Profitable Mindset

FREE Two Day Event: The Farm Marketing Fix - June 2026 Sign Up HERE Where Do I Start With Farm Marketing When I Have No Customers and No Idea What I'm Doing? If you're a new farmer wondering where to begin with marketing, this episode walks through the exact starting point Charlotte has used with thousands of farmers across the U.S. and 15 countries. No theory — just the four foundational steps in the order they actually work. Where should a new farmer start with marketing? Start by writing down every person you know who might be interested in what you sell. That list is the seed of your email list, and your email list is what builds a profitable farm. Most new farmers think they need a logo, a brand, a Facebook page, or a fancy website before they can start. They don't. The first move is identifying the people in your existing life who eat eggs, buy flowers, or care about pasture-raised meat — and that almost always starts with mom, sister, neighbor, cousin. Every farmer starts from zero. That list is your starting point. Should farmers build a website before using social media? Yes — your website should come before social media because Facebook and Instagram are designed to keep people scrolling, not to help you make money. Social media algorithms show your posts to a small fraction of your followers (often less than 5%), and you don't own that audience. A website works for you 24/7 and gets found by new customers searching Google. Social media should funnel people to your website, not replace it. Why is email marketing better than social media for farms? Email marketing outperforms social media by thousands of times because subscribers have given you permission to reach them directly, with no algorithm in the way. When someone is on your email list, they've said yes to hearing from you. There's no platform deciding whether your message gets seen. Email is also where people make purchasing decisions — social media is where they scroll. You also own your email list; you don't own your Facebook following. What is the correct order to set up farm marketing? The four foundational steps, in order: (1) write your list of people who might be interested, (2) identify your brand by interviewing customers, (3) build a website designed to sell, (4) email your list consistently. Skipping ahead to social media or paid ads before this foundation is in place is the most common reason farm marketing doesn't work. Build the foundation; everything else feeds into it. What are the stages of farm business growth? Charlotte teaches eight stages every farm moves through: Seed, Sprout, Roots, Bloom, Harvest, Orchard, Estate, and Legacy. Where you are determines what work matters most. Seed-stage farmers ($0 in sales) need to decide it's a business and pick one focus product. Sprout farmers ($1K–$10K) need consistency — one weekly email, one sales channel, one anchor product for 90 days. The most expensive mistake is a Sprout-stage farmer trying to solve a Harvest-stage problem. How can farmers learn marketing without making expensive mistakes? The fastest way is to follow a proven, sequenced path rather than piecing things together from free YouTube videos and conflicting advice. Charlotte's Profitable Farmer Marketing program enrolls twice a year, in June and October, and teaches the exact sequence in this episode with weekly coaching, a private community, and (new for June 2026) a done-for-you marketing plan built privately for full-pay students. Resources mentioned in this episode: Farmer website template (Squarespace): charlottemsmith.com/website Free email marketing course for farmers: charlottemsmith.com/free-email-course The Profitable Farmer Marketing program — opens June 2026. Welcome workshop is Tuesday, June 23rd. Sign up at charlottemsmith.com/mastery FAQ: Q: How many people should be on my starting list? Ten people is fine. Two hundred is fine. The number doesn't matter — what matters is that you start one and add to it consistently. Q: Do I need a logo before I launch my farm business? No. A logo is not a brand, and you can launch without one. Your brand is who you help and how you help them — that comes from customer interviews, not a designer. Q: How long does it take to build a profitable farm using this approach? Most students inside the Profitable Farmer Marketing program make their investment back within 90 days. Some do it in two weeks. The timeline depends on how consistently you do the foundational work. Q: Can I just use Facebook instead of a website? No. Facebook controls who sees your posts, you don't own your following, and the platform isn't designed to convert visitors into buyers. A website does all three. Q: What if I'm too rural for online marketing to work? Distance isn't the obstacle — relationship is the opportunity. Charlotte's clients regularly have customers drive 60–90 minutes past cheaper options to buy from them, because their brand is clear. Connect with Charlotte Sign up for Farm Marketing Week at 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! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Two Day Event: The Farm Marketing Fix - June 2026 Sign Up HERE Episode Summary Julie Hackman raises sheep on Belmont Springs Ranch in Lavina, Montana. She's a mother of 19 children, 8 still at home and homeschooled. And a few years ago, after 30 years of marriage, she lost her husband. For three decades, her husband led the vision for their farm. Julie supported. Then suddenly, she was alone at her kitchen table with a farm to run, little hearts to soothe, and no idea where to begin. In this conversation, Julie shares how joining The Profitable Farmer program helped her triple her meat sales in one year, build the confidence to lead her own business, and rediscover who she is as a farmer, a mother, and a woman. This is one of the most meaningful conversations I've recorded; a story of grief, resilience, and what becomes possible when a woman finally invests in herself. What You'll Learn in This Episode How Julie went from $460 in meat sales to over $1,400 in her first year applying The Profitable Farmer marketing system The specific strategy that helped her triple her email signups at a single homesteaders conference Why "waiting for customers to come to you" is killing your farm sales, and what to do instead How to shift your mindset from passive housewife to confident business leader The exact phrase that helped Julie stop being intimidated by inspectors, vendors, and gatekeepers Why pricing your products at the real cost is an act of service, not greed How to build a family schedule that supports your business instead of derailing it What changes when you start seeing marketing as serving your customers instead of selling to them Key Moments from the Conversation Sitting at the Kitchen Table, Lost Julie shares what was happening in her life when she first encountered Charlotte's free farm marketing workshop — homeschooling her children, grieving the loss of her husband, and feeling completely lost about the direction of her business. The Conference That Changed Everything Julie describes walking into the Modern Homesteaders Conference and going from 14 email signups the previous year to 44 in a single day. Her kids looked at her and said, "Who are you, mom? You're acting like dad." Becoming the Squeaky Wheel The coaching call that changed everything. Julie shares how Charlotte helped her stop being passive with the meat inspector and become "the squeaky wheel" — leading to her wholesale meat license arriving in two weeks instead of months. Tripling Sales in One Year Julie breaks down the actual numbers: from $98 in total sales the year before joining the program to $15,600 in her first year, with meat sales tripling specifically. The Pricing Conversation How Julie sat down with the math, faced the discomfort of charging $17 a pound for lamb, and discovered she was actually charging less than competitors when averaged across all cuts. Marketing as Service The mindset that transformed Julie's selling: "How can I serve one person today?" and how this turned everyday conversations, including with her hairstylist, into customer relationships. Time Management with 8 Kids at Home Julie's brilliant adaptation of the time management system: building one master schedule that includes her entire family, not just herself. Notable Quotes from Julie Hackman "I had not really a clear idea of what I wanted to do or how to do it, and I had no confidence at all." "Are you okay, mom? What happened to you? You're acting like dad." "Now I feel like we're a team. I understand that other people have problems too. It's not so much being the squeaky wheel as just reminding them you're there." "It's a lot more rewarding than just 'I need to go sell meat.' Now it's 'I can go help somebody today.'" "What you're going to get out of it is probably going to be a lot more than what you're going to put into it financially." About Julie Hackman Julie Hackman is the owner of Belmont Springs Ranch in Lavina, Montana, where she raises pasture-based lamb and direct-sells meat to families across the region. She is the mother of 19 children, grandmother of 7, and continues to homeschool the children still at home while running her farm business. After the loss of her husband, Julie joined The Profitable Farmer program in April 2025 and has tripled her meat sales while building the confidence and skills to lead her family business forward.  Resources Mentioned in This Episode Farm Marketing Week — Seven Days of Free Marketing Expertise: charlottemsmith.com/masterclass  The Profitable Farmer — Charlotte's signature marketing and mindset mastery program for farmers: charlottemsmith.com/mastery The Power of One — the marketing principle that first caught Julie's attention in Charlotte's free workshop - taught during Farm Marketing Week Who This Episode Is For This episode is for you if you're a woman farmer who has been the supporter and now finds yourself needing to lead. If you've experienced loss, grief, or major life transition and wonder if you can still build something meaningful. If you're a mother trying to balance farming, family, and your own dreams. If you've been hesitant to invest in yourself and your business. If you're tired of waiting passively for customers and ready to learn how to actively build a profitable farm. If you're a homeschooling parent looking for proof that you can build a business alongside teaching your children. If you've ever felt like you're "not the leader type" and need to hear from someone who became one anyway. Frequently Asked Questions Q: Who is Julie Hackman? A: Julie Hackman is a sheep farmer in Lavina, Montana, who owns Belmont Springs Ranch. She is a mother of 19 children and joined Charlotte Smith's Profitable Farmer program after losing her husband of 30 years. In her first year in the program, she tripled her meat sales and built the confidence to lead her family farm business forward. Q: How did Julie Hackman triple her meat sales? A: Julie tripled her meat sales by applying the marketing strategies taught in The Profitable Farmer program. Specifically, building her email list at events by initiating conversations with customers, learning to price her lamb at sustainable rates, taking action to obtain her meat licenses, and shifting her mindset from passive selling to actively serving her customers. Q: What is Belmont Springs Ranch? A: Belmont Springs Ranch is a family-run sheep farm in Lavina, Montana, owned by Julie Hackman. The ranch raises pasture-based lamb and direct-sells meat to families across the region. Q: What is The Profitable Farmer program? A: The Profitable Farmer is Charlotte Smith's signature marketing and mindset coaching program for women farmers. It teaches farm marketing, time management, and mindset coaching to help women build profitable, sustainable farm businesses. Q: What is Farm Marketing Week? A: Farm Marketing Week is a free annual masterclass hosted by Charlotte Smith. It's an opportunity to learn the core marketing strategies that have helped farmers like Julie triple their sales and to meet the community of farmers in The Profitable Farmer program. Sign up at charlottemsmith.com/masterclass. Q: How can I keep going on my farm after losing my spouse? A: This episode of The Profitable Mindset Podcast features Julie Hackman, a widow and mother of 19 who continued building her farm business after the loss of her husband of 30 years. She shares the practical mindset shifts, business skills, and community support that helped her keep going, and growing, through grief. Connect with Charlotte Sign up for Farm Marketing Week at charlottemsmith.com/masterclass. Subscribe and Review If this episode moved you, please share it with a woman in your life who needs to hear it. 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.  

