#305: Why Your Farm Sells Out But Still Doesn't Pay You

#305: Why Your Farm Sells Out But Still Doesn't Pay You

FREE Event: Farm Marketing Week - June 2026 Sign Up HERE [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] You loaded the truck before sunrise. You stood on your feet for eight hours smiling at every customer. You sold almost everything you brought. Then you sat down in the cab, did the math, and somehow it still didn't add up. If that's where you are right now, this episode is for you. In this episode, Charlotte breaks down why so many farmers are selling out but still not paying themselves - and it's not what you've been told. It's not your prices. It's not your photos. It's not the platform you're on. It's branding. And not the kind with logos and fonts. What you'll learn: * The real reason hard-working farmers still can't pay themselves * Why describing your farm and your practices is killing your sales * The shift that makes price stop being an argument * How to attract loyal customers who stay season after season * What changes (and what doesn't) once you figure out your brand Join Farm Marketing Week — FREE Starting Friday, June 12th, Charlotte is hosting a full week of free live trainings for farmers ready to finally pay themselves. Live website reviews, the Power of One exercise, Q&A with current students, and live coaching on the last day. Sign up free 👉 https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclasscharlottemsmith.com/masterclass [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] Can't make 10am Pacific? Days 1 and 2 are recorded. Days 3–5 are live only. About Charlotte Smith Charlotte works with about 300 farmers a year across all 50 states and 15 countries — flower growers, meat producers, dairies, cheese makers, vegetable farms, CSAs, agritourism operators, and more. She teaches farm marketing and, inside The Profitable Farmer, her team does the marketing for you. 🌐 charlottemsmith.com 🎓 charlottemsmith.com/masterclass [http://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] If this episode hit home, share it with another farmer who needs to hear it. And follow the show so you don't miss what's next.

#304: Why Your Farm Isn't Profitable (Even When You're Selling Out)

FREE Two Day Event: Farm Marketing Week - June 2026 Sign Up HERE [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] Click HERE and Let's Meet! [https://charlottemsmith.com/strategy] Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery. You sell out every market. Customers rave. So why can't you pay yourself? If you've built something real on your farm and the math still isn't adding up, this episode is for you. Farm marketing coach Charlotte Smith breaks down the single shift that separates farms that sell out and stay broke from farms that sell out and finally turn a profit. Spoiler: it's not your prices. It's not your photos. It's not "pasture-raised" or "organic" or your logo. It's branding — and not the kind you think. In this episode: * The real reason hardworking farms can't pay the farmer * Why labels and farm practices don't sell (and what does) * What branding actually means (it's not visual identity) * How to stop competing on price * The "Power of One" focus shift that fast-tracks profitability 🌱 FREE TRAINING Farm Marketing Week (free live online event): charlottemsmith.com/masterclass [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] 🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE APP Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere podcasts are streamed. 📩 STAY CONNECTED Website: charlottemsmith.com [https://charlottemsmith.com/]

#303: How Shari 7X'd Her Dahlia Tuber Sales in the Dahlia Capital of the U.S.

FREE Two Day Event: Farm Marketing Week - June 2026 Sign Up HERE [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] Click HERE and Let's Meet! [https://charlottemsmith.com/strategy] Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery. Shari Kruyswijk lost half her dahlias to a virus in 2024. She and her husband stared down 600+ tubers on their one-third acre in Lynden, Washington — the dahlia capital of the U.S., surrounded by competing farms — wondering how they were ever going to sell them. She joined my program in October. Her first launch in January 7X'd her previous year's sales. In this episode, Shari shares exactly what shifted: • Why she stopped trying to do weddings, classes, subscriptions AND tubers — and how focusing on one thing finally made her profitable • The mindset and calendaring work she didn't think she needed (and now can't stop using) • How she rewired her thinking around "too much competition" in a saturated market • The email-writing approach that turned her launch around • What it's like to run a farm with a less-stressed wife (in her husband's words) Shari is proof that you don't need the perfect location, the perfect website, or an empty market to build a profitable flower farm. You need the right skills and the willingness to learn them. 🌸 Want to learn the marketing approach Shari used? Sign up for my free masterclass: charlottemsmith.com/masterclass [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass]

