Stay in your Sweet Spot

June 30, 2026 | AgFocus-Ag Focus | BusinessFocus-Business Focus

Farmers and small business owners are often capable of doing almost everything their operation requires. But an important question remains: Just because you can do something, does that mean you should?

Each of us has unique strengths that create high-level competencies—the activities where we add the most value. For a farmer, that might be production decisions, livestock management, grain marketing, or relationship building. For a business owner, it may be sales, leadership, or strategic planning. These strengths are usually the highest and best use of our time.

We also have general competencies—tasks we can perform reasonably well but that don't necessarily maximize our value. Many owners can handle bookkeeping, payroll, technology issues, or administrative work. While important, these activities can consume valuable time that could be spent on higher-impact responsibilities.

Finally, everyone has incompetencies. These are simply areas where we lack the talent, interest, training, or experience to perform effectively. Recognizing these limitations is not a weakness—it is good business.

The most successful people understand the difference between these three categories and allocate their time accordingly.

A simple framework is:

  • Focus on your high-level competencies.
  •  Improve or delegate general competencies when practical.
  • Outsource incompetencies to qualified experts.

Consider it an investment decision. If an afternoon spent on marketing, production management, or customer relationships creates significantly more value than preparing taxes, solving IT problems, or handling legal matters, then delegation or outsourcing may provide an excellent return.

Too often, business owners spend time on tasks others can do while neglecting the work only they can do.

Success in farming and business is rarely about doing everything yourself. It's about ensuring the right people are doing the right things. The goal is not selfsufficiency at all costs. The goal is maximizing the return on your time, talents, and resources.

When you spend more time operating in your strengths and less time struggling in areas outside your expertise, both your effectiveness and your business are likely to grow.

Simply put: stay in your sweet spot and let others operate in theirs.