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Sunday Solopreneur Read on my website - Read Time: 5 Minutes Why We Scaled Back to 100 Birds (The Real Story) Hey Reader, This week I broke down whether 100 layer chickens are actually profitable. But there's a personal story behind why we landed on exactly 100 birds this year that I didn't share in the video. The reason: We stepped back from the farmers market. After years of Saturday markets, we decided to focus on our direct customers while we evaluate our next growth move. Should we scale...

Sunday Solopreneur Read on my website - Read Time: 5 Minutes Farm Income Stacking: Multiple Streams to Grow Your Farm Hey Reader, If you’ve been following along, we’ve been talking about how to grow your farm without burning out. Part 1 was all about mindset — treating your farm like a business. Part 2 was how we stopped doing farmers markets (and still sold out). And today, Part 3 is here: Farm Income Stacking. Because here’s the truth: relying on one income stream is risky. If beef sales...

Sunday Solopreneur Read on my website - Read Time: 5 Minutes Why We Quit the Farmers Market (and What We Do Instead) Hey Reader, When we first started selling from our farm, the farmers market was our weekly ritual. It was where we met customers, told our story, and got our name out there. But over time, the cost—in hours, labor, and energy—started to outweigh the benefits. We were spending entire days hauling coolers, setting up tents, and hoping it didn’t rain… …all while realizing most of...

Sunday Solopreneur Read on my website - Read Time: 3 Minutes A Simple Plan to Treat Your Farm Like a Business Hey Reader, Most farmers start with passion. But if you want your farm to support your family (and not just drain the checking account), passion isn’t enough. In this week’s video (Part 1 of 3 part series), I share how we started treating our farm like a business—and why it changed everything. From separating personal and farm finances to finally knowing our numbers, this shift helped...

Sunday Solopreneur Read on my website - Read Time: 4-5 Minutes The Marketing Hack That Never Fails: Ask Your Customers Hey Reader Ever feel like you’re just winging it with your marketing? You post a picture of eggs. You write a caption. You hope it lands. Sometimes it works. Other times… crickets. You wonder: – Should I try video? – Are people tired of hearing about my chicken? – Do I need to explain my pricing better? We’ve all been there. Staring at a blinking cursor, guessing what to say...

Sunday Solopreneur Read on my website - Read Time: 5 Minutes Should You Do a Farmers Market? Here's the Honest Truth Hey Reader If you’re just starting out, the farmers market might feel like the big leagues. You pack up your goods, put on your Saturday's best, and show up hoping to sell out. Sometimes you do. Sometimes you come home with a full coolers and question is it worth it. So… is it worth it? We've (Longbottom Farm) attended farmers markets for 7 years, so let me break it down. ✅ The...

Sunday Solopreneur Read on my website - Read Time: 5-6 Minutes The Myth I Believed (And Why It Cost Me Sales) My first farm website was built through one of those “we’ll help you get online” services. They did most of the setup, handed it over… and said, “Let us know if you run into issues.” Well, I ran into issues. If I wanted to change a photo? That was on me. If I wanted to update prices? Me again. Colors, store, product descriptions? You get the idea. I was on my own — and completely...

Sunday Solopreneur Read on my website - Read Time: 6-7 Minutes 300 Chickens, One Mistake, and a Whole Lot of Regret We spent months raising 300 chickens — hauling feed, moving pens, filling water in 95° heat — only to have the processor ignore our instructions and process them wrong. We took 300 pasture-raised chickens to the processor and asked for half to come back whole and half parted. What we got instead? Every single bird parted. No whole chickens at all. Now, that might sound like a...

Sunday Solopreneur Read on my website - Read Time: 5 Minutes Declare Independence from the Algorithm Hey Reader, As we head into the July 4th weekend here in the U.S., many are taking time to celebrate freedom and reflect on those who’ve made it possible. No matter where you're reading from, it's also a good reminder to think about another kind of freedom—freedom from platforms that don’t have your back. If you're a farmer or small business trying to grow online, it's easy to get stuck in the...

Sunday Solopreneur Read on my website - Read Time: 5 Minutes Why Most Farm Websites Miss the Point If you’ve ever stared at your website and wondered, “Is this even working?”—you’re not alone. A lot of websites (even the nice-looking ones) fall flat. They show your story, share some photos, list your products… but don’t lead people anywhere. And that’s the issue. A website isn’t just something to “have.” It’s a tool to guide your customers toward action. Buy. Book. Sign up. Reach out. That’s...