#302: Why Your Farm Emails Aren't Selling – and How to Fix It

FREE Two Day Event: Farm Marketing Week - June 2026 Sign Up HERE [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] Does Email Marketing Actually Work for Farms — and Why Are My Emails Going to the Promotions Folder? Email marketing is the most powerful tool a farm has — when it's done right. This episode covers why email outperforms every other platform, why your emails might be sitting unread in the promotions folder, and exactly what to send your list once you have one. Why is email marketing more effective than social media for farms? Email marketing is estimated to be thousands of times more effective than other marketing platforms because subscribers have given explicit permission to be contacted, there's no algorithm filtering your message, and you own the list. Social media is where people scroll. Email is where people buy. When someone is ready to make a purchasing decision, they go to their inbox, because that's where trust lives. Why are my farm emails going to the promotions folder? Emails go to the promotions folder for two main reasons: deliverability problems (account setup, sending patterns, list hygiene) and weak subject lines that don't earn the open. Both are skill gaps, not signs that email marketing doesn't work. Subject lines are the single most fixable variable. They need to feel personal, specific, curious, or directly tied to a problem your reader has right now. Generic subject lines like "Farm Update" get ignored every time. How do you write farm email subject lines that actually get opened? Write subject lines that sound like a friend texting you, not a marketer broadcasting an announcement. Think about your own inbox: you open emails that feel personal, that hit on something you care about, or that promise to solve a real problem. Subject lines like "The 5:30 freezer moment" outperform "Farm Update" because they're specific to a real situation your customer experiences. How do you build a farm email list from scratch? Build your list through three channels: a lead magnet on your website, social media posts that funnel people to your list, and in-person opportunities like library workshops, garden clubs, and partnerships with local wellness businesses. A great example: Charlotte's student Cassie built "5 High-Protein Dinners to Simplify Your Life." Five recipes featuring her ground beef, with a meal plan and her phone number on the last page. Made in Canva in an afternoon. Other farmers asked her for the file before she finished showing it. What should farmers email their customers about? Email about things your customers actually care about: their lives, problems, and goals. Not just what's available this week. Pure transactional emails ("Eggs available, $6/dozen") feel like a stranger asking for money. Story-based emails build relationship. Charlotte once sold out of London broil she didn't know what to do with by sending one email with a recipe and the story of how she figured it out. Relationship comes first; the sale follows naturally. How often should farmers email their customers? More often than you think. At least weekly during selling seasons, and consistently year-round to stay top of mind. A cold list is hard to sell to. The goal is for customers to see your name in their inbox and feel something positive. Not every email is a pitch. Some are stories, some are tips, some are farm updates, and the rhythm matters more than the perfection. Can someone write farm marketing emails for me? Short answer: yes. For the June 2026 cohort of the Profitable Farmer Marketing program, full-pay students get a private 2.5-hour session with Charlotte's operations lead, Rebecca, who builds an entire year of marketing assets specifically for their farm. This includes the lead magnet, welcome sequence, weekly emails laid out across the year, seasonal launch emails, and matching social posts (all customized to your customer interview language). The first farmer who tested this cried when she saw it. This bonus is only available for full-pay June 2026 enrollment; the next opportunity is October. Resources mentioned in this episode: * Free email marketing course for farmers - charlottemsmith.com/free-email-course [https://courses.3cowmarketing.com/email-challenge] * Profitable Farmer Marketing program — June 2026 cohort opens with 'The Power of One' welcome workshop on Tuesday, June 23rd. Full-pay enrollment includes the done-for-you year-of-marketing-assets bonus. Sign up at charlottemsmith.com/masterclass [http://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] FAQ Q: What email platform should farmers use? Kit (formerly ConvertKit) and MailerLite both have free tiers under 1,000 subscribers and work well for farms. Pick one and learn it well rather than switching tools. Q: How long should a farm marketing email be? Long enough to tell the story, short enough that nothing extra survives. Most strong farm emails land between 200 and 500 words. Q: Will my customers unsubscribe if I email weekly? Some will, and that's fine — those weren't your customers anyway. The right people will look forward to your emails. Q: Do I need to write a year of emails before I start? No. Start with one email a week. The discipline matters more than the inventory. Q: How do I avoid sounding salesy in my emails? Read every email out loud before sending. If you wouldn't say it to a friend at your kitchen table, rewrite it. Connect with Charlotte Sign up for Farm Marketing Week at charlottemsmith.com/masterclass [http://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass]. Subscribe and Review Subscribe to The Profitable Mindset Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. And consider leaving a review. Your reviews help other farmers find this work. Click HERE and Let's Meet! [https://charlottemsmith.com/strategy] Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

#301: How Do I Stand Out From Other Farmers When Everyone Is Selling the Same Thing (Even Cheaper)?

