Hagen Family Farm has seen a major increase in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic and they attribute it to their online presence. The shutdown caused major meat suppliers to shut entire factories down and farmers to scale down operations. For the first time in most of our lives, we’ve seen empty grocery store shelves on a massive scale.

But problems are the bread and butter of businesses. Problems create demand, and solving problems is how a business makes money. With so much uncertainty about the future of the economy and the food supply chain, people are looking to stock up on food and turning to local sources. This was a prime opportunity for Hagen Family Farm and having on online presence helped them meet that demand.‍

Hagen Family Farm's has been able to cast both a deeper and wider net. Both their current customer base, mainly those in the Snohomish area, and new customers increased demand for local meat. On top of that, people from the greater metropolitan Seattle area and throughout Washington have also been looking for meat and Hagen Family Farm has been there for them. When they went to the internet looking for a meat supplier, they found Hagen Family Farm.‍

"The website has been so huge for us. I can't even explain to you. It has opened up a huge network of customers that I would never have known existed. From Seattle, Bellevue, and everywhere." Barbara, Hagen Family Farm‍

What is in many ways a crisis has been an opportunity for the folks at Hagen Family Farm. The graph illustrates just how large of one:‍

Increases like this are the opportunity that every successful business owner has worked hard to be ready for. Isn’t this the kind of growth that you hope, dream, and (admit it) maybe even kind of expect?

If your business provides value, opportunity will eventually knock on your door. Your opportunity might come in an accumulation of small increases in demand or it might be sudden and significant increase. While there are various factors out of your control, working on the factors within your control will help your business be ready to seize the opportunity when the chips fall in your favor. Being present and accessible for increased demand when it happens is one of them.