WHAT DOES A GARDEN HAVE TO DO WITH BUSINESS?

Take small steps every day.

Nanci and I decided to get rid of all the grass in our back yard and create a magic garden full of flowers, bushes and perhaps some vegetables. I spent the last four months spraying round-up on my lawn (which I worked very hard to keep neat and green). I don’t know exactly how many gallons of Round-Up I used but finally most of the grass has disappeared.

Since I live on almost an acre of land my back yard is enormous, and the task of “where to start” to lay the many stone paths we envision and where to create all the flower and vegetables beds seems almost overwhelming.

My very clever daughter surprised us with four sets of plans of our back yard, a clean plate for us to start our design. I made an attempt to start the design, to create many paths, sitting areas, etc. only to find out I didn’t have a clue how to lay out this design.

My next step was to visit a place that sold stones, bricks from which to build the paths. I learned about design, sand and the hard work that would be required to even get ready for this project. The quote I got for the material was about 10 times more than I ever thought it would be.

Tomorrow we will ask someone to lay out a plan for our ambitious undertaking and then select a small portion of the yard to start the stone path and to prepare a few flower beds. The material suppler will teach me how to get the ground ready for a path and how much material I will need. My anticipated 60 day project is turning out to be a two year project before we can realize the full satisfaction of our creation.

As a small business consultant I realized this evening that the steps I am following in creating our dream back yard is exactly the same process that I ask my clients to follow when growing their business.

♤ Get mentally and physically prepared to be in business for yourself.
♤ Clear your mind and be ready to identify your business vision.
♤ Know what you want your vision to be and of what it is made.
♤ Take time to understand your product/service
♤ Find a mentor to help with the planning of your vision
♤ Be prepared to work 10 times harder and spend a lot more money in the initial startup phase.
♤ Take small steps every day until you have stabilized your business so you can enjoy it.

Prepare. Plan. Work Hard. Take Small Steps. Enjoy!

Everything in life is related, and the basic truths are there in everything we do. In the next few years, when our project is complete, I will have a party to show off our perfect vision. In the meantime, I will have sore muscles, but the exercise will be good for me.

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Tips & Advice by Nick Petra, CFP – Founder of Strategic Duck and BizQuack