FREE Two Day Event: The Farm Marketing Fix - June 2026 Sign Up HERE [https://charlottemsmith.com/masterclass] Branding is the single most important thing you'll ever do for your farm business. And it's not what most farmers think it is. This episode breaks down what branding actually is, why it eliminates competition, and how to find your brand even if you have zero customers. What is farm branding, really? Farm branding is two things: who you help, and how you help them. It is not your logo, colors, packaging, or font. A weak version sounds like "We sell fresh eggs from happy chickens" - that's a product description. A real brand sounds like "We help busy families who want their kids to eat real food access the cleanest eggs outside of raising your own chickens." The difference is specificity about the customer and the problem. Why does branding eliminate competition for farmers? When your brand is clear, you attract a specific group of customers who are not price-shopping you against other farms — they're choosing you because of the relationship. Two farms can sell the same raw honey. One brand might connect with health-conscious urban professionals; another with traditional homesteaders. Same product, different audiences, no competition between them. Charlotte has hundreds of farmers in her program, and some are neighbors selling the same thing. But they don't compete with each other. How do farmers stop competing on price with cheaper farms? Stop competing on price by getting clearer about your brand. The customers who buy purely on price will never be loyal - they leave the moment someone undercuts you. Customers who choose you because of your brand will drive past cheaper options to get to you. Lowering prices to match competitors is the commodity trap, and it leads to burnout and bankruptcy. How do you find your farm's brand? Your customers tell you what your brand is, you don't decide it. Interview them about why they buy from you, what problem you solve, and what their life looked like before and after finding your farm. Inside the Profitable Farmer Marketing program, Charlotte gives students 35 customer interview questions. You ask each customer a few questions. Over time, the same words and phrases repeat, and that language is your brand. How do you brand a farm if you don't have customers yet? Interview people who already buy the type of product you sell, even if they're not your customer yet - friends, family, or neighbors who already buy fresh flowers or care about pasture-raised meat. Their answers tell you the same things actual customers would: why they buy, what matters to them, what they wish was different. As real customers come in, you keep interviewing and refining. You can absolutely start branding work from zero. Why is mindset part of farm branding? Branding requires you to charge prices that reflect your real value, and most farmers have beliefs ("people around here can't afford it," "who am I to charge that?") that block them from doing it. Charlotte's student Valerie 10X'd her sales - same farm, same products. The first thing that shifted wasn't tactics; it was belief. That's why mindset coaching runs alongside marketing work in the Profitable Farmer Marketing program. What changes when your farm brand is clear? Your website speaks directly to your dream customer, your emails get opened and acted on, your customers come back season after season, and price stops being the main conversation. Other nearby farms selling similar products stop registering as competition. You charge what you need to charge. Customers refer their friends. The whole experience of running the farm shifts from chasing sales to receiving them. Resources mentioned in this episode: * Farm Marketing Week - opens June 2026. Sign up at charlottemsmith.com/masterclass [https://portal.propodcastsolutions.com/projects/charlottemsmith.com/masterclass]. * Profitable Farmer Marketing program — This June, get a done-for-you year of marketing assets built privately by our team. Sign up at charlottemsmith.com/mastery [https://portal.propodcastsolutions.com/projects/charlottemsmith.com/mastery] FAQ Q: How many customer interviews do I need to do to find my brand? One is a huge success!!! Then, do a second one in a month or two if you'd like. They're so eye-opening. I still interview a new customer at least quarterly. Q: Should I have multiple brands if I sell multiple products? No. Pick one anchor product and brand around the customer who buys it. Trying to brand for everyone leaves you connecting with no one. Q: What if my farm products are basically a commodity (eggs, milk, vegetables)? The product isn't what's branded - the relationship and the customer transformation are. Two farms selling identical eggs can have completely different brands. Q: How long does it take to develop a clear brand? The customer interview phase usually takes a couple weeks to connect with and sit down with a customer. Refining your brand language across your website and emails can happen in a couple hour focus time. Connect with Charlotte Sign up for Farm Marketing Week at charlottemsmith.com/masterclass [https://portal.propodcastsolutions.com/projects/charlottemsmith.com/masterclass]. Subscribe and Review Subscribe to The Profitable Mindset Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. And consider leaving a review. Your reviews help other farmers find this work. Click HERE and Let's Meet! [https://charlottemsmith.com/strategy] Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.