 Before purchasing a single seed, think about how you plan to market your products. There's not a one-size-fits-all approach to developing a marketing plan, but it takes time to research, develop relationships, and understand what will help you sell your products. Marketing can depend on several factors. Product quality, quantity, uniqueness, timing, location, and relationships. For example, a restaurant would typically want fresh, high-quality, and consistent quantities of produce. Providing these may require more management and coordination, but you would typically receive a premium price when marketing to these businesses. Based your plan on your capabilities, while the plan will develop and evolve, it's important to write it out so that you can review it. Your plan will likely include selling several different products at several different markets. Being organized gives you more time, flexibility, and freedom to handle tasks as they arise. Keeping important financial documents in a secure place allows you to easily locate them when meeting with your accountant or banker. Also, having set plans for what you want your employees to do during the week and relieve stress because you know how business tasks are being handled. Write down your plans as much as possible. This will help you think through what you need to do, implement it, and later review and see how it is working. For example, if you've developed a budget and tracked your costs, you will be able to monitor and make changes to improve your profitability. Farm management software is available that helps a farm create plans and to-do lists. Whether it's paper trails, phone apps, websites, or spreadsheets, anything that improves business organization is recommended. Financials include budgets, crop records, expenses, and tax documents. Having a system of how you record and organize this information is important. You might think you can keep track of everything in your head, but the more you have documented and written down, the more you can review and make adjustments to your business. Producers we've worked with tell us it takes less time than anticipated to keep good records and very quickly they saw the benefits of having good financials. We do not encourage keeping good records for regulatory purposes, but good records could be valuable if you are audited or examined as it can clear up confusion or can conclude an audit much quicker. The IRS does not require specific kinds of records, but states that you can choose any system that clearly shows your income and expenses. Start small and continue to work on each area. If you would never develop a marketing plan, writing down what you are currently doing and making tiny adjustments could be a big step. For a new producer, planting crops for the first time is a big deal. Starting small keeps things manageable and allows room to grow the operation. Don't be afraid to change or to try something new. This is also true for developing a new market. Don't expect to have all of your crop in a new market the first year, but slowly build and develop it over time. Relationships are critically important to the success of any business. Ask yourself there are opportunities to be involved with organizations and individuals that can help accomplish your goals. Alabama Extension is available as a resource as are other agencies like your local USDA office, Alabama Department of Ag and Industries and other farm organizations.