FREE Two Day Event: The Farm Marketing Fix - June 2026 Sign Up HERE Picture this. You're selling beef and pork and chicken and eggs and vegetables and flowers. You're at three farmers markets, running a farm stand, trying to sell online, posting on every platform you've ever heard of, and somehow also squeezing in a farm stay and a few consulting calls. Your head is spinning. Your chest gets tight just thinking about the week ahead. And despite doing ALL the things, you still aren't paying yourself. Here's what I finally had to admit after 17 years in this industry: more products, more channels, and more hustle are not the answer. They're the problem. I call it the complexity trap. And it's the third root cause of farm burnout nobody warns you about, because everyone's too busy telling you to add another revenue stream. But here's what nobody tells you: the most profitable farms I've worked with over the last 13 years didn't get profitable because they did everything. They got exceptionally good at ONE signature product, ONE dream customer, and ONE strong marketing channel, and they built depth before they built breadth. Simple scales. Complex fails. Simplifying isn't shrinking. It's the most strategic move you can make. This episode is the final part of the From Burnout to Balance series, and it's the one that ties everything together. I'm breaking down the Four Pillars framework that turns an overwhelming farm into a business that actually serves your life. Plus, there's a full 90-day plan you can start THIS week. I include how to identify your signature product and dream customer, how to build the email marketing foundation that's 3,600 times more profitable than social media, how to price for profit instead of chasing volume, and how to finally build the boundaries that protect your weekends, your family, and your sanity. If you're the farmer selling 13 things across seven channels and still not making a paycheck, this is for you. If you've started to dread the farm you built with your own two hands, this is for you. Walk away from this episode with a clear 90-day roadmap to simplify, systematize, and finally step off the hamster wheel. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Price for Profit — Free 6-Day Pricing Course — If you've never actually run the math to see whether your prices are paying you a real salary AND covering every expense, start here. Includes the exact spreadsheets that show you the truth in minutes. Grab it at charlottemsmith.com/priceforprofit. Farm Marketing Week + The Profitable Farmer Masterclass — One week of free live trainings in June covering The Power of One, branding, and the marketing foundation that gets farmers finally paid. This is also the only time The Profitable Farmer coaching program opens this summer. Save your seat at charlottemsmith.com/masterclass. HERE ARE THE 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: Simple Scales, Complex Fails — Adding more products and more sales channels feels like growth, but it's diluting your energy, your marketing, and your margins. The profitable path is depth before breadth: one signature product, one dream customer, one marketing channel done exceptionally well. You can always add more later from a place of profit instead of desperation. Your Email List Is the Only Audience You Actually Own — Social media algorithms decide who sees you. Platforms change, accounts get flagged, and suddenly your audience is gone. Email is 3,600 times more profitable because every person on that list said yes to hearing from you. Build the relationship first, make the offer later. That's the difference between marketing that feels pushy and marketing that feels like service. Boundaries Are the Fourth Pillar, Not the Reward — You can build a perfectly structured farm business and still wreck your life with it if you skip this one. Delegation, hiring help (even a house cleaner counts), and protecting your weekends aren't luxuries you earn someday after the work is "done." They're the foundation that makes sustainable success possible in the first place. MORE FROM ME Follow along at charlottemsmith.com and on Instagram @charlottemsmith Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Two Day Event: The Farm Marketing Fix - June 2026 Sign Up HERE This morning, another email landed in my inbox. "We're quitting." Another farm family packing it in. They never got to the place where they could charge enough to make the farm sustainable. And I've watched this happen farm after farm after farm for 20+ years. Here's what I've finally had to admit after all of it: it's not the weather. It's not the margins. It's not even the economy. It's a set of beliefs so deeply wired into farming culture that most farmers don't even know they're running on them. They feel like truth. They feel like virtue. They're actually the thing quietly killing your farm. Struggle is not a virtue. Exhaustion is not proof of dedication. And charging premium prices is not greedy - it's the only way your farm survives long enough to actually serve your community. Until you see the lies for what they are, no strategy, no system, no marketing tactic is going to work the way it should. Your beliefs will override them every time. This episode is Part 2 of my From Burnout to Balance series, and it's the conversation I wish every farmer could have before year five. Before the quitting email, before the burnout, before they sell off the herd. I'm breaking down the four Good Farmer Lies, the brain science of why your biology defaults to scarcity, and how to start shifting it this week. I include how to spot the exact scarcity thoughts showing up in your pricing, why "real farmers don't need marketing" is the belief costing you the most customers, the reframe that turns profit into a form of service instead of greed, and three specific exercises you can do right now: a default thought audit, an abundance reframe, and a price audit. If you're tired. If you're undercharging. If some quiet voice tells you that wanting profit somehow makes you less noble, this one's for you. You'll walk away knowing what's actually keeping you stuck, and with real tools to start rewiring it today. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Price for Profit (Free Pricing Course) — If you've been wondering whether your prices are actually sustainable, this free course is where you start. You'll get the spreadsheet that shows you what your prices are really earning you, plus a series of emails that walk you through the mindset shifts required to raise them. Grab it here: charlottemsmith.com/priceforprofit Leadership Coaching School (Launching September) — For the farmers who are done white-knuckling it through burnout and want the actual tools to coach themselves through the hard stuff. This is where you learn what my coaching program farmers say was the most profound thing that ever happened to their lives, their families, and their bank accounts. Keep your eyes peeled... more details coming soon. HERE ARE THE 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: Struggle Is Not A Virtue — It's Just Struggle. Dedication and martyrdom are not the same thing, but farming culture has conflated them for generations. The belief that good farmers are supposed to suffer financially is the exact belief keeping your prices too low, your hours too long, and your farm on the path to closing in year five like 98% of farms do. Sustainable farmers thrive and thriving is the goal, not the exception. Your Premium Price Is Responsible, Not Greedy. When you charge what your work is actually worth, you can care for your animals properly, produce safe food, stay present with your family, invest back into your land, and still be in business in five years. Undercharging isn't humble. It's a form of scarcity thinking dressed up as virtue, and it's the number one reason the farms I used to buy from don't exist anymore. You Cannot Out-Strategy A Scarcity Mindset. You can learn every marketing tactic and pricing formula out there, but if your brain is still running on "nobody will pay that" and "real farmers don't market," those beliefs will override every strategy you implement. Mindset work isn't fluff - it's the foundation everything else is built on. Shift the thinking first, and the profit follows. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Two Day Event: The Farm Marketing Fix - June 2026 Sign Up HERE You didn't build a bad farm. You built a trap — and you did it the only way you knew how. Most farmers start out with a real dream: freedom, purpose, something meaningful. But somewhere between the equipment breakdowns, the cash flow stress, and the 16-hour days, that dream gets buried. And the harder you work, the more stuck you feel. In this first episode of the brand-new 3-part series From Burnout to Balance: Creating a Business You Love, Charlotte Smith gets honest about why so many hardworking farmers end up burned out — and what it actually takes to get out. In this episode you'll learn the three types of burnout hitting farmers at the same time and why addressing just one keeps you spinning, the hidden cost of burnout that's quietly draining your profit (and it's probably not what you think), why most farmers are actually running a job — not a business — and what that distinction is costing you every single day, and the "Only I Can Do This" exercise you can do this week to start breaking the cycle. This episode is 27 minutes. Carve out the time. It's worth it. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

