charlottemsmith.com/strategy] Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.

#277: This is Your 2026 Business Marketing Plan - Part 3

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] 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! [https://charlottemsmith.com/strategy] Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.

#276: Your 2026 Farm Marketing Business Plan - Part 2: How to Set Sales Goals That Actually Work

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] 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! [https://charlottemsmith.com/strategy] 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 [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] * Farm Marketing Mastery: https://charlottemsmith.com/mastery [https://charlottemsmith.com/mastery] * Five-Day Launch: Sales strategy taught within Farm Marketing Mastery Key Takeaways 1. 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. 2. Work backwards from your goal – Break annual targets into quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily actions. 3. 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. 4. Goal-setting transforms you – The real value is developing skills in marketing, boundary-setting, decision-making, and time management. 5. 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). 6. Write it down by hand – Physical planning exercises significantly increase follow-through compared to just thinking about goals.

#275: Your 2026 Farm Marketing Business Plan - Part 1: Why You Need an Impossible Goal

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] 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! [https://charlottemsmith.com/strategy] Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.

#274: The Guilt That's Killing Your Farm Business: Why Taking Care of Yourself Isn't Selfish

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] 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! [https://charlottemsmith.com/strategy] Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.