What I learned about business from seedlings
Where are you rushing & causing harm?
I finished hardening off my veggie starts last week.
It’s time for my tender seedlings to leave the protective greenhouse bubble & find new homes in the garden.
A few hours a day for 2 to 3 days allows them to build their muscle, aka tensile strength, to withstand the stronger winds, sun rays, & rain showers of garden life.
Over the course of about 2 weeks, I introduce a few varieties at a time to the outdoors until the greenhouse is empty & everyone has taken root in the garden.
I have been helping plants make this journey from the sanctuary of the greenhouse to the forces of nature since I was a teenager.
I have also been helping entrepreneurs successfully introduce their big ideas to the open marketplace for more than 30 years.
I have learned some important business lessons from hardening off seedlings.
Too much too fast causes damage
If I rush the process, my beautiful seedlings get sunburnt leaves & broken stems.
This means I lose plants & the survivors must use precious resources to recover.
There is a balance between taking imperfect action to maintain momentum & forcing an idea before its fully formed.
Take your tender new offers for a test run with a few trusted advisors so they can acclimate before tossing them in with your well-established menu of services.
Too much coddling can cripple
An oscillating fan is key to developing seedlings that will adapt to the outdoor conditions effectively.
The constant waft circulates the air, reducing disease while allowing the seedlings to develop the necessary tensile strength to handle those first few hours outside without collapsing.
Pure inspiration is not enough to create & launch every new idea that crosses your path.
When a new idea whisks me off my feet, I write it out, think it through, share it with my coach, & consider it in the context of my annual strategic plan.
It’s vulnerable to share but every idea needs to passe these tests before I take it to the next level.
Loss is normal
Even when I take all the precautions & follow all the guidelines, some plants die in the transition.
I plan for this by starting more than I need & selecting for the strongest seedlings when transplanting.
Even when you have the most amazing programs & are following best practices to market them, your programs may not fill to capacity.
This is why having a healthy & abundant pipeline is essential; not every ideal client is ready to act according to your schedule.
Where are you rushing & causing harm?
What are you protecting from scrutiny because you’re afraid of being vulnerable?
How can you increase your pipeline to ensure more conversions?
