5 ways farmers get stuck (and how to get unstuck
After years of coaching farmers and ranchers, I've noticed something: we all get stuck in similar ways.
Not the same way. But similar patterns keep showing up — across different farm types, different scales, different regions. The details are different, but the underlying stuck-ness? Familiar.
I've started thinking of these as farmer archetypes. Not personality types, exactly — more like patterns of being stuck. Ways we get in our own way.
And here's the thing: most farmers aren't just one of these. You might recognize yourself in two or three. Or you might cycle through different ones at different times. One season you're putting out fires, the next you're shouting into the void.
The first step to getting unstuck is recognizing where you're stuck.
So. Which one are you?
1. You're in the weeds
You're literally in the field. Thinning carrots. Fixing fence. Deadheading flowers. And you're using it to avoid the business work you know you should be doing.
This might be you if:
You always have a farm task that's "more urgent" than the marketing, bookkeeping, or customer follow-up
You feel productive at the end of the day but your business isn't actually moving forward
You're great at the doing but keep avoiding the thinking and planning
You tell yourself you'll work on the business "when things slow down" (but they never do)
The farm work feels safe. The business work feels vulnerable. So you hide in the field.
Read the full post: You're in the weeds — when farm work becomes avoidance →
2. You're putting out fires
The tractor is literally on fire. The irrigation failed. The pigs are out again. You collapse into bed each night asking yourself, "Is this all there is?"
This might be you if:
You can't remember the last time you worked on the business instead of just in it
Your to-do list is a mile long and you're not even close to crossing everything off
You can't schedule anything in advance because there's always a disaster
Quickbooks hasn't been updated in months
You barely have time to eat (while growing food for others)
You're not avoiding the work — you're drowning in it. Chaos is running your farm instead of you running your farm.
3. You're shouting into the void
You're doing ALL the things. All the markets. All the socials. Even the TikTok dances. Nothing is working. You're yelling but nobody is buying.
This might be you if:
You're constantly trying new marketing strategies but nothing sticks
You're exhausted from "efforting" but have nothing to show for it
You keep adding new products, markets, or platforms hoping something will work
You don't stay with any strategy long enough to know if it's actually working
You're starting to question whether you're just bad at this
The problem isn't that you're not trying hard enough. It's that you're trying too many things at once.
Read the full post: You're shouting into the void — when doing all the things gets you nowhere →
4. You're running a lemonade stand
Build it and they will come! You have a cute booth and great products. You hope people stop by. But you're not really running a business — you're running an expensive hobby.
This might be you if:
You feel gross and "salesy" asking people to buy
You underprice because charging what it's worth feels uncomfortable
You overgive — extra product in the bag, endless free samples, "just take it"
You wait for customers to come to you instead of promoting yourself
You haven't done the math on whether you're actually making money
You're great at the farming. But treating it like a business feels hard. So you don't.
5. You're ambivalent about your business
You're hedging your bets. One foot in, one foot out. If you don't fully commit, you can't fully fail. Right?
This might be you if:
You do things halfway — some marketing, but not consistently; raised prices, but not enough
You keep escape hatches open "just in case"
You're waiting for certainty before you commit (but certainty never comes)
You tell yourself you're "being careful" but really you're just scared
You've been "figuring out" whether to really do this for years
Playing small feels safe. But it's not protecting you from failure — it's guaranteeing it. Slowly.
Read the full post: You're ambivalent about your business — when indecision becomes self-sabotage →
So... which one are you?
Maybe you recognized yourself in one of these. Maybe you recognized yourself in all five at different times.
That's normal. These aren't fixed identities — they're patterns. And patterns can change once you see them.
The first step is always awareness. Naming the thing. Seeing how you're standing in your own way.
The second step is doing something about it.
If you're ready for that second step, I'm here. You can schedule a free chat with me anytime at FarmCoachKatia.com/work-with-me.