Sunday Solopreneur
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What a Business Book Taught Me About Farming
This week I want to talk about a book that every small business owner—and every farmer trying to make a real go of it—should read: The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber.
It’s not about farming. It’s about business. But honestly, it hit me harder than some of the books that are about farming.
Gerber breaks down why most small businesses fail (spoiler: it’s not because of bad products or lazy people). It’s because we confuse working in our business with working on it.
Here are three big takeaways from the book—and how they apply to us farmers.
1. Most of us are technicians.
We know how to raise animals, plant seeds, build fences. We love the hands-on stuff. That’s the technician mindset.
But building a successful business means stepping into the other two roles: the manager (who creates systems) and the entrepreneur (who sees the bigger picture).
If we stay only in technician mode, we risk burnout. Or worse—we build a job we can’t ever step away from.
To grow, we have to shift out of the barn now and then and into the office.
2. Systems set you free.
Gerber makes the case that systems create freedom. That means having a process for how you pack your eggs, how you fulfill orders, how you onboard a new customer.
When everything lives in your head, you’ll always be needed. But if it’s written down and repeatable, someone else can step in—and you get your time back.
On our farm, just having a checklist for packing for market changed everything.
It went from “Where is that cooler?” and “Did we grab the breakfast sausage?” to a smooth 15-minute pack-and-go, confident we had everything we needed and a clearer head for upcoming tasks that day.
3. Your farm should serve your life—not the other way around.
Gerber talks about building a business that can run without you. For most farmers, that’s not the goal. We didn’t start our farms so we could walk away—we started them because we love the life it brings.
But the trap many of us fall into is building a life that’s run by the farm instead of the other way around.
If every part of the farm depends on you doing everything, it can leave you drained.
Putting systems in place gives you room to breathe. It helps you build something sustainable—something that supports your life instead of consuming it.
That might mean having a slower day midweek, enjoying more time with your kids, or finally being able to step away for a weekend without coming home to a mess.
If any of this resonates, I highly recommend giving The E-Myth Revisited a read. It’s practical, eye-opening, and just might change the way you look at your farm business.
with my appreciation,
Jason
Aka: The Part-Time Farmer
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