Recently I was lucky enough to join our local community garden. I didn’t expect to get the call for at least another 2 years knowing the ever-growing wait list. I was thrilled when I was called but then my excitement turned to uncertainty pretty quickly.
I know nothing – nothing – about gardening.
I have a few healthy house plants and few outdoor lovelies that I tend to but I’ve never been responsible for a 10×10 plot of land surrounded by other plots managed by experienced gardeners. (By the way that was a lot larger in real life than I thought!)
Yikes, what did I get myself into?
As I quietly begin working my little plot of happiness, soaking in the sun and listening to the birds chirp, I began to see parallels in business. The quiet time away from my desk was exactly why I wanted to get involved (and to finally grow my own tomatoes) and there I am in a gardening hat, gloves, a sporting a heavy duty shovel still thinking about business.
Here are the business lessons I’m taking away from the first few weeks in the community garden:
Have Good Soil
First thing I learned when I quickly skimmed through the gardening books at the library and in talking to a few of the more experienced gardeners, is good soil makes all the difference. As a first time gardener, if I only planted one simple type of plant to get started, the most important thing was that I took care of the soil. As I was digging and raking my plot and shoveling compost I begin to think how with business, having good “soil” makes all the difference too. I think of ‘soil’ in this case as the fertile grounds necessary to start a successful venture. It’s making sure your mindset is on the same page as your ambition, that you are stepping outside your comfort zone in order to expand and grow, and it’s making sure that you surround yourself with great tools and resources that will support you.
Plant Your Seeds
I talk a lot about planting seeds in business. You cannot just passively expect to put something out there and think that people will find you. You need to get out there and talk, ask for help, ask for introductions, make sales calls and network. You have to initiate projects, survey your audience, talk with clients and get feedback on new product ideas. You have to plant seeds.
In gardening, I found that I was strategic in where and how I planted my seeds. I just didn’t go out there with my flower packs and haphazardly throw them everywhere. I made a map, I dug the appropriate depth into the ground, I read how far to spread the seeds apart and what other things are needed (fertilizer, mulch, etc) to assist their growth. With business seeds you need to be thoughtful and strategic so that you grow exactly what you want and by when.
Tend to Your Weeds
At our first garden meeting, one old-timer (not his age, just how many years he’s been at the garden) gave great advice to all us newbies. “Just tend to your weeds. That’s all we ask.” Wow, that seems like simple advice. Let me tell you it sounds simple but requires a lot of work. And it is NOT a one and done thing… You have to keep at it.
In business often your weeds are your insecurities, your mental negative tapes, the stories you carry about yourself and your abilities, and the relationships that hold you back. You must tend to these weeds – rip them out and dispose of them – otherwise they will take over your garden, your business and your life.
Have Patience
We’re still waiting to see what pops up. We’re only a few weeks in and my 5 year old and I go out regularly to see if anything has sprouted through the earth. Nope. Nothing. Nada. I won’t lie I’ve been freaking out a bit. “Did I do it right?” “Did I plant the right things for the soil?” “Have I watered enough or too much?” “Should I be doing more?”
The same thoughts creep up in business. You work so hard to get things up and running but it requires a fair amount of patience before most people see the fruits of all that labor. There are no overnight successes and there are no overnight vegetable gardens.
Water
One of the gardeners noted, “When in doubt, water.” I asked, “How will I know if I water too much?” He just laughed and said, “During the summer, you won’t ever need to worry about that. You can never water too much.”
Boy is that true with business. You need to care for, water and continue to water your business. You can’t just plant your garden or start your business and walk away for 3 weeks. You have to keep at it and actively nourish it to keep it growing especially during the “hot” months of harvest.
It Takes the Whole Community
Even though you’re managing your small plot of land – or your small corner of the biz world – you are still part of a community. If you let in an invasive species or worse, leave the gate open to allow wildlife into the garden, you let the whole group down. It’s important to be a helpful member of the community and do your part. Same goes for business. Even though you probably have your head down creating your service or product and seeing clients, you still are part of a larger community that can benefit from your knowledge and experience. Help a fellow business woman, mentor or simply share your best tips – in the end, everyone benefits.
Take Action:
1:
What one thing can you do to create good soil?
2:
What are your most common “weeds” and how do you plan to tend to them regularly?
3:
What seeds can you plant now that will create a harvest in a few months? Schedule to plant them this week.
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