Is your target market too broad? Why you should stop trying to please everyone in the room

Cure Organic Farm, located just six miles east of downtown Boulder, Colorado, is one of the first and most successful farms to supply local chefs with fresh produce. This season, Cure has a sold out CSA (community supported agriculture) program, sold out kids’ summer camps June-August, and a robust business at the Boulder Farmer’s Market and at their farm store. The community adores Anne and Paul Cure. Their business is thriving.

But a lot of farms haven’t been so lucky in the last five to ten years. Even with rising demand from hungry foodies and eco-minded eaters, small organic farms in Northern Colorado are going out of business left and right.

So what’s their secret? Is it just luck? What are the Cures doing differently?

In a nutshell, they are extremely specific about who they serve, how they serve them, and why. They’ve got big hearts but a small target market. “We aren’t trying to feed the world, we just want to produce great food for the people around 75th and Valmont in Boulder, to connect them to the land where it’s grown,” co-owner Paul Cure told me.

They know what motivates their customers, why they keep buying. In part, it’s the story behind their food. “People are really hungry for that narrative,” reflects Paul.

Why don’t ALL small-to-medium size businesses do so well with their targets?

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