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A few years ago, we hit nearly $200k in farm revenue in a single year.
Sounds great, right?
Here’s what nobody tells you: I was absolutely miserable.
Working 70+ hour weeks. Missing time with my kids. Stressed constantly. And when I actually did the math on profit after expenses and my TIME… it wasn’t worth it.
I could have doubled down. Scaled more. Hired people. Bought mor equipment. Gone for $300k, then $500k.
Instead, I did the opposite.
I got intentional about being more profitable WITHOUT scaling bigger.
Here are the five things I did:
1. I stopped selling products that didn’t pay for my time
We were offering every cut under the sun and some people didn’t even know what they were ordering.
Here was a biggie. Chicken breast. We were grinding these into sausage and charging less for while paying more to process, all in the name of having more “variety”. Made no sense and I still shake my head at that one.
I cut everything with low margins and high labor. Revenue doesn’t matter if you’re losing money on every sale after you factor in your TIME.
2. I raised my prices and stopped apologizing for them
I realized I was competing on price instead of value. The customers who wanted cheap weren’t my customers anyway.
The right customers paid happily because they valued quality, story, and relationship. I made more money selling LESS product at better margins.
3. I built systems so I stopped wasting time on admin chaos
Online ordering instead of 50 text messages a day and Facebook DMs at all hours. Email list instead of fighting Facebook’s algorithms and their rules that can get you banned for selling.
I automated what I could so I could actually farm instead of managing chaos.
Your time has a dollar value – stop spending $50/hour of your time on $10/hour tasks.
4. I focused on my best customers and let the difficult ones go
The 80/20 rule is real: 20% of my customers were 80% of my revenue and 100% of the joy.
I stopped trying to serve everyone. Not all revenue is good revenue.
5. I invested in things that made me money, not just things that made me look busy
I stopped buying equipment and infrastructure I didn’t need yet.
Instead, I put money into marketing and systems that brought in customers, and efficiency improvements that saved me TIME.
Growth feels productive, but profit is what actually matters.
Over the next 5 weeks, I’m breaking down each of these in detail – real stories from our farm, what worked, what didn’t, and how you can apply it to your operation whether you’re just starting out or already established.
Next Sunday: Why I stopped offering cuts that were costing me money (and how to figure out what’s actually worth selling). I’ll bet there are even a few cuts your processor is throwing away that could make you money.
The result of all this? I make less total revenue now. But I’m way more profitable, I actually have a life, and I’m not burned out.
Scaling isn’t the answer if the math doesn’t work. Getting smarter is (then scale if thats your goal).
Talk soon,
Jason
P.S. If you’re at the point where you need systems in place – especially online ordering that stops the text message and Facebook DM chaos – I build WordPress websites for farmers. $149/month, everything included. Takes 2-3 weeks to get you live. 5-minute questionnaire, I’ll send you a custom plan in 24 hours. Free, no obligation.
with my appreciation,
Jason
Aka: The Part-Time Farmer
Your Farm Website Shouldn’t Feel Like a Second Job
I build it. I write your copy. I enter your products.
You send photos and details — I handle everything else.
$149/month. No Upfront Fees. Completely managed by someone who actually farms.
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