Farm Marketing Mastery is open for enrollment! Sign Up HERE What happens when farmers stop struggling alone and finally get the marketing and mindset tools they need? In this episode of The Profitable Mindset Podcast, host Charlotte Smith steps back and lets her Farm Marketing Mastery clients tell their own stories. These aren't hypotheticals—they're real farmers who were losing money, burning out, and wondering if they'd have to give up farming altogether. You'll hear from Alyssa, who ran her first-ever five-day subscription launch and sold almost double what she'd made in any single month over ten years of farming. From Stacey, who made back twice her program investment in under 30 days and now sells $17-per-pound chicken breast in one of the poorest counties in North Carolina. From Vanessa who went from $25,000 in year one to over $300,000 by year three. But here's what makes these stories different: it's not just about the money. Farmers share how their marriages improved, how they stopped crying over marketing, how they finally believed in themselves enough to raise their prices without flinching. One farmer's husband quit his off-farm job. Another built a farm store. Several went from sold-out waitlists to calm Sunday planning sessions with their spouses. If you've ever wondered whether direct-to-consumer farm marketing actually works—or whether you're just not cut out for the business side of farming—this episode is your proof that it's possible. Registration for The Profitable Farmer Marketing and Mindset Coaching program is open this week only. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer Coaching Program can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE What does a profitable flower farm actually look like from the inside? Not just the revenue numbers, but the daily life? Brooke Palmer of Jenny Creek Flowers in Ithaca, New York gives us the real picture. A former teacher with 20+ years in the classroom, Brooke started her flower farm knowing she could grow, but having no idea how to sell. Her first year solo was rough. Then she joined Farm Marketing Mastery, and three years later she hasn't looked back. In this update episode, Brooke shares what year five actually looks like: six figures in revenue, profitable for the third year in a row, workshops that sell out with waitlists, and a winter tulip CSA that went from 1,000 bulbs to 20,000. She's also made a decision most farmers struggle to make — she's choosing to stop growing, because she's found her sweet spot. We dig into the email marketing crash that happened mid-launch and became her best launch ever, the spring crop failure that forced hard conversations with customers, why her calendar has become her most powerful business tool, and the simple morning mindset ritual that rewired her thinking over three years. If you've ever wondered whether the calm, profitable farm life is actually possible — or whether it's just something other farmers get — Brooke's story is your answer. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE What happens when a family-run farm stops trying to out-advertise everyone and starts genuinely loving their customers instead? Magic. That's the only word for it. Craig, Melynda, and Ellie Koetsier are a third-generation retail greenhouse in Grand Rapids, Michigan (find them at koetsiers.com). They spent years cycling through every marketing tactic out there: local newspapers, billboards, radio, TV, direct mail coupons, digital agencies. Lots of money spent. Little they could track. And a constant, nagging feeling that they were interrupting people rather than serving them. Then Craig stumbled onto The Profitable Farmer podcast, started devouring every episode, and eventually joined the coaching program. What shifted? They stopped chasing tactics that felt wrong and started building real relationships — through email marketing, authentic storytelling, and a community-first mindset. Now Ellie gets stopped in grocery stores by people who say, "You're the one who writes the emails!" Customers come to their classes, pay their prices without blinking, and return season after season — not because of a coupon, but because they trust the Koetsiers. In this episode, we talk about: why relationship marketing works when interruption marketing doesn't, how to write emails that make customers feel seen, transferring a marketing mindset to your staff, pricing without guilt, doing it scared (especially as a self-proclaimed perfectionist), and why failure really is just feedback — and freedom — to try another way. If you've ever wondered why people aren't buying from you — and what to actually do about it — this episode is your answer. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE What does it actually take to turn a struggling farm into a profitable, joy-filled business? In this episode, we hear from Judith, a sheep and lamb farmer who joined the Farm Marketing Mastery program in April and sold out of her lamb entirely by the end of the year. She opens up about the mindset shifts that changed everything: moving from feeling like she was "throwing good time after bad" to waking up at 5am, excited to get to work. She talks about learning to see herself as the CEO of her farm, using the Sunday Start Strong planning method to stay focused and organized, and why she believes the confidence she gained is more valuable than any marketing tactic. Her story also touches on the guilt many farmers — especially women — feel about investing in themselves, the power of being surrounded by a community of like-minded farmers doing the mindset work, and her plan to double her sales while raising prices this year. If you're a farmer on the fence about getting help, questioning whether you're "worthy" enough to invest in your business, or wondering if a profitable farm is even possible — this episode was made for you. Key Takeaways: Why mindset coaching is inseparable from farm marketing success How the CEO mindset transforms the way you manage and grow your farm The role community plays in sustaining motivation and momentum How to scale incrementally while protecting profitability Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Guide: The month-by-month roadmap to build your farm business from scratch. Grab it HERE A year ago, Hayden didn't even have a farm name. Now she's filing taxes on a profitable business and planning her exit from corporate. Here are the real numbers: roughly $7,000 in gross sales across subscriptions ($1,000), bulk buckets ($800-$1,000), individual bouquets ($1,000), U-pick events ($1,000), a 60-person corporate bouquet workshop ($800), and dried flowers and wreath workshops ($1,000). Expenses came in around $4,500-$5,000 not counting the $10,000+ she spent from grant money on the greenhouse, electric wheelbarrow, and infrastructure that'll last for years. Profit: about $2,000. Her first year. Most farms don't see profit for five. She's raising prices everywhere. Bulk buckets from $60 to $100. Build-your-own bouquets from $20 to $30-$50. Wreath workshops from $50 to $75+. Bouquet workshop events from roughly $50/person to $125-$175/person. She underpriced almost everything Year 1 and she knows it. The Year 2 goal is $30,000, broken into three seasonal buckets: $10,000 in spring flowers, $10,000 in summer bulk sales, and $10,000 in fall/winter dried flowers and workshops. She's hiring two people — one for harvesting and bouquets, one for manual labor. She's trying farmers markets for May and June only. She's secured drop-off locations in two nearby towns for subscription pickups. And she's already been asked to be the only flower vendor at a 1,000-person Mother's Day market. The biggest shift? She figured out what problem she actually solves. It's not "buy my pretty flowers." It's helping women feel unique, creative, and proud of what they put together — the baby shower that doesn't look like grocery store flowers, the dinner party centerpiece everyone asks about, the DIY wedding that saved thousands but still looked incredible. Once that clicked, her entire marketing strategy made sense. And the biggest news: she's quitting her corporate job by April. She's terrified. She's also never gotten a single grant or scholarship rejected — while getting rejected from dozens of job applications. The universe, as she puts it, keeps telling her she belongs here. This is what building a farm business from scratch actually looks like. No trust fund. No playbook. No one running it for her. Just a woman who decided a year ago that she'd regret it if she didn't try. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.  

