Is Your Business in Full Bloom?
I am by no means a gardener. In fact, I don’t really like to get dirt in my nails. This year, however, I turned a new leaf when I planted four sunflowers in front of my house.
Although there was a garden area with a big rhododendron bush, the rest of the garden under my front window was merely dirt and a large rose bush. I had a friend, who is an avid gardener, coach me on how to grow and keep the little sunflower seedlings alive and healthy.
The basic essentials were sun, water and support. I couldn’t guarantee the sun but I did set up support stakes for each flower and watered them regularly. As a result, I witnessed these beautiful flowers bloom. In fact, all four had multiple flowers. Some would die, and then others would bloom.
There was one mystery for me. The leaves that hung off each stem were either dead or dying. I didn’t understand why until I asked my friend the cause of the problem.
The issue appeared to be the soil. The soil in which these beautiful flowers were firmly rooted was terrible. It contained very few nutrients. So, even though I was giving good care of each plant, I did not consider a very important factor to properly nurture my sunflowers.
This analogy is similar to how we as business owners manage our business. If we don’t prioritize the foundation of our company or organization – such as having a solid marketing action plan in place or making sure our team is behind our promotional efforts – we will not get the best results. There may still be a positive outcome, but the full potential will not be achieved. In the end, taking a little extra time to tend to the pieces in place can result in an exponential outcome over time.
Next year, if I decide to plant sunflowers again, I will definitely start them off with a new bed of soil so they have the potential to grow and flourish fully.
How solid is your business’ foundation?