Charlotte Smith
Profitable Mindset
Charlotte Smith is THE marketing & mindset coach for farmers. Her year long coaching program, 5X Your Farm Sales, teaches farmers the skills they need to make money on their farms AND live calm, balanced lives through mindset coaching.
After starting my farm in 2009, neighbor farmers would ask me how I was able to charge sometimes double what they were charging and still sell all my products when they couldn't sell half what they produced even though they charged less.
So I began teaching farmers how to market their products and build profitable farms in 2012. Now, a decade later, I coach and teach farmers in 13 countries to build successful profitable farms while also getting out from under overwhelm, stress and anxiety through mindset coaching.
The two skillsets together - marketing and mindset management, are creating a new baseline for farmers - we are a group of people who live calm, balanced lives with profitable businesses. Going against what most of us have been taught farming should look like!
In addition to my coaching program, I host a weekly podcast, Profitable Mindset.
Due to my dedication to improving the soil, animals and the people who eat their products, in 2016 I was named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Women in the World in Food and Agriculture by the non-profit, Food Tank.
Show Notes
Social media can be very deceiving and distracting and doesn’t always produce the client return you may expect.
In contrast to social media, email remains a proven medium for marketing your business.
Offer a freebie magnet like a short list, how-to’s, a guide etc and then promote it on your social media. Make it something someone would like to exchange their email for it.
Email sign-up sheet at a Farmer’s Market or offering an email sign up when engaging a client is extremely valuable.
Be consistent with email sending no less than once a week.
Flowers help people feel better, and we should focus on serving not selling.
It’s easy to sell other people’s products, but struggle with selling for ourselves-- We need a Mind-Shift.
We are not a commodity, we are real people.
If you need to hire people and you’re not paying yourself, you NEED to raise prices.
You have to hire labor to free you up to do the money making things.
Conduct background checks.
Work on yourself—you’ll attract better employees.
Connect with employees regularly through positive encouragement.
If you’re selling things at a loss, more sales just equal more loss.
It may take a couple of price adjustments until you find your profit spot.
Show Notes
When you build a relationship with your community, they will support you.
You don’t have to use social media to be successful. Followers are not funds in the bank.
Feelings Drive Actions.
Fear about raising prices will keep you from becoming more profitable.
Accept negative emotions. They are there for your survival and part of your brain. You can move through the negative emotions.
Failure is a good thing. The more you fail, the more successful you will be in the end.
You are worthy just because you exist, and you have to practice believing in the value you bring.
