The Farmer’s Office, Second Edition: Tools, Templates, and Skills for Starting, Managing, and Growing a Successful Farm Business

The no-nonsense, practical guide for farm-preneurs to grow a successful farm business - completely revised and updated

You launched your farm because you love working the land and producing food. Yet to succeed you also need to think like an entrepreneur. The Farmer’s Office, Second Edition is your must-have toolkit for starting and growing a sustainable agricultural business.

Written by a consultant and entrepreneur who has supported hundreds of farm-preneurs, this essential resource is fully revised and updated to empower farmers to make sound decisions and manage their farm business for success. Topics include:

• Detailed descriptions of accounting and business concepts
• How to write a business plan for a new or growing venture and access financing
• Setting up and using QuickBooks for day-to-day sales and expense tracking, as well as for more complex tasks such as budgeting, cash flow analysis, and cost accounting
• Leveraging financial information to refine operations, improve profits, and develop strategies for growth
• Managing debt and cash flow challenges
• Planning for business growth and expansion
• Adapting to external shocks and learning to pivot
• Understanding mental blocks that can limit an entrepreneur’s success.

Enhanced with detailed case studies of real farm businesses, The Farmer’s Office, Second Edition is your personal business coach, providing guidance for all the business skills needed to succeed as a businessperson in a competitive and rapidly changing world.

Julia Shanks brings a broad range of professional experience to her clients, from pilot to chef, to serial entrepreneur. She combines the practicality of an accountant with the creativity of a chef. Julia’s career started at the FAA as an aviation analyst and quickly took a turn into the culinary arts. Julia worked as a chef for 15 years, launching several food businesses. After earning an MBA in entrepreneurship, she taught graduate and undergraduate accounting at Babson College. As a business consultant and coach, she supports owners of small- and medium-sized food and agricultural businesses achieve and maintain financial and operational sustainability. She is also a certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor . Together with Brett Grohsgal, she co-authored The Farmers Market Cookbook. Julia lives in Marblehead, MA.