Russ and Becky woke up that Saturday morning with one thing on their mind. It was Fall in the northeast and it was time to enjoy all that Fall had to offer. They lived in Manhattan and Fall was evident, but the experiences that go with it were missing. They had planned this day for a long time. They were headed out of the city, into the country, to a little place called Countryside Farm. They wanted to pick a pumpkin, go on a hayride and experience a corn maze for the very first time.

Their two kids were even more excited. They were up by six, dressed and waiting downstairs by the time their parents’ alarm had even gone off. For them, ev...

I was thinking about what the best topic is to cover at this time of the year and I figured that most people in our business are already very involved and very busy with all things agritourism. I hate to say it, but all the information that involves getting ready for your busy season may be too late! The time has come, and the days are full.

But if you are here and you are reading this, let me take this week to simply encourage you with some reminders about why it’s all worth it.

1. You are getting people back to the basics of life. We have drifted far from the farm so to speak. With that we have lost the connection to hard work, the rea...

Ok we’ve talked in depth about choosing and training your staff so let’s wrap it up with the two remaining categories we talked about last time. We covered team building and we talked about work, so we’ll look at information and experience this time. Both are important parts of staff preparation and can save you time when your season begins so that you’re not having to train as you go.

Information is just as it sounds. Unfortunately, it sounds boring and it can be if it is presented in a boring way, but the reality is, it needs to be communicated.

There will be multiple levels of understanding among your staff as it pertains to grasping i...

Ok let’s talk about another phase of staff training where we communicate our vision for our business-that day (or days) we set aside to gather our staff and prepare them for a very busy and tiring Fall season. Give them plenty of warning so they can put it on their schedule, make it mandatory and put it on a day when most can generally make it. Perhaps pick a couple days so there is more than one option. And maybe include some projects that need to get done. It usually works well to have some time to learn and some time to work. Both are vital parts of your preparation. You may have to run two different types of training if you are open...

The Importance of Using Signs in Your Venue

Let’s take a short break from staff training and talk about signage as you get ready to open your venue.
 

Ever notice how dependent we are on signage? Whether it’s in our car and we’re looking for a particular road, or in the grocery store and we need to find a certain item, or in a store and we need the restroom, signs make life easier! They save time, make life easier and even help us make money. If people can’t find their way around, they will sometimes give up all together and go where things are clearer and simpler. When I’m on the highway and need to stop for gas, I rely on the signage to...

Ok so we have our staff that we think will offer the best chance for success. We’ve chosen them carefully and determined where we will plug them in. Some of them will rotate within the venue between activities to give direction and make sure our guests have a great experience and create lasting memories. Some of them will be on the front lines and set the tone for friendliness and customer service. They will be our cashiers and our greeters. They will take the lead at the information board and manage some of the other staff responsibilities.  They may also lead tours and provide educational opportunities throughout the day. We have also...

Hiring employees for your Agritourism business can be a tricky process. Like any business, you will need people of different ages and abilities to successfully run your agritourism venue. But who will be best for that position, and what should you pay them?

We talked last time about where to look to find quality staff. I mentioned that character is the key to building a good team and should be the bottom line for any hire. But now that we’ve found some quality people, how do we best plug them in? Let me highlight several areas within most venues and give you some basic criteria for who is best suited for the positions. (Some of these pos...

One of the biggest challenges of any business venture is “finding good help”. As you well know, it’s hard!
 

But it is also something that can be a make or break aspect of your success. You may be the best owner operator around, but most of your guests will never deal with you directly so they will never discover how great you really are! They will deal most directly with your staff, who will in turn, determine the reputation of your business. Unfortunately, consumers are sometimes used to dealing with poor customer service. But it should be our goal to provide such high-quality service that we stand out from the “other guys”. So how do...

In our last blog we covered some preventative methods for keeping the peace as it pertains to your venue and your guests. I mentioned that it is best to be thorough in communicating your rules beforehand so that you can avoid dealing with actual violations. I also mentioned that it is always best to deal with obvious problems before they enter your gates! But what if you’ve done your best with communicating those rules and someone still decides that it is their job to break them? Let’s look at some guidelines for dealing with rules violations.

Perhaps the thought of enforcing rules stresses you out! And maybe your personality or even you...

There is no doubt in my mind that you want to provide your guests with the best possible experience you can provide. Because as a business owner and a risk taker, your survival depends on it! The next statement I make is beyond obvious, but needs to be said: Not all your guests have your best interests in mind! I know, shock right!
 

Here’s one example; If you have an agritourism venue and you have a corn maze as part of your venue, you know first- hand that some people have a sense of entitlement. The “right” to cut through and trample your corn, the “right” to pick and throw your ears of corn at unknown targets across your maze, and th...