Not All Revenue is Good Revenue
Hey Reader,
We’re wrapping up this 5-part series on making more money WITHOUT scaling bigger.
And I saved the hardest one for last.
#5: I focused on my best customers and let the difficult ones go.
This one took me the longest to figure out because it goes against everything you think you’re supposed to do as a business owner.
“The customer’s always right.”
“Never turn down a sale.”
“Work harder to make everyone happy.”
Yeah… no.
Let me tell you about one of my neighbors who taught me this lesson.
He stopped by the farm one day, to introduce himself and ask about our farm. I gave him a bunch free stuff (ground beef, chuck roast, NY strip, and few other cuts)
A few days later, he said he wanted to purchase a share after eating some of the cuts we provided.
Great! I thought. We do our quarter beefs like bundle boxes, where we put together the share after animal has been processed (Click here to see our process). The USDA labels cost a little more, but it’s insurance for someone who orders a share and backs out (those come with NOT FOR RESALE labels).
I put together a quarter share with cuts from the same exact same steer the freebies came from, and he picked up and payed. This is what it’s all about, right?
I get an email a few days later.
“Why is the ground beef not in bigger packs?” (Um, I don’t know, convenience?)
“Is this all the steaks I get?” (He got the standard amount for a quarter.)
“The steaks we cooked were tough”
I tried explaining these cuts are from the exact same steer, the price is added up and then discounted to ensure no matter the weight, the discount is applied, then I referred him to our website (where he ordered) where is clearly states how many of every cut you get. Nothing made him happy.
Then I decided to Facebook stalk him, and it all made sense.
This guy was a professional complainer. Every local business. Every restaurant. Every service. Long posts about how everyone had done him wrong, cost too much, poor service, etc.
Against my better judgement, I gave him a partial refund, wished him well, l and moved on.
Then there was the bacon customer.
Ordered a pork share. Called a week later – the bacon “was too salty.”
Now, here’s the thing: I always take feedback seriously. Maybe there WAS an issue with that batch. Processor could’ve made a mistake. I don’t know what I don’t know.
So I replaced it. 17 pounds of bacon. From a completely different processor, different cure, different everything.
I did request the other bacon back, not to sell of course, but the cynic in me thought this was odd and I wanted to try it myself. I also wanted to make sure half of it wasn’t gone, meaning he ate it.
A few days later: “This bacon isn’t right either.”
At that point, I knew. This wasn’t about the bacon.
I gave him a refund for the bacon portion of the share and said: “We wish you all the best and hope you find a farm that better fits your needs.”
He never ordered again. (Shocking, I know.)
Here’s what I learned:
Your time is your most valuable asset.
And the 80/20 rule is brutally real: 20% of your customers will take 80% of your time. It works both ways. Typically you best 20% of customers will provide 80% of your revenue.
It’s not a hard and fast rule, but holds true generally and helps you focus on what’s important (then you double down on it).
My best customers?
- They order regularly (some have been with us for years)
- They understand the process and trust us
- They give constructive feedback when something’s actually wrong
- They refer their friends
- They leave reviews
- They make me feel like I’m doing good work and putting good out into the world
Those are the people I want to serve.
The complainers? They’re not just costing me time – they’re costing me energy, mental space, money, and my ability to focus on the customers who actually value what we’re doing.
Now, here’s the tricky part:
You HAVE to listen to feedback. Sometimes a customer complaint is telling you something real about your system.
If someone says “I didn’t know the beef would come frozen” – that’s on me. I need to communicate better.
If someone says “The pickup instructions were confusing” – that’s on me. I need clearer systems.
But there’s a difference between:
- A customer pointing out a real problem you can fix
- A customer who will never be happy no matter what you do
Learn to tell the difference. Fast.
My rule when I need to “fire” a customer:
- I resolve the issue as best I can (even if that means a refund)
- I protect my reputation (people can leave reviews anywhere)
- I do enough on my end that if it comes back, I can show I was reasonable
- I use this line: “We wish you all the best and hope you find a farm that better fits your needs.”
If they try to order again (hasn’t happended yet), I would politely let them know we’re not a good fit based on past experiences, and suggest they try another farm. If they were to write a bad review, I’ve already refunded or done my best to make the past experience right, therefore I can refute / make it clear we tried to make the customer happy.
And no, I don’t give them names of other farms. I’m not sending problems to my fellow farmers. That fired customer can do that research themselves.
Why this matters for making more money without scaling:
When you cut out the customers who drain your time and energy, you have MORE time and energy for:
- The customers who actually value your work
- Building systems that serve those customers better
- Marketing to attract more of the RIGHT customers
- Actually farming instead of managing complaints
Every hour I spent trying to make an unhappy customer happy was an hour I WASN’T spending on:
- Improving my product
- Serving my best customers better
- Growing my email list
- Building relationships with wholesale accounts
- Enjoying my farm and family
Not all revenue is good revenue.
Sometimes the best business decision you can make is to politely show someone the door.
And look – I guarantee you’re going to deal with these customers at some point. Every business does.
I actually think it’s a sign you’ve “made it.”
When you serve enough people, statistically you’re going to find someone who doesn’t like you, doesn’t agree with you, or just isn’t rational.
Don’t take it personally.
Listen to the feedback. Fix what needs fixing. But don’t let the difficult 20% of your customers consume 80% of your time.
You’re putting good out into the world. Keep doing that.
Focus on the customers who see it and value it.
Let the rest find a farm that’s a better fit.
P.S. One thing that’s helped me a ton with this: having systems that set clear expectations upfront.
When customers know exactly what to expect (cut options, pickup process, pricing, etc.), you get WAY fewer complaints and problem customers.
My farm website does a lot of that heavy lifting now – it answers the common questions before people even order, shows them exactly what they’re getting, and sets clear expectations for the entire process.
It’s not perfect, but it’s filtered out a lot of the “I didn’t know” complaints that used to eat up my time.
If you want to see how we set up farms to prevent this kind of chaos, check out Homegrown Hosting.
We build websites specifically for farms that want to spend less time managing order confusion and more time farming.
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 do the rest.
Simple pricing. Simple process. Completely managed by someone who actually farms.
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