When I garden,
I know that a portion
of the harvest
will go to the squirrels
and other wildlife
and
another portion
of the harvest
will go to slugs
and other insect life.
I plan for this.
I sow extra seeds.
I grow extra plants.
Losses are to be expected
in business also.
Some of your products
will be damaged
or defective.
Some of your customers
won’t pay their bills.
Plan for this.
Sell or produce extra.
A neighbor put in a garden
last year
for the first time.
He removed the grass,
tilled the soil,
added soil,
edged the garden
and completed hundreds
of other tasks.
This year,
he decided not to garden
because he didn’t have time.
He already invested
most of the time!
A second year garden
is easy in comparison.
This is true of any start ups,
including businesses.
The first year
is usually the most labor intensive.
It takes the most time.
You’re already doing
or have done
the hardest part.
Don’t give up!
After I’ve transplanted
a tomato seedling
from the grow station
to the backyard garden,
there’s a week following
where I’m not certain
the seedling will survive.
The leaves look stressed.
It doesn’t grow.
This is called transplant shock.
And it is a very stressful time
for the plant
and for me, the gardener.
When we ship our products
for the first time,
there’s a duration
that has a similar feel
to transplant shock.
We haven’t yet received
any customer feedback
on our product
and we’re not certain
it will be a success.
This is a stressful time
for many entrepreneurs.
Plan something
to keep your mind off
your ‘transplanted’ product.
And know this is normal.
Shipping shock
is a thing.
It happens to many of us
and is part of
the new business development process.
A loved one
buys fully grown plants
for her garden
every year.
She doesn’t have
the patience
to grow anything
from seed.
She wants instant results.
She would be a disaster
at building a business.
To build a business,
patience is a must have trait.
We have to be emotionally able
to wait
for results.
Know who you are
as a person
before you start
a business.
If you don’t
have the patience
to grow a plant
from a seed,
you likely don’t
have the patience
to build a successful business.
Some of my relatives
believe I’m a master gardener
because I seem to know
a lot about the plants
I’m growing.
I’m not a master gardener.
I’m a master researcher.
Before sowing seeds,
I watch dozens of
YouTube videos
and
read as many blog posts
about that plant.
I learn from other gardeners
and that greatly
increases my success rate.
There is information
online
about everything
from stuffing envelopes quickly
to launching new products.
Take some time.
Do the research.
Improve your success rate.
My enjoyment regarding gardening
increased substantially
when I stopped
fighting my unique environment
and
started
working with it.
I have squirrels, for example.
Years ago, I planted
hundreds of tulips.
The squirrels LOVE tulips
and they shredded every single bulb.
I then did my research
and uncovered squirrels dislike daffodils.
I planted a few daffodil bulbs.
The squirrels left them alone.
The daffodils flourished
and multiplied.
Years later,
I have beautiful Spring beds
filled with daffodils.
Because I worked with
my unique environment.
I didn’t fight it.
I didn’t try to change it
into something it wouldn’t naturally be.
I suspect right now
you’re fighting some aspect
of your business’s environment.
It could be walk by traffic
consisting of people
who speak another language.
Or a social media platform
that suppresses posts
with certain keywords.
If you figure out a way
to work with that aspect
(you hire an employee who speaks
that other language, for example),
business building
will be MUCH easier.
A buddy of mine
impulsively bought a farm.
No one in her immediate family,
including herself,
had ever farmed.
Heck, they didn’t even
have a garden
prior to the purchase.
But my friend
had watched a gazillion
videos posted by influencers
about farming
or homesteading.
She thought it looked easy.
Farming isn’t easy
and it isn’t anything
like what the influencers
show.
Within days
my buddy was regretting her decision.
Work in an industry
before starting a business
in it.
Try a lifestyle
before adapting it fully.
This will increase
your odds of success
and boost your happiness levels.
This month,
I’m preparing the vegetable garden
for next year’s planting.
I’m clearing the bed.
I’m spreading compost.
I’m covering it
with a thick layer of leaf mulch.
These are all tasks
I COULD do in the spring.
Except the spring
is the busy time
for gardening.
There’s planting
and transplanting
and turning the bed
and a gazillion other things
to do
at that time.
By completing some tasks now,
I’ll make the busy season
less busy.
We’re ramping into
the busy season
for retail sales.
The holiday season
will, hopefully,
be hectic
for stores.
If you can complete
some tasks now,
you’ll decrease your stress
during that busy season.