More Products Isn’t the Fix: The Expansion Trap That Keeps Farmers Stuck
When pricing feels tight, a lot of farmers have the same reflex.
Add something.
Add another species. Add another cut. Add a new value-added product. Add another farmers market. Add another delivery route. Add another revenue stream.
Because the problem must be that we’re not doing enough… right?
I’ve fallen into this too. I’ve looked at my numbers and thought, “If I just add one more thing, we’ll be fine.” I’ve convinced myself we needed more variety, more options, more everything.
And sometimes it works.
But a lot of the time, it’s not the answer. It’s a distraction that keeps you from fixing the real issue.
The real issue usually isn’t volume, it’s margin
If you’re not making enough money, the solution isn’t automatically “do more.”
If your pricing isn’t where it needs to be, scaling up a low-margin operation just means you’re working harder for the same stress.
You end up with:
More inventory to manage
More chaos in scheduling
More customer questions and custom requests
More marketing tasks
More processing headaches
More bookkeeping
More mistakes because you’re stretched thin
And somehow, you still feel behind.
Because more moving parts doesn’t automatically create more profit. Sometimes it just creates more places for profit to leak out.
Less can actually make you more money
This is the part that messes with farmers, because we’re used to grit. We’re used to “just make it work.”
But there’s a reason so many profitable farms are boring on purpose.
They do fewer things, but they do them really well.
They get one product, one market, or one sales channel dialed in before they expand.
They know their numbers.
They price for profit.
They build systems.
They get consistent demand.
Then, and only then, do they add more.
That’s not laziness. That’s strategy.
When you add more too soon, you don’t just add work. You add mental load.
Every new product or market creates a new set of decisions.
What’s the pricing? What’s the packaging? What’s the label? What’s the storage? What’s the process? What’s the messaging? What’s the margin? How do we deliver it? What happens when it doesn’t sell?
And the biggest cost is the one nobody wants to count: your brain.
More options means you’re carrying more in your head all the time. More details. More tasks. More switching between modes.
And switching is expensive.
It makes you feel like you’re working nonstop while never actually finishing anything.
Why we do it anyway: the comparison trap
A big reason farmers overcomplicate their operation is simple.
We’re watching other farms.
We see the farm that has beef, pork, chicken, eggs, turkeys, a farm store, a CSA, a bakery, flowers, plus a big social media following… and we think, “That’s what a real farm looks like.”
So if we’re not doing that, we start to feel behind. Like we’re doing something wrong. Like we’re not “real enough” yet.
But here’s what you can’t see from the outside:
How long they’ve been building
Whether they have outside income
How much labor they have
How tight their systems are
Whether they’re actually profitable or just busy
Whether their marriage is hanging by a thread
Whether they’re running on adrenaline and debt
You’re comparing your behind-the-scenes to their highlight reel, and your brain turns that into a business plan.
That’s a recipe for burnout.
“Adding more” can be a way to avoid the uncomfortable work of pricing
This one stings, but it’s true.
Sometimes it feels easier to add a new product than it does to raise prices on the one you already have.
Raising prices forces you to face:
Fear of judgment
Fear of losing customers
Fear of being called greedy
Fear of being “too expensive”
Fear of conflict
Adding more feels productive. It feels like forward motion. It feels like you’re fixing the problem.
But if the real issue is that you’re undercharging, you can add ten new things and still feel broke.
Because you never fixed the foundation.
A better approach: get one thing profitable first
If you want a simpler, calmer path forward, try this question:
If I could only sell one thing in one place for the next 6–12 months, what would it be?
Then get that one thing dialed in:
Price it so it actually supports your farm
Simplify the offerings so it’s manageable
Build repeat buyers
Get consistent sales
Improve your process
Cut the “extras” that don’t pay
Once that’s running well, adding something new becomes a choice, not a rescue plan.
Thoughts to practice when you catch yourself thinking “we need to add more”
Here are a few mindset shifts that help pull you out of the comparison spiral:
“Busy isn’t the same as profitable.”
“More moving parts is not my goal.”
“I’m allowed to build a boring farm that makes money.”
“One thing done well beats five things done halfway.”
“I don’t need their operation. I need a sustainable one.”
“Adding more won’t fix underpricing.”
“Focus first. Expand later.”
Pick one and keep it handy, because your brain will try to pull you back into the old pattern the second things feel tight.
I learned this the hard way too
I used to think I needed more species and more variety to get ahead.
And honestly, I probably would’ve been further ahead if I had simplified sooner instead of overcomplicating everything before the foundation was solid.
More isn’t always growth.
Sometimes it’s just stress in a different outfit.
Journal prompt
Where am I tempted to add complexity because I’m uncomfortable with the pricing changes I know I need to make?
What would it look like to get one product or one market truly profitable before adding anything else?
If you want help sorting through what’s actually worth adding (and what’s just a reaction to fear, comparison, or pricing discomfort), this is exactly the kind of thing we work through in coaching. You don’t need to do more. You need a clearer plan and the confidence to stick to it.