The companies you choose to link your business to can either make your life easier or more difficult. Honestly, one company that works great for you may not work as well for me and vice-versa. It takes a lot of trial and error to find a great setup when you have multiple needs. Here are […]

The first rule of marketing is that the customer is always right. It’s a wise rule because customers who have good experiences are much more likely to return to your business. And in the age of the internet, people who have a bad experience are likely to share it. Sometimes it’s a Facebook rant, other […]

One of the great things about making a living on your homestead is earning an income doing things you love. But there are some things to keep in mind to successfully transition from hobby to work. If you want your hobby to be a successful business venture, you need to treat it as a business! […]

Email newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with your customers and let them know what is in season on your homestead. It’s a great way to highlight new products, important dates (like first or last market days of the season) or share exciting news about what is going on at your homestead […]

Many farm-related businesses are seasonal. Our farm stand is open to the public from Memorial Day weekend through the end of November each year. It can be quite tricky to have enough inventory to have a nice selection of items for customers without being stuck with more than we need over the winter months. In […]

A big part of Etsy is the ability to connect buyers with makers. (If you’re not familiar with Etsy, be sure to check out Part 1 of this article!) One of my favorite parts about running the farm stand is meeting my customers face-to-face. While this isn’t possible when you are selling online, Etsy does […]

Just when you think you have your marketing strategy figured out, think again.  The same methods will not work for everyone and doing so can leave your sales stagnant.  When it comes to making money, you need to stand out and give people what they want….even if they don’t know it yet. Let’s face it, […]

When I moved to our farm, I longed to put in more flowers. There were a few things that bloomed- irises, lily of the valley, daffodils- but not a lot. A farm is a busy place, so planting pretty things often falls way down the to-do list. But here are five great reasons why I’ve […]

This past weekend saw a big change in how we do business. For many years, our farm stand has been a cash-only business. We would also accept personal checks, but did not take credit or debit cards. However, sales were lost because of this. Local folks know to bring cash, as many small businesses in […]

The internet is a wonderful tool to advertise your homemade products. Whether you have your own website, sell through social media or online classifieds, or run a shop through a site like eBay or Etsy, making the sale is only part of the process. You still need to find the best way to get the […]