As a novice gardener, you wouldn’t jump headlong into a 200-acre farming project without expecting a lot of difficult obstacles, right? Well, entrepreneurship is a lot like gardening. You have to find what you’re good at, start small, and enjoy the journey and fruits of your labor!
Since it’s gardening season, it’s a perfect time to reflect on why gardening is so similar to owning a business. Right now, gardeners are enjoying the fruits of their labor—like those freshly picked strawberries made into jam or a delicious strawberry shortcake. Yum! And now, peas, beans, and zucchini are coming in. But remember, you didn’t start with wonderful fruits or vegetables, just a small seed. You envisioned the fruit at the end of all your labor, but you had to do the weeding, hoeing, watering, and fertilizing to make it a success. Similarly, there is success and joy at the end of your entrepreneurial goals as well.
Success Takes Time
Just like a garden, a successful business takes time and is not an instant success. First, you must start with a plan. A gardener draws out their location, builds raised beds, walkways, or trellises, and plans where tall plants vs. short or root crops will go. Do you have a business or financial plan for funding your business, a marketing plan, and a location? Who will register your business and get your Federal and Tax ID?
Obtaining external funding and putting together a business plan are smart moves. And just like a garden plan that’s revised every year, revise your business plan regularly.
Maintain Your Tools
A conscientious gardener organizes their tools and keeps them in good working order, making the job easier in the long run. Imagine running a business without a website, social media presence, or with a slow computer that constantly fails or gets viruses. Every business needs to have the right tools in the best working order.
Motivation and Commitment
Every gardener who wants a beautiful harvest must be motivated and committed. They spend hours planning, moving plants, researching how they grow, and endless hours weeding because they love it. A successful business owner will hustle, make all the calls, research, and continue learning. They are driven by motivation and commitment. What keeps you going? What is your “why” in your business?
Pruning and Focusing
Gardens can sometimes get out of control and require pruning. Plants can get too big, become infested with bugs, or get in the way of other plants, hindering their growth. Businesses, too, can often grow out of control. Maybe you need to prune things back a bit or get back to basics. Do you have too many products or offerings and feel out of control? Pare back and focus on what you do best!
Teamwork and Compatibility
Some plants do better with others, like carrots love tomatoes, but some grow at different rates or require different nutrients, like kale and cabbage. Similarly, there are many types of people who make up a workplace staff. Different employees have unique personalities and varying strengths and weaknesses. An effective office needs to incorporate staff with unique personality types efficiently to encourage teamwork and increase morale.
Delegation and Growth
In gardening, sometimes you have a plant that grows too big or multiplies, and you give away what you don’t need. The same is true in business. Sometimes you must delegate some of your activities. Hiring a virtual assistant, bookkeeper, or other help allows you to spend your time on more important, money-making activities.
Mastering Your Craft
Finally, consider the master gardener. You know, the ones you see on YouTube doing everything perfectly—they have it all: the tractor, the tiller, the big, beautiful shed, the best of the best. And you sit there wondering, how in the world can I ever do this? That’s when you need to go back to the beginning and ask yourself what you really want. Form your plan and don’t compare it to anyone else’s garden. Choose the plants you love, what you want, need, and can use, then figure out where they’ll go in your overall plan.
Just like in business, you get to choose your clients and staff so they are a good fit to work with you.
As you can see, entrepreneurship is very much like gardening. You create an environment and habits that allow you to be successful and create what you want from it. When you prioritize joy in your work, you’re more fulfilled, just as the gardener is full of joy when they harvest their bounty. Remember to enjoy your entrepreneurial journey!