Stop asking for feedback (most of it is useless anyway)
You have a decision to make. New product line. Pricing change. Rebrand. Big investment.
So you do what feels responsible: you ask for feedback.
You poll your Instagram followers. You ask your farming friends. You run it by your family. You post in that Facebook group.
And now you have seventeen different opinions, half of which contradict each other, and you're more confused than when you started.
Congratulations. You've just crowdsourced your way into paralysis.
The feedback trap
Most feedback is useless.
Not because people are trying to mislead you. But because most people giving you feedback:
Don't understand your business
Aren't your target customer
Are projecting their own fears onto your decision
Have no skin in the game
Are just saying what they'd do (which is irrelevant)
Your mom thinks you should play it safe. Your farming friend thinks you should do what worked for her. Your Instagram followers are just telling you what sounds good, not what they'd actually pay for.
None of this is helpful. Most of it is noise.
And yet you keep asking. Because asking feels productive. Like you're doing your due diligence. Like you're being smart and careful.
But you're not being careful. You're outsourcing your own judgment. And that's not the same thing.
Why you're really asking
Let's be honest about why you're collecting all these opinions.
It's not because you need more information. You probably already know what you want to do.
It's because you're scared to own the decision.
If you ask everyone and it doesn't work out, you can say "but everyone told me to do it this way." If you decide alone and it fails, that's on you.
Feedback-seeking is often just fear of responsibility dressed up as research.
And look — I get it. Decisions are scary. Especially big ones. Especially when your livelihood is on the line.
But it's your business. It's going to be your decision no matter how many people you ask. The responsibility doesn't actually go anywhere. You're just delaying it.
The opinions that matter
Not all feedback is useless. Some is gold. The trick is knowing the difference.
I love Brene Brown’s filter: “If you are not in the arena getting your ass kicked on occasion, I am not interested or open to your feedback.” Like if you are not down here fighting literal lions with me, you’re feedback doesn’t matter.
Feedback worth seeking:
From people who've actually done the thing you're deciding about
From your actual paying customers (not hypothetical ones)
From people who understand your specific business and goals
From a mentor or coach who knows your situation deeply
From people who will tell you the truth, not just what you want to hear
Feedback to ignore:
From people who've never run a business
From family members who are scared for you (their fear isn't data)
From random internet strangers who don't know your context
From other farmers whose business model is completely different from yours
From anyone who starts with "well I would never..."
One honest conversation with someone who's been where you're going is worth more than a hundred Instagram poll responses.
The real skill
Here's what I want you to consider: what if the goal isn't to find the "right" answer? What if the goal is to build your own judgment?
Every time you outsource a decision, you weaken that muscle. Every time you trust yourself (even when it's scary, even when you're not sure) you strengthen it.
The farmers who build thriving businesses aren't the ones who found the best advice. They're the ones who learned to trust themselves.
They gather information, sure. They talk to smart people. But at the end of the day, they make the call. They own it. And they trust themselves to figure it out if it doesn't work.
That's the skill. Not finding the right feedback. Building the judgment to not need it.
What to do instead
Next time you're about to crowdsource a decision:
Pause. Ask yourself: do I actually need more input, or am I just scared to decide?
Check your sources. If you do want feedback, get it from one or two people who actually have relevant experience. Skip the Instagram poll.
Set a deadline. Give yourself a date by which you'll decide, regardless of how much feedback you've gathered. Information-gathering can go on forever if you let it.
Trust your gut. You know your business better than anyone. You know your customers, your capacity, your values. That knowing is worth more than other people's opinions.
Decide and commit. Make the call. Stop second-guessing. Trust yourself to adjust if needed.
You don't need more feedback. You need more confidence in your own judgment.
And the only way to build that is to start trusting it.
The permission slip
You're allowed to make decisions without consensus.
You're allowed to trust yourself even when others disagree.
You're allowed to stop asking and start doing.
Your business doesn't need more opinions. It needs you to lead it.
So stop polling. Stop crowdsourcing. Stop waiting for someone else to tell you what to do.
You already know. You're just scared to trust it.
Trust it anyway.
If this resonated, you might also want to read:
The energy drain of unmade decisions — What all that spinning is actually costing you
You're worried about the wrong thing — Other people's businesses aren't your business
The mindset that separates thriving farms from struggling ones — Building the trust in yourself to lead
You're doing a great job. Even when you're second-guessing yourself.
If you need support building your own judgment (not just collecting more opinions), I'm here. Schedule a free chat anytime at FarmCoachKatia.com/work-with-me.