5 ways farmers get stuck - You’re running a lemonade stand
Build it and they will come!
You know you have a fabulous product and a cute booth. You hope lots of people stop by.
It seems innocent enough. A charming lemonade stand. 🍋 What's not to love?
But this is dangerous territory. And the lemonade stand mentality will be your downfall if you don't take action.
Simply put, a lemonade stand is never intended to be a for-profit business.
Farming is too hard, time-consuming, and expensive to give your products away for free.
Straight talk: that's exactly what you're doing.
The fear of being "salesy"
Here's what's really going on: you're afraid to sell.
Being "salesy" feels gross and sleazy. You don't want to pester people or make them feel uncomfortable. You didn't get into farming to become a used car salesman.
So you stand back and let customers come to you. You set up your booth, arrange your products beautifully, and... wait.
They're few and far between. And when you do engage with someone, you're so preoccupied with not acting awkward that... it happens anyway.
So you shrink back. You can't put your foot in your mouth if you never open it, right?
The cycle perpetuates. And you internalize that lack of sales to mean something about YOU.
What it's actually costing you
For one, you're not making sales. That feels terrible and threatens your ability to run a profitable farm.
But it goes deeper than that.
You're underpricing. Because charging what your product is worth feels uncomfortable, you price low. Too low. You're essentially paying people to take your products off your hands when you factor in your time and inputs.
You're overgiving. Free samples. Extra product in the bag. "Oh, just take it." You're so uncomfortable with the exchange of money that you try to soften it by giving more than you should.
You're not asking for the sale. You wait for customers to approach you. You answer their questions but don't guide them toward buying. You let them walk away without ever actually inviting them to purchase.
You're invisible. You don't promote yourself. You don't tell people about your products. You hope they'll just... find you. Somehow.
All because selling feels icky. So you don't do it. And your business suffers.
The lemonade stand was never meant to be profitable
Here's the thing about an actual lemonade stand: it's run by a kid. The goal is to learn about money and business in a low-stakes way. Nobody expects a lemonade stand to pay the mortgage.
But you're not a kid. And your farm isn't a learning exercise.
You have real expenses. Real time invested. Real bills to pay.
You can't afford to run your business like a lemonade stand — hoping people stop by, charging whatever feels "nice," and giving away product because you're uncomfortable asking for money.
That's not a business. That's an expensive hobby.
The identity question underneath it all
Here's the real question you need to answer:
Do you want to make farming your business? Or do you just want to raise farm products for your family and sell the surplus?
There's no right or wrong answer here.
Farmer. Rancher. Hobby farmer. Homesteader. They're all valid choices.
But you have to get clarity about what you actually want.
Because if you want a business, you need to start acting like it. That means:
Pricing for profit, not for "nice"
Promoting your products without apology
Asking for the sale
Treating your time as valuable
Taking yourself seriously
And if you don't want a business — if you really just want a homestead that occasionally sells extras — that's fine too. But then stop beating yourself up about sales. Accept that this is a lifestyle choice, not a profit center.
The problem is being stuck in the middle. Running a lemonade stand when you need a business. Hoping for business results from hobby behaviors.
Why you're afraid to sell
Let's name it: you're afraid that selling means being pushy. Manipulative. Annoying.
But here's what selling actually is: telling people about something valuable and inviting them to buy it.
That's it.
You're not tricking anyone. You're not forcing anyone. You're offering something good and letting them decide.
The farmers who sell well aren't sleazy. They're confident. They believe in their product. They're excited to share it. And that energy is attractive, not repulsive.
You can sell without being salesy. You just have to believe that what you're offering is worth buying.
Do you believe that?
How to break the cycle
Get clear on what you want. Business or hobby? There's no wrong answer, but you have to choose. Stop living in the uncomfortable middle.
Price for profit. Do the math. What does it actually cost you to produce this? What's your time worth? Price accordingly — not based on what feels comfortable or what the farm down the road charges.
Practice asking for the sale. It can be as simple as "Would you like to take some home today?" or "Can I bag that up for you?" You're not pressuring anyone. You're just making it easy for them to say yes.
Stop overgiving. The extra tomato in the bag, the free sample that becomes the whole tasting tray — stop. Your generosity is bankrupting you.
Tell people about your products. Post about them. Talk about them. Email about them. You're not bragging. You're informing. People can't buy what they don't know exists.
Take yourself seriously. You are running a business. Act like it. Show up like the CEO, not like a kid with a lemonade stand hoping someone stops by.
How coaching helps
Sometimes just acknowledging your lemonade stand tendencies is enough to get you unstuck. When you finally have clarity about how you're standing in your own way, it sparks new inspiration and ideas.
Coaching brings in a neutral perspective and a non-judgmental space. It's a place where you can zoom out and explore:
Why are you taking the actions you do in your life and business?
Are those actions leading you closer to your goal? Or just heaping on pressure and obligation?
What do you need to do to find balance between what you want and what you're willing to do to get it?
The identity work underneath the sales problem is real. And sometimes you need support to work through it.
The invitation
This week, try this:
Answer the question. Do you want a business or a hobby? Write it down. Commit to it.
Audit your pricing. Pick one product. Calculate what it actually costs you to produce — including your time. Is your price covering that? If not, raise it.
Practice one ask. At your next market or customer interaction, practice asking for the sale. Just once. Notice how it feels.
Stop giving one thing away. Whatever you're overgiving — the extra product, the endless samples, the "just take it" — stop doing it. Just once.
You're not a kid with a lemonade stand. You're a farmer running a business.
Start acting like it.
If this resonated, you might also want to read:
You can't grow your farm business past who you're willing to become - The identity work underneath business growth
You're worried about the wrong thing - the farm down the road can't steal your customers - Stop comparing your prices to theirs
The mindset that separates thriving farms from struggling ones - Taking yourself seriously as a business owner
Hey, we’ve all given the “milk away for free” before. Don’t forget you’re still doing a good job though.
If you need support stepping into your role as a business owner, I'm here. You can schedule a free chat with me anytime at FarmCoachKatia.com/work-with-me.