Hey Reader,
OK, maybe the title is a little bit toward the click-bait side, but there is also some truth to it. This is part 4 (of a 5 part series) in “How I Made More Money Without Scaling”.
This does talk about scaling, but that’s only because getting my time back allowed me to do so,
These are a few systems we developed on the farm to stop the chaos and get our time back.
Somewhere around 2019-2020, i remember doing morning chores, and my email and phone started blowing up.
We had gotten some good press from a PBS piece filmed at the farm, and boy was I not ready.
Facebook DMs. Google texts (Google Voice – highly recommend for your farm to keep your personal phone … private). Emails. All at once.
“Do you have ground beef?” “What’s in a quarter?” “Can I get bacon Saturday?”
As I was doing chores (couple hours worth), everything was running through my head. No longer is it just chores, but the business side is a whole other beast, I was way unprepared.
Questions like what’s in the freezer, what’s sold, what did I promise someone last week…
I realized: I can’t scale chaos.
Since then, I’ve built many systems to organize the chaos, and here are three dead-simple systems that gave me my life back.
System #1: The Color-Coded Inventory Sheet
Google Sheet. Three colors:
- Yellow = This represents cuts in a separate farmers market freezer; these cuts are only for the farmers market.
- Green = This represents cuts listed on the website
- White = Inventoried but not lised anywhere (yet)
No more “I think we have that…” followed by disappointed customers. At a glance, I could see what was in stock, out of stock, listed, and unlisted.
Time saved: At least 30 minutes daily. Weeks of my time back over the past 10 years. Below is a video i recently did about this very system.
System #2: The Copy-Paste Answer Document
This one is easy, and I recommend you start now on this one. It will save you so much time down the road.
Every customer question I answered (from emails) went into a Google Doc.
“Do you vaccinate?” “How much freezer space?” “Do you deliver?”
Next time someone asked? Copy, paste, personalize one sentence, send.
That document also helped draft our FAQ sections at Longbottom Farm as well as a FAQ page at Homegrown Hosting.
Time saved: 1-2 hours per week not retyping the same answers.
System #3: The Website That Works While I Sleep
This has made the most difference, because all orders, questions, sales, etc come through on channel. The website.
No more DMs at 11 PM.
No more texts during family time (I also removed my phone number once the website was live because my email is no readily available and visible).
No more “Did I sell that?” panic.
Orders come in automatically. Customers get instant confirmation. They know when and how they’ll get it.
I just prep the order and send one templated “ready” email.
Time saved: 2+ hours daily = weeks per year!
The Real Win
These systems didn’t just save time – they gave me my life back.
No constant phone checking. No forgotten orders. No evenings answering yesterday’s questions.
And none of it was expensive:
- Google Sheet: Free
- Google Doc: Free
- Website: Paid for itself in saved time within a month
As you scale, your systems need to scale as well, and these are three systems that will make the transition when scaling much simpler.
We all only have so much time per day, and the more of that time we can get back, the more time we have with family, friends, hobbies, or to work on processes … to get more time back.
Your Turn
What’s causing chaos on your farm right now?
Pick ONE thing. Fix it this week.
A spreadsheet. A document. A template.
You don’t need fancy software. You need systems that work.
Next Sunday: Why I stopped trying to serve everyone (and made more money focusing on my best customers).
Talk soon
P.S. I recently learned something that honestly shocked me about some farm e-commerce platforms.
Several charge what they call “merchant support fees” or “platform fees” – around 2% of EVERY sale you make, on top of regular credit card fees.
Here’s what that actually costs:
- $50k in sales = $1,000/year in platform fees
- $100k in sales = $2,000/year
- $150k in sales = $3,000/year
Every year. Forever.
Not all platforms do this – some charge only monthly subscriptions with no percentage fees. But enough do that it’s worth checking before you commit.
This is a tax on your success.
Look – I obviously have skin in the game here since I build websites for farmers. But whether you work with me or someone else, make sure you understand what you’re paying long-term.
With Homegrown Hosting, you pay $0 platform fees. You own the website. No percentage of your sales. Ever.
If you’re ready to stop the chaos and keep what you earn, Take the 5-minute questionnaire – I’ll send you a custom plan in 24 hours.
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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AI Disclosure: Every idea and opinion here is 100% human. I sometimes use AI to help with formatting, editing, or trimming things down—but the message is fully mine.