Kat the Farmer LLC, Kat Johnson
I launched my business, met my first-year goals, and have seen 50% growth into my second season. I have a suite of small farm-scale tools like three greenhouses, a truck, a walk-in cooler, and a whole lot of really supportive customers who love salads and value the hard work I put in to make their salads the best they have ever had.
I am a salad-centric farm and food company. I specialize in salad crops grown under Certified Naturally Grown, and I make prepared salads for salad subscriptions along with a line of wholesome salad dressings to showcase local foods and show all Virginians why the world’s best salads are always locally grown. I am a one-woman operation at this phase, growing on a quarter acre with some space in greenhouses. I love salad, and I love growing salad. Handling, washing, and cooling greens properly put my product far above the grocery store options. Local greens last longer, are healthier, and contribute to the local economy.
After managing a couple of other local farms, I felt like it was the next step in my career, and I was eager to build a life and a job that reflected my convictions and could support a family.
I hear all the time from customers that they are blown away by how TINY my farm is and how MUCH I harvest from it. I think there is something special about maximizing your land while taking care of it too. I am constrained by space on my current farmette and would love some room to grow in the future, as well as develop a commercial kitchen nearby or on the farm.
Making decisions in isolation is really intimidating, especially in a situation where I don't know what is 'normal' or what to expect before I experience it. I think having an experienced mentor to reflect back on my sound ideas and prompt me to question assumptions was what I was seeking.
I worked with Bill to fill out the cash flow templates and figure out if a small farm income could support a loan and, if so, for how much. The templates allowed me to see at a glance what the maximum loan amount I would feel comfortable with was.
Sincere interested in seeing me reach my goals, do my best, and anticipate the next phase of business life that is ahead of me, and seeding new ideas to prepare me for that next step.
Utilizing it before you launch is a key time when you are really making a lot of decisions and have the space to think critically about them. You'll be too busy soon to do it right again!
With expertise in for profit start ups, provides entrepreneurs with guidance on how to start a...
