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Are you Watering your Business? By Evelyn Underwood
A home based business and a beautiful garden work in a similar way. Both must be nurtured and cared for. You must enjoy both to be successful. Both will wither and die if you give up on them. They both start from a small seed and given the right conditions blossom and grow. Rewards from the garden can include bright flowers, healthy plants, tall trees, good things to eat, cut flowers to share and home for beneficial animals, birds and insects, including beautiful butterflies. Rewards from a home based business include new friends, new experiences, the opportunity to learn, to get out of your comfort zone, or work in your underwear and to earn a small or substantial income.
Everybody has to start somewhere. With your home based business you pick a product or service to market. You spend time learning about what you are offering, how to get yourself known, where to find the people who can help you, those that have gone before and can help by sharing their experiences. You come to realise that you need to be around successful people and get some training, some good ideas and some confidence. Without confidence you are unlikely to succeed. You just do not do what you have to do ,to get from where your are to where you want to be. You find excuses, put things off and eventually give up . It takes effort and persistence to achieve your goal. That's another thing you must have a goal, a plan. You really do need a destination, a goal to strive towards. It's like a map keeping you on the right road. If you don't have a destination how will you know you have arrived.
New gardens also need a plan. You need a picture in your mind of how things will look in the future. Imagine putting a tree near the front door not realising that in twenty years time it will be 50 ft high and smothering the house , creating shade and clogging the gutters Shrubs need to be planted in a place that leaves them room to grow and mature. Flower beds can be changed annually, you can start your own from seed or visit the local nursery, but you don't want to put in so many they compete for light or nutrients. Neighbours and local nursery staff can help you make wise decisions. Books can show you how things will look and what they need. It's the same for your business , you need to be knowledgeable. You can make mistakes in either field but you can also learn from your mistakes.
Weeding - Ugh This applies to both. You can leave your business or your garden unattended and get the same results The garden will not produce sweet fruits and colourful flowers. Your business will not grow if you do not weed out the things that are not productive or the customers that do not respond, taking your time and energy with no rewards.
A home based business and gardening can both be very rewarding. One compliments the other. Both provide you with an opportunity to be creative and to expand your life style. Go for it get started today. Geographic location is not a problem for a home based business but it can make a huge difference in a garden. I am on the west coast of Canada and the climate provides me with a wide variety of plants that will grow well in this area.
I would love to hear from you.. Your successes and your failures . What worked and what didn't work, in your garden or your business. Perhaps we can help each other and grow together.