Sentinel Family Farm
“It was honestly the best business decision I have made to date. Cottage CMS has proven to be the perfect fit for my small business needs.”
The Story
Sentinel Family Farm specializes in pasture-raised poultry and eggs, plus a variety of other farm products and cottage food baked goods. Run entirely by Tammy Whalen as a one-person operation, the farm was less than two months old at the time of this story — but already making an impression with a professional online storefront that belied its size.
The Challenge
Tammy started with Shopify, wanting a professional-looking site with pre-order and scheduling capabilities. But she quickly found it overly complex. The app store model was brutal — she needed multiple $10/month add-ons just to get basic functionality like scheduling. With thin margins on farm products, stacking monthly fees was unsustainable. She reached a breaking point.
- Shopify's complexity made basic tasks difficult
- Multiple paid add-ons required for essential features
- Stacking monthly fees eating into thin margins
- No built-in support for pre-order or scheduling workflows
The Turning Point
One night, frustrated with Shopify, Tammy saw the Founders Club deadline and started a free trial. Within one hour she had her site looking similar to what she'd spent much longer building on Shopify. She committed right then.
“Even though I know it's not true, it feels like I have a website platform customized just for me and my business.”
The Results
The community. Being able to talk directly to Drew and other small business owners. Even though she knows the platform serves many businesses, it feels like it was built just for her — and the site gives her the appearance of a well-established business, even as a brand-new operation.
“After playing in the dashboard for only an hour, I was able to get my website looking pretty similar to what I had already created on Shopify.”
Features That Made the Difference
Scheduling Windows
Pickup and delivery window scheduling — critical for a one-person operation to know exactly when customers will arrive.
Date Blocking
Block specific dates when unavailable — essential for managing a solo operation with life outside the farm.
Recipe & Pricing Analysis
Build costs into product pricing transparently, avoiding platform fees passed to customers.
In Their Own Words
“I truly believe that Cottage CMS can be used for any type of business, big or small.”
“I also firmly believe in not nickel and diming my customers with platform fees.”
What They Tell Others
Taking short-cuts with your customer-facing platform or not thinking that your business is 'big enough' to have a professional looking website is likely hurting your business. People scroll on their phone all day and want to be able to get all the information they need to be an informed consumer in one spot.
Launch the storefront and workflows your local customers can come back to.
Start free and build the operating foundation behind your own story, just like Tammy Whalen did.