So you’re building a great Upstart Farm, drafting a business plan, and you’re faced with a question:
Which market should I go for first?
Upstart Farmers could potentially get into any market they wanted using the transparency, local vibe, and unique sales methods that all Upstart Farmers possess. But that doesn’t mean that they should go for any market they want- at least not at first.
There are a couple of things to know about attacking your first markets.
Sell in phases.
Remember that as a new guy with a young (small) operation, you’re limited by how much you can produce. Most Upstart Farmers start small and scale up as they gain traction with their community. Farmer Joe might build a 100-tower hydroponic system, acquire a solid group of customers, then add another 150 tower onto his operation a year later when he had the demand to support his production.
Whichever market you start with needs to demand something that you can meet- and no more. While partially meeting a market’s demand means that you might not get that market’s business, it leaves you with opportunities and time to secure them. Having more produce than you can get rid of, however, puts you in a hard place with more produce than you can handle and only a week or two to find a buyer to rapidly maturing produce.
Plan for big markets, act on the small ones.
So instead of going for the biggest market first, plan for the big markets and act on the small ones, the markets that are easy for you to supply and access. As your operation grows, your size will allow you to guarantee quantities and timing, and more market opportunities will open up.
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