Business Gardening
As I write this, it’s late September and my vegetable garden is almost done. I must admit I am grateful that my cherry tomatoes are on their last legs. I plant them for my wife, but enough is enough. Other than salads, what can you do with them?
On the other hand, my green beans are still doing well and they will taste extra sweet this January when I take a bag of frozen summer out of the freezer and jazz up a winter’s dinner.
But what does this have to do with your small business? I’m glad you asked.
Reflection is good for the soul and for your business. And for gardening. What patch of my garden did really well this year, and what patch didn’t? Of the plot that produced well, what did I do that caused it to exceed my expectations? And what about the plantings that were a disappointment? Could I have done better? Could I have paid more attention to those plants? Were the weeds too much competition or were they under siege from insects or other foes?
I trust you see where I’m going with all this.
What better time then now to take a look at your business harvest thus far, and evaluate what parts of your business grew well, and which still resemble the stunted seedlings you planted in the spring? For those parts of your business that grew well, can you identify what it is that nourished them so well? For those that didn’t flourish, could you have feed them more with social media or attention to detail, or is the climate for them not quite right?
Just one more metaphor. As I put away my rake, shovel and hoe for the season, I’ll be doing one last bit of gardening. I’ll be taking all the spent plants and adding them to my compost bin. All the successes and failures of the year will be put back into the mix and add nutrients back into my garden, or into your business. Even the garden failures, when broken down in the compost heap, will add valuable resources and experience for next year’s garden.
Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade. Rudyard Kipling
