I listen to Farmer Jesse a few times a week to feed my farming soul. His quirky style, paired with humble confidence, makes each episode both educational and refreshing. A recent podcast titled “How Big for a One Person Market Garden + High Tunnels as Ecological Traps” watch it here, really stuck with me and inspired this week’s Sowing Success newsletter.
One of the lessons I’ve been learning on the farm (and relearning in my business) is the value of starting small and scaling with intention. Whether it’s farming or technology consulting, there’s always a sweet spot between capacity and output. In market gardening, Jesse suggests the magic number is about 1 farmer per 1/3 acre. Of course, that ratio flexes depending on factors like energy, crop complexity, and your go-to-market model.
That got me thinking… what’s my own version of “the right size”?
In farming, it might mean focusing on just cherry tomatoes and lettuce. If I had the right market for it, that combo alone could be my core offering. Fewer crops means deeper expertise: better timing, stronger soil management, improved pest control, and more targeted recipes for my customers. Simplicity leads to mastery.
But if you peek at my Iron Mountain Organics store, you’ll still see over a dozen veggies listed. I haven’t made that leap to minimalism yet. Why? Because it’s hard. Narrowing focus feels risky even when it’s the healthier long-term path. Also, narrowing focus takes discipline each year as I browse through my seed catalogs and think of all the things I could grow.
The same lesson is playing out at ThreeWill. Like many service companies, we started with a wide variety of offerings—almost a dozen. But we’ve realized that less is more, and now we’re narrowing down to a single core service offering, described at thethreewillway.com, tailored to just a few industry verticals.
The first vertical we’re focusing on is Home and Community-Based Care. These organizations do deeply meaningful work, and we’ve found that thoughtfully applied Microsoft technology can free up hours of admin time and redirect that time to care. That’s the mission. And that’s the power of narrowing your focus.
So, let me ask:
Are you simplifying what you grow in the garden—or what you grow in your business? It’s not easy. But it’s often the healthiest thing you can do to have a flourishing business.
This post first appeared on August 1, 2025 in Sowing Success, my weekly LinkedIn newsletter on leadership and organic farming. Read the original on LinkedIn.
