Microgreens Business: 5 tips to IMPROVE EFFICIENCY
If you want to have a successful microgreens business, you will have to be efficient so you can actually grow. Efficiency is key for any business and I'll lay out some specifics in this post relative to microgreens farming. By the end, you will know some of my best tips for improving the efficiency of your microgreens business.
This is a super exciting video for me because I've practically built my business on efficiency. I realized that in order to grow my microgreens business by myself, I was going to have to be very thoughtful about the way my business would operate. Over time, I've improved my processes and figured out ways to get things done quicker, so I'm happy to share with you some of my best techniques right here in this post. If you're looking to improve the efficiency of your microgreens business, you are definitely in the right place because these tips and techniques will save you a tremendous amount of time and money!
Efficiency Tip #1: Farm Layout
As your business grows, and maybe you're moving into different spaces, you will have to decide where everything goes. If you do this strategically, you can create an environment that saves you time and it's convenient to work within. Think about where supplies comes into your grow room and where it will be used. Think about your process of growing microgreens and how your trays are going to move through your facility. Think of an assembly line and mimic that... Just remember, once your space is set up, it could be hard to rearrange, so always be thinking about efficiency and your processes when setting up your grow spaces.
Efficiency Tip #2: Batching
Batching is when you combine certain task types so you don't lose time switching from task to task. This way, you can focus on one specific procedure at a time. For instance, when I'm making trays, I put out six trays at a time and go through the process for all six, rather than making them one by one. This makes more sense because I don't have to go through the whole process for each tray over and over again and can instead do it in chunks. I not only use this technique when making trays, also when harvesting. You can batch by variety and get all the harvesting done variety by variety, or maybe you like to harvest by packaging or size. Nevertheless, doing tasks in groups will help you to remain efficient and will keep your farm running smoothly.
Efficiency Tip #3: Super Rack
This is actually something I came up with to make it easier and quicker to move a lot of trays all at once. I call it the super rack and it's a rack on wheels that has all the shelves spaced closer together so you can fit many trays all on one rack and can wheel them around to where you need them. I use it for taking trays out of germination to go under lights. I use it for taking trays off the main grow racks and moving them next to my harvesting station. I also use it for sanitizing trays after the trays have been harvested. It's a great tool to use in your farm and will save you a ton of time and make your business more efficient.
Efficiency Tip #4: Dialing in Procedures and Seed Rates
If your procedures are efficient and focused they will be easy to perform rapidly without needing time to think about what the next step is. Dialing in your seed rates will result in higher yields, maximizing the use out of your supplies, and also demanding less space within your grow room. Remember, efficiency isn't all about just making things go quicker and using your time more efficiently, it's also about using your supplies, money and space more efficiently.
Efficiency Tip #5: Planning Ahead & Getting Ahead
If you have clear goals, it will be easier to see the steps required to get accomplish them. Planning ahead allows you to know exactly what you have to do so you can spend less time thinking about it and spend more time doing the things that need to get done. A way you can hack this is by using extra energy you have to get ahead of your chores/tasks. For instance if you're feeling good one afternoon after getting everything done, just go around sweeping and cleaning and that way you won't have to do that in the future when you normally would. You can then use that time to focus on some other tasks. Maybe there's something that you've been procrastinating on that you can get done, or maybe something else pops up and now you have that time to take care of it. Getting ahead of yourself is always an amazing way to improve the efficiency of your business
Now you know some of the best ways to improve the efficiency of your microgreens business. But what if you have a question about something more specific? Join my Microgreens Support Group on Facebook that way you can get answers you're looking for, from myself and from other growers.
Link to this video: https://youtu.be/_S8EoQm41vY