Mt. Moriah Farms
Harvesting Success: The Collaborative Transformation of Mt. Moriah Farms
In the heart of Dothan, Alabama, Mia Scott’s Mt. Moriah Farms exemplifies the dedication to quality in its family-owned farming business, specializing in goat-based products. Yet, despite its excellence, the farm grappled with challenges common to many burgeoning businesses: brand recognition and differentiation. This issue was accentuated by the similarities in branding and aesthetics with a partner farm that specialized in cow-based personal care products and meat. Sharing tent space at events and similar brand colors led to confusion among their clientele.
Juliana Bolivar, Director of the Alabama Small Business Development Center (SBDC), swiftly identified the need for Mt. Moriah Farms to establish a unique identity. She envisioned a brand that stood out not only visually but also in how it communicated its value to customers. To address this, Juliana crafted a comprehensive plan focusing on distinct branding and effective communication strategies. The goal was to not only visually distinguish Mt. Moriah Farms but also to refine Mia’s sales pitch, ensuring she could clearly convey the unique benefits and qualities of her goat-based products compared to the cow-based offerings of her partner farm.
The SBDC team, including collaborator advisor Catelyn Blackmon, played a crucial role in this transformation. Catelyn developed a straightforward SWOT analysis, allowing Mia to grasp her business’s strengths and areas for improvement clearly. This analysis laid the groundwork for targeted improvements and helped Mia understand the significance of distinct branding and clear communication in her business growth.
Yadira Colon-Lopez, an adept marketing advisor at SBDC, was instrumental in this transformation. Collaborating closely with Mia, Yadira embarked on a journey to redefine the farm’s branding and marketing strategy. She assisted Mia in updating the business card design to better reflect the new branding strategy, ensuring that the unique qualities of Mt. Moriah Farms were effectively communicated.
Yadira’s role extended to the planning and revision of the farm’s logo. Through detailed research on fonts and design elements, she guided Mia in creating a logo that captured the essence of the farm’s ethos. Her involvement was pivotal in the comprehensive brand review during face-to-face video-conferencing sessions. Here, Yadira meticulously assessed the current branding elements, aligning them with the farm’s strategic direction and discussing the long-term benefits of a thoughtful logo redesign.
A significant step in the rebranding process was the revamping of Mt. Moriah Farms’ online presence. Yadira guided Mia through the process of relaunching the farm’s website with a more professional presentation, including the acquisition of a dedicated domain. This move was crucial in establishing a strong digital footprint and enhancing the farm’s online visibility.
The transformation journey extended beyond virtual meetings. Catelyn Blackmon and Juliana Bolivar made a special visit to the farm. Their objective was to assist Mia in creating stock content for her social media and website which reflected her identity and story, as well as leveraging the host institution assets such as the photography team. This hands-on approach ensured that the digital portrayal of Mt. Moriah Farms was as authentic and engaging as the products themselves.
The collaborative efforts of the SBDC team catalyzed a remarkable change for Mt. Moriah Farms. The farm’s new branding strategy significantly boosted its recognition, and customers began to resonate more with the distinct qualities of Mia’s products. This led to an enhanced market presence and a noticeable uptick in sales.
The team also played a role in the management and bookkeeping aspect. Kerstin Stokes new enhanced role, provides essential support in light bookkeeping and QuickBooks advising, a service expansion that has proven highly beneficial for clients like Mia Scott of Mt. Moriah Farms. Kerstin’s role, primarily focused on bookkeeping and QuickBooks expertise, offers practical, hands-on assistance to business owners. For Mia, Kerstin crafted a simplified, user-friendly system for tracking financial transactions, utilizing an Excel spreadsheet tailored to the farm’s needs. Additionally, her guidance in QuickBooks provided Mia with valuable skills for managing day-to-day financial records for the following year.
Reflecting on her experience, Mia Scott expressed her gratitude, “I am absolutely blown away by the kindness of all the advisors. The time they have taken to answer the smallest of questions has astounded me. Their Small Business Class was 100% the best time investment I have ever given for my business. The SBDC has changed my life as a small business owner and I am so thankful to be a part of the program. I love the SBDC!!!”.”