FREE Guide: The month-by-month roadmap to build your farm business from scratch. Grab it HERE It's November. The flower field is cut down. And Hayden is sick for the first time all year — her body finally giving out now that the pressure is off. The last two months were a sprint. She partnered with Annie, a fellow local flower farmer and landscaping designer, to teach a bouquet-making workshop for a 60-person corporate healthcare leadership conference. They harvested over 1,200 stems, sourced wholesale flowers, priced out every vase and every stem — and still undercharged. They split $800 each after expenses on a $3,000 contract. Next time? They've already rebooked for May at $125-$175 per person. That's the real lesson: your first time doing anything is tuition. Price it right the second time or you won't want to do it again. She did two more bouquet bar events at local markets and venues, and a final casual Saturday morning U-pick that drew people who'd been following her all season but hadn't made it out yet. The connections keep compounding — one person from her free nature walk back in May led to the Mac Market connection, which led to a holiday market invitation, which led to a shop owner buying dried flowers for retail. One relationship at a time. The biggest wake-up call? People were leaving her events not knowing her name, her farm name, or how to find her again. No labels on bouquets. No brochures at U-picks. Friends brought friends who had no idea where they were. She's ordered labels with QR codes and is rethinking every touchpoint for next year. She got the Floret Workshop scholarship for 2026 — her first formal flower farming training ever. She's pivoting hard toward early spring flowers with the greenhouse her $15,000 grant is funding. She's selling dried wreaths and arrangements through winter to keep cash flowing. And she made the decision this week to not expand the U-pick field next year — and felt immediate relief. The season can't look like this again. She knows that now. But she also knows what works: relationships, events, community, and showing up even when you're exhausted and your wrist is in a brace and you want to quit. Next episode is the full year financial breakdown. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.  

