3 Things I Learned About Business From Working In The Garden
I love to garden. Actually, I love the idea of working in the garden. What I really enjoy is sitting on the patio with a glass of ice tea and a book enjoying the garden.
Gary, my husband takes care of the yard and it’s beautiful. People always comment on how well maintained it is.
Except for this one little stretch, which is my vegetable garden. Each spring I dutifully weed the bed and prepare the soil to plant new seeds. The boys and I have fun picking out which vegetables to plant, and then carefully place the seeds in the ground.
It starts off well. We water it and check back every few days to see if things are sprouting. Then we get sidetracked and I come back 2 months later to find out what happened.
Here is what usually happens:
- Things are completely overgrown. We plant way too much for the space and everything grows on top of each other. Nothing thrives because it is fighting for space. The same is true in business. In any business there are usually 3-5 core activities that determine your success. Yes, there are other things that work, but pilling on too many additional activities leads to overgrown garden syndrome. You are spreading your time, energy and resources too thin to get the best results from anything. If you do less and give each activity the space it needs, you will get better results.
- Several plants that have already gone to seed. The arugula has turned into flowers so I don’t get to enjoy the yummy leaves in my salad. Your business takes daily attention. If you drop in and out periodically you are missing opportunities. Just like the Arugula, your clients are not going to wait for you to show up when you feel like it. You need to be in contact with them on a regular basis.
- Last year I planted pumpkins and ended up with mountains of zucchini. Make sure you have the right road map to get where you want to go.
Your business is a lot like your garden. It needs constant attention to fully reap the rewards. Big amounts of effort every few months really get you no where, but a little love and care every day will bring you mountains of sales, I mean tomatoes 🙂
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