What Sweet Potatoes Taught Me About Business
When was the last time you asked a successful entrepreneur WHY their method worked for them?
I rooted some sweet potato last weekend.
Or rather, they sprouted themselves.
A few random tubers from last year’s garden had already sprouted so I helped them along.
I stuck them in a jar with water, put them in a sunny window & bam!
The pale reaching vines quickly turned green & roots sprang forth.
So far I have successfully rooted 65 new sweet potato slips.
I have been growing sweet potatoes for about 15 years; this is the second year of successfully starting new plants from the previous year’s crop.
I have also been helping entrepreneurs sprout new services & programs from their current offerings for more than 30 years.
I’ve learned some important business lessons from sweet potatoes.
Trying too hard can get in the way.
For the first few years, I followed all the proper steps for sprouting sweet potatoes & got nothing.
Last year, when I noticed some spouts on a couple of roots in the drawer, I gave them a little water & finally had success!
Building a business can be like this too.
There is no RIGHT way to build your business; what worked for one person, no matter how successful they are, may not work for you.
There are roots & there are roots.
When you transfer a newly rooted start from the water into soil, it has to grow all new roots.
Although water roots look strong & vital, they cannot effectively move the nutrients from soil to greens.
Before transplanting a great idea from another business to yours, take time to understand how & why it worked for that other person.
Learn to adapt good ideas to your growing conditions & you’ll discover your true power.
You can let things grow wild or provide support.
Sweet potato plants create a tangle of greedy vines that will take over the garden.
They’re also open to being guided to grow up a trellis.
You can let your business run wild over your life; or
You can corral your business into a space & shape that allows you to have a business you love & that loves you back.
Where are you following all the rules & trying too hard?
When was the last time you asked a successful entrepreneur WHY their method worked for them?
What needs to change today so you could love your business more?