FREE Guide: The month-by-month roadmap to build your farm business from scratch. Grab it HERE This is the episode where it gets real. Not Instagram real. Actually real. Hayden's MRI confirmed a cartilage tear in her wrist. Recovery is months out, surgery is possible, and she can barely make bouquets one-handed. She's been in a depression. Her corporate job is doing layoffs and she doesn't know week to week if she still has one. She wanted to quit. And then she opened an email and found out she'd won a $15,000 grant from Ag West Farm Credit — the one she spent days applying for back in March and never thought she'd get. She was crying when she read it. That grant is going toward a greenhouse, season extension supplies, and, for the first time, hired help. On the sales side, the four-week CSA subscription is done. Pre-selling $1,200 back in spring funded her startup costs and meant she didn't have to market during the busiest harvest weeks. The flowers were already spoken for. But pickup logistics were a mess. Friends texted asking for exceptions. She ended up delivering some bouquets herself. Next year she wants a community drop point and stricter boundaries. The U-pick events were the biggest learning of the summer. Her practice run with 20 friends revealed that people were scared to pick the flowers, cut stems three inches long, and needed way more upfront education than she expected. The paid events went better until a bachelorette party of 10 bought tickets to her intimate sip-and-snip evening. They showed up 15 minutes late from a winery. Lesson learned: group bookings get a private event option with a minimum price. The two biggest fails? She didn't get succession planting done, which meant spending $200 at Wilco on plant starts right before the U-picks so the field didn't look empty. And she hasn't tracked a single harvest, expense hour, or bloom count all season. No system, no clipboard, no data. She knows it'll cost her in planning next year. The biggest strategic shift: she's moving away from summer bouquet sales entirely. Next year she wants to focus on early spring flowers with season extension, run the CSA from March through Mother's Day, and spend summer on higher-profit events instead of sweating through harvests in 90-degree heat while working 12-hour corporate shifts. Life is 50-50. This episode is proof. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Guide: The month-by-month roadmap to build your farm business from scratch. Grab it HERE This is the episode where it gets real. Not Instagram real. Actually real. Hayden's MRI confirmed a cartilage tear in her wrist. Recovery is months out, surgery is possible, and she can barely make bouquets one-handed. She's been in a depression. Her corporate job is doing layoffs and she doesn't know week to week if she still has one. She wanted to quit. And then she opened an email and found out she'd won a $15,000 grant from Ag West Farm Credit — the one she spent days applying for back in March and never thought she'd get. She was crying when she read it. That grant is going toward a greenhouse, season extension supplies, and, for the first time, hired help. On the sales side, the four-week CSA subscription is done. Pre-selling $1,200 back in spring funded her startup costs and meant she didn't have to market during the busiest harvest weeks. The flowers were already spoken for. But pickup logistics were a mess. Friends texted asking for exceptions. She ended up delivering some bouquets herself. Next year she wants a community drop point and stricter boundaries. The U-pick events were the biggest learning of the summer. Her practice run with 20 friends revealed that people were scared to pick the flowers, cut stems three inches long, and needed way more upfront education than she expected. The paid events went better until a bachelorette party of 10 bought tickets to her intimate sip-and-snip evening. They showed up 15 minutes late from a winery. Lesson learned: group bookings get a private event option with a minimum price. The two biggest fails? She didn't get succession planting done, which meant spending $200 at Wilco on plant starts right before the U-picks so the field didn't look empty. And she hasn't tracked a single harvest, expense hour, or bloom count all season. No system, no clipboard, no data. She knows it'll cost her in planning next year. The biggest strategic shift: she's moving away from summer bouquet sales entirely. Next year she wants to focus on early spring flowers with season extension, run the CSA from March through Mother's Day, and spend summer on higher-profit events instead of sweating through harvests in 90-degree heat while working 12-hour corporate shifts. Life is 50-50. This episode is proof. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Guide: The month-by-month roadmap to build your farm business from scratch. Grab it HERE It's the end of April, and things are moving fast — maybe too fast. The rain stopped weeks early, it's been in the 70s, and Hayden's scrambling to get irrigation set up while working 14-hour days at her corporate job. A whole bed of ranunculus? Crispy dead. She forgot about them during her work week. That's the reality nobody posts about. But here's what she did pull off: eight bouquet subscription pre-sales totaling her first $1,000. Every single buyer is someone she knows. Not a stranger in the bunch. And not one of them has seen a photo of what they're actually getting. They bought because they trust her. That's what relationship-based marketing does. She ran a $200 ad in the local Newsburg community newsletter and made $240 back in subscription sales within the first week — plus new email subscribers she can't even track yet. She went from 4 beds to 10 finished 20-foot rows, with plans for 17 total. She applied to two grants, and even though she hasn't heard back, the process forced her to write a three-year business projection, budget out her U-pick events down to the cost of scissors, and think bigger than just this first season. The biggest win? A free queer wildflower walk she's hosting at Champoeg State Park that got shared by over 80 people on Instagram. She asked a dozen local businesses to share it, every one said yes, and now she's getting messages from people she's never met. One connection led to an invitation to vendor at a 1,000-person plant sale. She's also setting boundaries — done working outside by 1 p.m., actually cooking dinner instead of eating mac and cheese for the fifth night in a row, and canceling plans when she needs a recovery day. Because the busy season hasn't even started yet. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Guide: The month-by-month roadmap to build your farm business from scratch. Grab it HERE Hayden's four months into building Big Oak Flower Farm and she's in that weird middle spot — wishing she was selling more while intentionally holding back because she doesn't have enough flowers yet. Sound familiar to anyone starting out? The free queer wildflower walk she organized at Champoeg State Park? Twenty people showed up, almost 100 people and businesses shared it on Instagram, and one attendee turned out to be a tourism marketing director who called her event email "marketing gold." She didn't spend a dime on advertising. She just offered something free that her ideal customers actually wanted, then asked local businesses to share it. Every single one said yes. She won a $900 grant from Wine Country Pride to fund supplies for her U-pick events — snips, vases, signage, all the stuff that adds up way faster than you'd think. And even though she didn't get the money just to learn, the grant application process forced her to budget down to the cost of parking signs and scissors. That kind of planning pays off whether you get funded or not. On the sales side, she's at $1,000 in pre-sold subscriptions, a couple of walk-up bouquet sales, her first bulk "bucket of blooms" order for a baby shower, and a $40 custom bouquet she sold at a party after someone saw the flowers she'd brought as a gift. She's also dropping bouquets at local coffee shops with her business card — something that terrified her a month ago and now feels natural. The real talk this episode: $1,300 for farm insurance as a first-year business (and why you need it before your first event), using Wave for free accounting, and why she's finally turning to AI to help her figure out what to actually say in her marketing emails instead of staring at a blank screen. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Guide: The month-by-month roadmap to build your farm business from scratch. Grab it HERE It's been two months since Hayden decided this was happening, and things are getting messy in the best way. The work party? Eight friends showed up at 10 a.m. and worked for hours pulling out buried metal, layers of old landscape fabric, and foot-long weed roots. At the end, they all thanked HER. Turns out people stuck in apartments and suburbs are genuinely excited to get muddy on a farm. She's got 20-foot rows going in, her first seedlings planted, and a grow tent crammed into an 8-by-12 converted shed she can barely fit inside. On the business side — website drama. She built the entire site on Shopify, hated it, and started over on Squarespace. Hear why, and what she learned about choosing the right platform when you're small and seasonal and need to throw up a product listing in 15 minutes, not 2 hours. She launched her email list February 10th and hit 43 subscribers in the first month — half of them strangers she doesn't recognize. She got them without spending a dime, just word of mouth and Instagram. Her welcome email includes a survey, and the responses are already shaping her sales plan: more people want grab-and-go bouquets than subscriptions, and at least one person signed up specifically to support a small, queer-owned farm business. We also get into what's next: a possible Mother's Day peony pop-up, selling bouquets through local coffee shops and wineries, a creative idea about marketing to real estate agents for closing gifts, and why she's skipping farmers markets entirely. You'll hear real-time decision making, plenty of second-guessing, and both of us laughing at the chaos of figuring this out as she goes. This is what it really looks like to build a farm business from nothing. No polish. No playbook. Just figuring it out. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

FREE Guide: The month-by-month roadmap to build your farm business from scratch. Grab it HERE I can look out my kitchen window and see Hayden's flower farm taking shape. She lives in a little cottage right on our family property, and I've had a front-row seat to every breakthrough and every meltdown. Hayden is 32. She moved back to the family farm after years of city life because — as she puts it — "it's so much more fulfilling to wake up and go outside and see things growing than there is at any corporate job, no matter how cushy it is." But the practical side of her kept saying no. She grew up watching how hard farming is. She's got good health insurance. She sits at a desk. Why would she go do that all over again? Because the dream wouldn't leave her alone. Sound familiar? In this episode, you'll hear the story behind the name "Big Oak Flower Farm" — it came from her childhood, when she and her cousins would call each other up and say "meet at the big oak in an hour" or "let's race to the big oak." When that name hit her in the car one day, she knew it was right. You'll hear her scrappy funding strategy: $500 saved from working twice a month on a neighbor's farm, driving her old pickup to get $10 loads of compost from the city waste treatment facility, and doing absolutely everything herself. We dig into three sales models she's weighing — CSA subscriptions for early cash flow, a little farm store for walk-up sales, and you-pick events (she's dreaming of "sunset in the flower field" evenings). And you'll hear me pushing back in real time on her decision to NOT start an email list yet. No formal training. No business degree. No trust fund. Just a woman figuring it out. If she can do it, so can you. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

