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by Brooks Hitzfield
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The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Dec 6, 20241h 27m
Sales lessons from the 7-figure snack stick farmer (John Arbuckle).
John Arbuckle and his wife Holly have landed their pork snack sticks in over 600 retail stores nationwide! Their key accounts include the likes of Sprouts Market, Natural Grocers, HEB, and others. Securing this kind of shelf space is a tough uphill battle... It's low-margin, hyper-competitive, and it feels like the buyer commands all the negotiating power. That's why we were thrilled when John agreed to join the show and share what he knows. If you've ever wondered what it takes to scale a wholesale business, you won't want to miss their story.
- Oct 11, 20241h 20m
Nick Carter & the rise of Market Wagon
An "online farmers market" that connects consumers & farmers within a shoppable platform is a business model many have attempted, but few have accomplished. Nick Carter and the team at Market Wagon are one of the few! They've hit the INC 5000 list twice during their quick expansion to serve 30+ markets across the Midwest & East Coast. Marketing, tech, and logistics are typically the most difficult parts of the supply chain for farmers to solve, and this is where Market Wagon shines. Nick is a friend, and this industry needs more innovative people like him. That's why we invited him on the show to share his fascinating journey from farm kid, to serial farm-to-fork entrepreneur. If you're serious about growing your direct marketing business, I'm confident you'll benefit from this episode. Today, Nick has transitioned from CEO to the board of Market Wagon and is now the managing partner of 9Strong Holdings, which is buying businesses in the meat-to-consumer ecosystem. It's an inspiring concept and in the episode, you'll hear Nick share about the portfolio that currently includes a raw meat pet brand, a processing facility, and a cold fulfillment center in Indianapolis. This all made for a 90-minute episode that's worth listening to twice.
- Sep 11, 202459 min
7 figures in agri-tourism with Ryan MacKay
Ryan MacKay is the owner of Lilac Hedge Farms. Their primary sales outlet is DTC eCommerce, but they also operate a 7-figure agri-tourism enterprise consisting of: A cozy farm store & ice cream bar. A full-service kitchen & stage for live music. Multiple Air BNB rentals. A giant inflatable jump pad for the kids. And of course, they host farm tours & all kinds of community events. While this is a lot to manage, there's a reason Ryan has been able to scale his eCommerce business with a hyper-regional customer base. Even as they expand to serve customers states away, the on-farm activity will still build trust & authenticity for the consumers who will never visit. Why? Because these experiences are something Omaha Steaks and ButcherBox could never recreate. Feel like you're in a good market for agri-tourism? You won't want to miss this episode with Ryan. Learn more about Lilac Hedge Farms at – https://lilachedgefarm.com/
- Aug 22, 20241h 21m
The farmers co-op that's scaled beyond 8-figures!
Cody Hopkins is the CEO and founding farmer of GrassRoots Co-Op, and has led the company to become one of the more successful D2C farm-to-fork brands sourcing regenerative products from farms in the US. Here's where we went with the interview: Cody's journey from teaching to 1st gen farming. Their early funding journey for launching the co-op. The pros/cons of the co-op business model. Their transition from wholesale to DTC. *Nerdy tactics on digital marketing tactics & data. One other thing that's easy to admire about Cody is his knack for networking. If you listen carefully, you'll notice how so many of his breakthroughs at GrassRoots came from a new relationship. Want more content like this? Don't forget to subscribe to the email list.
- Jun 6, 202430 min
Can paid ads skyrocket your growth?
In this episode, Blaine and Brooks share their experience acquiring new customers by advertising on platforms like Facebook and Google. With their brand Seven Sons, the brothers are acquiring hundreds of new customers every week, with paid advertising being the key strategy to produce those results. But will their strategy work for you? The key is having the right business model in place before you start writing checks to the big tech giants. What does that model look like? Listen to learn more!
- May 16, 202426 min
5 ways to increase margins (without adding to your workload)
In this episode, you'll hear us (Blaine and Brooks) break down their top strategies for high leverage ways to increase your product margin. We're talking about solutions you can implement once, and retain more 💰 with every order you receive, or every animal you process. Regardless of how long you've been in direct marketing, I'm confident there's a new idea in this episode that you can take action on this week! We are passionate about equipping small farms to reclaim market-share by implementing the business and marketing principles needed to climb the value chain and sell direct. <span data-slate-fragment= "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
- Feb 21, 202431 min
GrazeCart POSNation
A full episode to break down the acquisition announcement of GrazeCart by specialty retail point-of-sale provider, POS Nation. On this episode Blaine and I unpack common questions like: Why did we decide to sell GrazeCart? Who is POS Nation? (you'll hear from their team) What will our involvement be going forward? What did we learn through this process? and what we're most excited about for GrazeCart's future! As passionate founders, we're thrilled to have found a partner who is excited about the future of GrazeCart and has the expertise to expand its' position in the marketplace. In case you're wondering, this podcast isn't going anywhere, and you can consider this episode the launch of season three!
- Jul 27, 202332 min
The perfect team meeting agenda for your farm!
Team meetings are tough to get right... Whether you work with a few family members or a full-blown team, you've probably left meetings feeling more confused and discouraged than you came in. Some of us get so fed up that we attempt to steer the organization without meetings altogether. After all, between producing livestock and packing orders, who really has time for formal meetings anyway? However, this only leads to more chaos and sideways energy. So what's the answer? In our experience, the key to having really great team meetings boils down to the AGENDA. The right agenda helps everyone show up fully prepared, ready to make quality decisions and to stay accountable to their commitments. Not to mention the agenda we use actually saves us time by consolidating other meetings and eliminating the need for 1-on-1 updates. We've been using this exact same agenda for over a year and today we've broken down the entire structure for you in this episode.
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About Food Chain Wars
The war for the food dollar is upon us and the future of the small family farm is hanging in the balance.But there's hope... Recently, a growing group of ambitious producers have found a way to stay competitive through direct marketing and this show is the frontline resource to equip them take the fight to the next level.Each episode you'll hear industry experts breakdown proven growth strategies that have been battle tested by true in-the-trenches experience.
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