There’s more to farming than just planting seeds…

Business is like farming and the time is right for planting seeds. Now is the time to tend to your business like a farmer tends his crops! You know a successful business isn’t built upon planting seeds just once. It’s a process that is revised and repeated over and over again for a healthy harvest.

Here are 7 things to think about that may help you with your spring planting.

1. You must have the seeds to plant! And they need to be the right seeds for growth. Ask yourself what you want the seeds to become. NOW is the time to curate your offers. What do your people need RIGHT NOW? What will they need in 3 months? Perhaps you need to pivot temporarily or double-down on an activity or idea you have been playing with but have yet to put into action?
2. You must plant the seeds in fertile ground. Seeds won’t grow where conditions aren’t right or they aren’t wanted. Whom do you want to receive your seedlings? At what stage? Where are they hanging out? If you know what they are looking to harvest, you can plant where they are and provide fruit ready for the picking.
3. You must be generous with the water! And I’m not just talking about the plants themselves. EVERY relationship needs nurturing. If you don’t consistently follow up, it will dry up! Revisit on a regular basis to make sure you’re keeping everything healthy without saturating and creating root rot.
4. Sunlight! How do people feel when they encounter you? And how do they feel when you leave? Exude energy that makes people feel good and the light will dispel the dark. People always turn toward a warm, welcoming light.
5. Fertilize! Feed the relationships by giving more than you expect to receive. It doesn’t matter if people think you’re crazy…talk to the damn plants! Give them the attention and the nutrients they need.
6. Sometimes you have to trim, thin, or cut to encourage healthy habits and sustain your growth. (My grandfather called the unwanted seedlings that sprouted up everywhere “suckers,” and we don’t want those. They grow to filter out the life-giving sunlight, snatching up all the nutrients from the plants that gave them life.) As entrepreneurs, we tend to “squirrel” and chase a number of ‘good’ ideas! Which NEW SEEDS make sense for vertical or horizontal expansion opportunities?
7. Rotate your crops! What is most lucrative for your clients? For you? Focus and scale back, if necessary. Remember! It is easier to double demand than create it. Take a look at your products, services, and offers. Which offers make sense to pursue and promote in light of recent events and the steps above?

Blaze on,
Jeffri-Lynn