Profitable Dahlia Summit: 12+ Expert Speakers Sign Up HERE Can email marketing really work for small farms? Jennifer Gulizia is living proof. Jennifer runs a 20-acre regenerative flower farm in Oregon, specializing in growing and hybridizing dahlias. After losing her lease land and purchasing a new property, she joined Charlotte's Farm Marketing Mastery program (now The Profitable Farmer) and used a deceptively simple strategy to build a thriving local customer base from scratch. In just six farmer's market appearances, Jennifer collected hundreds of local email addresses by offering a bouquet giveaway at her booth. She then used those emails to drive traffic to her new on-farm pop-up stand — sending reminders both the day before and the morning of each sale. The result? Lines at the gate and customers buying three bouquets at a time. When she missed sending one Saturday morning email, the difference in foot traffic was immediate and obvious. Jennifer and Charlotte also discuss pricing confidence (why the highest-priced vendor often sells the most), the mindset shifts that separate struggling farms from profitable ones, and why investing in coaching and personal development directly correlates with income growth. They cover why your email list follows you even when you change locations, lose a lease, or shut down a farmer's market — and why social media followers in distant cities can still become valuable customers. The episode wraps with details on the Profitable Dahlia Summit (March 3–5), a virtual event featuring 12 speakers including Marin Mathis and Julio from The Flower Hat, covering tuber sales, wedding flowers, pricing, and the mindset of turning a backyard dahlia hobby into a real business. Live access is $99; the all-access pass with lifetime replays is $199. FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE

FREE Master Class: The Farm Marketing Fix Sign Up HERE Are you a farmer struggling to turn a profit despite working harder than ever? In this episode, farm marketing expert Charlotte Smith answers the most common questions from over 2,000 farmers who attended her recent webinar—and the answers might surprise you. Charlotte explains why social media is a distraction for most farmers and why email marketing should be your number one priority. She breaks down a counterintuitive truth: at farmers markets, your primary job isn't making sales—it's capturing email addresses. Why? Because the lifetime value of a single customer can reach $5,000 or more, compared to a one-time $50 purchase you may never see again. You'll learn practical steps including how to collect emails legally (and why using your personal Gmail can get your account shut down), which email platforms work best for farmers, and how to keep customers buying all winter long—even when the farmers market closes. Charlotte also addresses the overwhelm that keeps farmers stuck: how to find time for marketing when you're already exhausted running the farm. Her solution involves creating two hours of protected "focus time" daily to work on money-making activities rather than constantly reacting to interruptions. Whether you're a beginning farmer or have been in business for decades without turning a profit, this episode provides the foundational marketing strategy that's helped Charlotte's clients achieve results like going from $45,000 to $300,000 in annual revenue. Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if The Profitable Farmer can break you out of marketing misery.

Farm Marketing Mastery is open for enrollment! Sign Up HERE What happens when farmers stop struggling alone and finally get the marketing and mindset tools they need? In this episode of The Profitable Mindset Podcast, host Charlotte Smith steps back and lets her Farm Marketing Mastery clients tell their own stories. These aren't hypotheticals—they're real farmers who were losing money, burning out, and wondering if they'd have to give up farming altogether. You'll hear from Alyssa, who ran her first-ever five-day subscription launch and sold almost double what she'd made in any single month over ten years of farming. From Stacey, who made back twice her program investment in under 30 days and now sells $17-per-pound chicken breast in one of the poorest counties in North Carolina. From Vanessa who went from $25,000 in year one to over $300,000 by year three. But here's what makes these stories different: it's not just about the money. Farmers share how their marriages improved, how they stopped crying over marketing, how they finally believed in themselves enough to raise their prices without flinching. One farmer's husband quit his off-farm job. Another built a farm store. Several went from sold-out waitlists to calm Sunday planning sessions with their spouses. If you've ever wondered whether direct-to-consumer farm marketing actually works—or whether you're just not cut out for the business side of farming—this episode is your proof that it's possible. Farm Marketing Mastery registration is open this week only. 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 Why do your gorgeous farm photos get dozens of likes but zero sales? Charlotte Smith has the answer—and it's probably not what you think. In this Q&A episode of The Profitable Mindset Podcast, Charlotte responds to questions pouring in from farmers who signed up for her upcoming Farm Marketing Fix webinar. These aren't hypothetical problems—they're the real struggles keeping small farmers stuck. The first question hits hard: "I have a small flower farm and I can't sell hardly anything. I put it on Facebook and I get likes and shares, but no money." Charlotte breaks down what's missing: a clear call to action and a defined brand. Without both, you're entertaining people instead of converting them into customers. She introduces the Rule of One Framework—the system her successful clients use to cut through overwhelm: one ideal customer, one core message, one primary platform, and one call to action. When farmers narrow their focus this way, marketing finally starts making sense. Charlotte also tackles a question about marketing mindset, explaining why the farmers who succeed share a specific belief: marketing is serving people, not pushing products. She shares what she discovered after years of teaching—students with identical training and similar products had wildly different results based entirely on their beliefs about selling. The episode wraps with advice on transitioning from wholesale to direct-to-consumer sales, and why comparison marketing ("our beef is better than the grocery store") actually backfires long-term. If you're creating content consistently but your bank account doesn't reflect the effort, this episode will show you what's missing. 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 Can you really build a profitable farm business while homeschooling, caring for family, and working from a small homestead? Jen Collins proves you can. In this episode of The Profitable Mindset Podcast, host Charlotte Smith sits down with client Jen Collins, owner of The Collins Cluckery in southeast Michigan. Jen raises pastured poultry and is launching farm classes—all from just a few acres. When Jen joined Farm Marketing Mastery nine months ago, she was selling chickens to friends and family and treating her farm "like a business" rather than running an actual business. She didn't have a marketing plan, struggled with confidence, and felt overwhelmed by where to start. Fast forward to today: Jen has grown her email list from 37 to 71 subscribers, increased annual sales from $4,000 to over $10,000 (a 127% increase), and developed the confidence to call herself a farmer and business owner. In this conversation, Jen gets real about the discomfort of putting herself out there, asking for email addresses, handling unsubscribes, and collecting payment from difficult customers. She also shares how tracking where her customers come from (church, a chiropractor's office, word of mouth) helped her focus her marketing efforts. If you're a woman over 40 wondering whether it's too late to start something new, or a small farmer unsure how to turn your hobby into income, this episode is 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 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.

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.

Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery. Quick question: Do you have a customer who owes you money right now? A farmer came to coaching because her second-biggest customer kept "forgetting" to pay. Every. Single. Time. And she was terrified to say something. Sound familiar? Here's what changed everything in our session: The ONE question that reveals if your "small problem" will destroy your business as you grow Word-for-word scripts to collect money without feeling mean or threatening Why that problem customer is actually a GIFT to your business How one uncomfortable conversation saves you thousands down the road The transformation? By the end of our call, this farmer went from scared to EXCITED about setting boundaries. If you've ever felt guilty or afraid of asking someone to pay what they owe you, this episode will change everything. FREE Master Class: Three Steps to Your Profitable Farm Sign Up HERE  

Farm Marketing Mastery is officially open for enrollment this week!

FREE Master Class: 5 costly mistakes that are keeping your farm broke Sign Up HERE One of the farmers in my program was dying yarn with plants she grew herself, alpacas grazing nearby—living her dream farm life. But she couldn't enjoy ANY of it. Every light switch triggered shame. Every irrigation pump whispered "I'm doing it wrong." She was looping on money thoughts every day, all the time, hours and hours. Then everything changed in our 30-minute coaching call. In this episode, you'll hear: The jaw-dropping realization about her December paycheck that flipped everything How negative money thoughts literally block your ability to make money (she was unknowingly repelling success) The exact moment she spontaneously decided to STOP forcing early sales—and what happened next Same December paycheck. Completely different experience. Whether you're dealing with irregular income, debt shame, or that sick feeling when you check your account—listen to the breakthrough that took her from panic to peace. Your bank account doesn't determine how you feel. Your thoughts do. 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: 5 costly mistakes that are keeping your farm broke Sign Up HERE Picture this: You raise 200 chickens, write beautiful marketing emails, launch with enthusiasm. The result? Zero sales. Not one chicken sold. Sound familiar? This week I'm sharing the coaching call that completely shifted everything for one devastated farmer—and why her "failure" was actually the foundation for success. The game-changing reframe: New product = new business. Her beef customers weren't automatically going to buy chicken. She needed to start over with market research, relationship building, and strategic giveaways. The breakthrough? Nothing in her situation had changed except her understanding. She wasn't failing—she was building. "You don't plant an apple tree and get frustrated when there's no apples." Whether you're adding chickens, agritourism, or any new product line—this episode will shift your timeline expectations and give you hope again. She went from "I'm ready to quit" to "I'm figuring this out" in one conversation. Your new product line isn't failing if no one buys. You're just on step one. Listen now to get the full 6-step marketing plan that transforms "failed" launches into farm moneymakers. 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: 5 costly mistakes that are keeping your farm broke Sign Up HERE I just had to share this with you because I know you'll see yourself in this story. A lamb farmer came to our coaching call practically whispering, "Charlotte, I raised my prices to $19/lb... but I feel so greedy. What if no one buys?" She'd done her cost worksheets. She KNEW $19 was what she needed to be profitable. But she was ready to slash prices anyway because guilt was eating her alive. Sound familiar? In today's episode, I'm taking you inside our coaching session where we destroyed her "greedy trap" using what I call "belief archeology." Key discoveries you'll hear: The exact compassionate script for when customers push back on price (not defensive!) How we shifted from "I'm being greedy" to "I have a purpose and I'm proud" Why her parents' snide comments about pricing are none of her business (hello, Brené Brown's arena principle) The moment her voice completely shifted when she remembered WHY she raises lamb Here's what changed everything: When she connected to her deeper purpose – regenerating depleted land, touching hearts through food, helping customers taste lamb like they remembered from Europe – she wasn't greedy anymore. She was someone with a mission worth sustaining. Friend, your customers don't want cheap food. They want YOU to survive and thrive so you can keep feeding them. When you undercharge, you'll burn out and quit, leaving them wondering why you didn't charge enough to stick around. It's not greedy to charge what you need to be profitable. It's responsible. It's how you ensure you can keep doing this work you love. 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: 5 costly mistakes that are keeping your farm broke Sign Up HERE You're growing incredible products and working harder than anyone you know, but if you're like most farmers, you haven't paid yourself a dime for your hard work all year. Here's what most farmers don't realize: marketing isn't magic. It's a skill. And there's a proven three-phase system that transforms struggling farmers into sold-out success stories. Key discoveries you'll learn: The #1 mistake on diversified farms that keeps farmers broke (and how to fix it) How to build a marketing calendar that works with your farm's natural rhythms instead of against them The three marketing assets you already have but aren't using effectively Why listening is the most important marketing skill—plus 6 specific ways to do it right This isn't theory. One client went from six months of begging people to buy her Thanksgiving turkeys to selling out in 24 hours flat using this exact approach. Look, you didn't start farming to become a marketing expert. But here's the hard truth: if you can't sell what you grow, you won't survive. The farmers who thrive aren't necessarily the best—they're the ones who learned how to connect their products to their customers' real problems. "Marketing isn't magic. It's a skill. And if your emails aren't making sales at a profitable price, it's not because the platform doesn't work—it's because you haven't learned the skill yet." 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. You're growing incredible products and working harder than anyone you know, but here's the hard truth: if you're like most farmers, you haven't paid yourself a dime for your hard work all year. Here's what most farmers don't realize: marketing isn't magic. It's a skill. And there's a proven system that transforms struggling farmers into sold-out success stories. Key discoveries you'll learn: The #1 mistake on diversified farms that keeps farmers broke How to build a marketing calendar that works with your farm's natural rhythms instead of against them The three marketing assets you already have but aren't using effectively Why listening is the most important marketing skill (and 6 specific ways to do it right) The proof: One client went from six months of begging people to buy her Thanksgiving turkeys to selling out in 24 hours flat using this exact three-phase system. Look, you didn't start farming to become a marketing expert. But if you can't sell what you grow, you won't survive. The farmers who thrive aren't necessarily the best growers—they're the ones who learned how to connect their products to their customers' real problems. Stop struggling and start selling. Your farm deserves to be profitable. FREE Master Class: 5 costly mistakes that are keeping your farm broke Sign Up HERE  

Click HERE and Let's Meet! Chat with us to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery. Picture this: You just had your best sales year ever. 77% revenue increase. Tripled production. Crushing every single goal. And then your partner says those four crushing words: "It's not good enough." Sound familiar? That's exactly what happened to the farmer I coached this week. Despite her extraordinary success, constant criticism had her convinced she was failing. The house wasn't clean enough. The sales weren't high enough. Nothing she did was ever good enough. But here's what changed everything: One weird visualization exercise that takes 30 seconds. She went from feeling like a "dead weight" to feeling protected and strong—even when the criticism kept coming. What you'll discover: Why people criticize (hint: it's not about you—it's biology) The exact mental exercise that creates unbreakable confidence in 30 seconds Why you can never prove your way out of someone else's critical brain How this saved marriages without changing the critical partner This isn't about bashing anyone or stopping criticism. We ALL do it. Our brains are literally wired for it. It's about understanding that you don't have to let it destroy your confidence or your dreams. The truth: Your farm dreams matter. Your progress matters. And you deserve to pursue them without apologizing every single day. FREE Master Class: 5 costly mistakes that are keeping your farm broke Sign Up HERE  

