Three
and a half years ago we purchased two olive trees. They were only small and we
knew at the time that they would not fruit for at least another 3 years. We
shifted them around the garden trying to find the perfect spot for them to grow
and strengthen, watered them diligently but not too much, repotted them when
they started to grow too big for their pots. Then came our tree change, there
was no way we were going to leave our precious olive trees behind. So we
secured them onto a trailer and carted them along freeways, motorways &
highways for the 4 hour drive. All the while mindful of the fact that without
care we could loose the opportunity to reap the fruit from these trees that we
have been caring for, awaiting the arrival of the day that they would finally
bare fruit. When we got them to our new home, again we sought the perfect spot,
a north facing wall protected from the strong winds... and again we waited.
Just this month (15 months after our tree change) we were very excited to discover
one of them had produced it’s first fruit!
I
believe caring for a business or career is much like caring for these olive
trees. Sometimes you need to shelter yourself from strong winds that could
potentially knock you over, feed your business diligently but not too much, in
order to build a solid foundation so that when the fruit does start to produce
on your branches you can sustain the weight. But most of all you need to put in
the planning and preparation that will enable such growth to take place, as
well as have the willingness to wait, to eventually reap the rewards of all
your tending, nurturing and foundation building.
When
I first started this business I was adamant about making sure I had my
financial record keeping structured in a way that prepared me for a time when I
would be reliant on well structured record keeping. I was the same with
marketing. Marketing is so much more than just promotions, so setting up a
solid, consistent brand means that once you start to get more exposure your
image as a business portrays a professional persona rather than one in need of
branding. Then there’s pricing. Structuring pricing from the start in a way
that allowed me to draw an income for my work as well inject funds back into
the business, rather than waiting for a day that I could pay myself or invest
in items necessary for my business to grow. I did not want to let these things
just evolve.
Growing
a business organically can mean you don’t see immediate results from the
efforts you put in at first, but forming healthy business habits from the start
will enable you to grow with confidence.
Putting
into practice behaviours that you think you will need when you reach a certain
point in your business before it happens, will mean once it does you will not
be overwhelmed by the change. Preparing for growth can also present you with
opportunities when you least expect them and you can attract work you may not
have expected to attract. Planning and preparing for growth (not hoping) I
believe is the key to reaching your goals and reaping rewards. Both a
willingness to wait and creating a solid foundation are important to enable
growth to take place.
No comments:
Post a Comment