Let's Meet! Drowning in marketing dread? Book a free strategy session to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery. I'm the one in the hot seat today! I just got interviewed on the Backyard Bouquet podcast, and I have to say... I shared some things that'll help you shift your sales today. From my daughter selling out flower farm events in her first season to farmers achieving 200% sales increases, this episode reveals the strategies and mindset shifts that actually work. What you'll discover: The exact strategy my daughter used to land a wedding contract at her chiropractor appointment Why "perfectionist farmers are actually just scared farmers" The simple question that gets overwhelmed farmers unstuck every time How to get customers willing to pay $50+ for a bouquet Why giving away flowers strategically builds your business I also opened up about overcoming the fear of failure after my family's farm went bankrupt in the 80s and how to stop the "not good enough" mindset that keeps farmers undervaluing their work. Bottom line: When you change how you think about your farming business, you change your results—both financially and personally. P.S. My mic was not on, for some reason, so my sound quality is not quite up to my usual standard, but hey, tech issues happen.

Farm Marketing Mastery is officially open for enrollment this week!

FREE Master Class: 5 costly mistakes that are keeping your farm broke Sign Up HERE Ever wonder if your farm will actually pay the bills? You're not alone! On August 18th & 19th, I'm breaking down the five sneaky mistakes that are costing farmers serious money - sometimes six figures a year. Sign up HERE  The crazy part? Most farmers think these mistakes are actually good business practices. Spoiler alert: offering tons of different products isn't always smart, and you might be accidentally scaring away your best customers. Let's Meet! Drowning in marketing dread? Book a free strategy session to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.  

FREE Master Class: 5 costly mistakes that are keeping your farm broke Sign Up HERE Three years ago, Stacie was ready to quit farming and return to a 9-to-5. Today, she's already hit her entire 2024 sales goals seven months into 2025. In this episode, discover how Stacie doubled her program investment in just 21 days, went from zero-response social posts to selling out pork shares in six days, and transformed from scattered "doing everything" to laser-focused profitability. Beyond the numbers, hear about Stacie's personal transformation - becoming calmer, less reactive, and more present with family. Her biggest regret? Waiting two years to invest in herself instead of chasing free content. Let's Meet! Drowning in marketing dread? Book a free strategy session to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.  

FREE Master Class: 5 costly mistakes that are keeping your farm broke Sign Up HERE   After my family lost our farm to bankruptcy when I was a teenager, I discovered how my negative thought patterns were creating my financial struggles.   In this interview, I share: - Why thoughts like "I should be making more money" guarantee you won't - How worried thoughts sneak into your marketing and repel customers - The simple word swap that changed everything for me - How shame kept me broke for years after bankruptcy   I also talk about what to do when you "need to learn marketing but hate people."   When I changed my thinking, everything improved - my relationships, money, and daily life.   Your brain wants to think negative thoughts, but those thoughts create your reality.   ~Charlotte   Let's Meet!   Drowning in marketing dread?   Book a free strategy session to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery.

Let's Meet!  Drowning in marketing dread? Book a free strategy session to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery. I recently joined the Ranchonomics podcast to share how I went from watching my family's farm go bankrupt to building a raw milk dairy that sold out at double what other farmers charged. I break down why social media marketing sabotages your business and share my email strategy that creates multi-thousand-dollar lifetime customers. I explain my 80/20 relationship-building rule, why getting an email is worth more than making a sale, and the "serving vs. selling" mindset that changes everything. Plus, how to stop accidentally breaking anti-spam laws. If you're tired of posting into the void hoping someone will buy, this is for you.

Let's Meet!  Drowning in marketing dread? Book a free strategy session to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery. This flower farmer discovered she was earning just $6.50/hour on "convenient" one-off bouquet orders - spending 4 hours total per $65 sale between processing, picking, designing, and delivery. Meanwhile, she had zero time to market her profitable event services that generate 50% of her income. Key Takeaways: Calculate your real hourly rate for each revenue stream Eliminate low-performing activities to focus on high-profit opportunities Stop saying yes to everything - successful farmers say no to "good" opportunities Opportunity cost matters: those same 4 hours could generate $500-1,000+ in marketing results The Bottom Line: Many farmers fail because they're "stepping over $100 bills to pick up pennies" - staying busy with low-profit activities instead of focusing on what actually drives business growth.

Let's Meet!  Drowning in marketing dread? Book a free strategy session to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery. This week I coached a farmer who wanted to go from $20,000 in sales to $180,000 in just one year – and it broke my heart because I could hear the crushing pressure she was putting on herself. In this eye-opening episode of The Profitable Mindset Podcast, I dive into the shocking truth about why 80% of farmers quit within the first few years. It's not because farming doesn't work or because their products aren't good enough – it's because they set themselves up for failure with completely unrealistic timelines. This shift in understanding timelines is your key to building a sustainable farm without burning out. Discover how letting go of the belief that you should be profitable faster can unlock growth, reduce pressure, and give you the peace of mind to actually focus on building something that lasts. This is the exact mindset work I teach farmers in Farm Marketing Mastery, and it's changing lives. Tune in now and start unlearning the limiting beliefs about timelines that are holding you back from farm success. In this episode: • How to calculate what revenue you actually need to replace your day job income • Why adding more products when one isn't profitable yet guarantees you'll lose money • The mindset shift that lets you build sustainably instead of burning out • Real coaching call breakdown: going from panicked about year one to excited about years three through five

Let's Meet!  Drowning in marketing dread? Book a free strategy session to see if Farm Marketing Mastery can break you out of marketing misery. This week I coached a farm couple with grass-fed beef, cooking classes, farm tours, and an Airbnb. Their website was gorgeous, content excellent, email signups happening daily. But they weren't making sales. In this episode, I reveal why brilliant farmers with beautiful websites still can't convert browsers into buyers. The shocking truth: your website isn't broken—you just haven't learned the skill of turning interested people into paying customers. You'll hear the exact email rewrite I did during our coaching call and discover "The Rule of One"—why cramming multiple offerings into one email kills your sales. The biggest mistake? Marketing from YOUR perspective instead of addressing your customers' real pain points. This shift from farmer-focused to customer-focused messaging is the key to relationship-based marketing that actually drives sales. This is the exact sales psychology I teach inside Farm Marketing Mastery, and it's transforming farm businesses.

Stuck avoiding farm marketing like it's poison?

Click HERE for Farm Marketing Mastery   Charlotte Smith addresses the #1 reason farms fail: not investing in marketing and mindset skills. After 13 years working with thousands of farmers, she's identified the 80/20 rule for success—80% mindset management, 20% marketing strategy.   Our brains are wired for survival, not success, naturally defaulting to negativity.   Farmers learn to manage this bias in our weekly mindset coaching calls.   Farmers in Charlotte's program transform their businesses in months, selling out quickly and raising prices confidently through strong customer relationships built using the simple tools she teaches.