Bee Childlike This Spring

This past Sunday marked the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere.?

Spring symbolizes rebirth, awakening dormant flora and fauna to grow anew. Birds start singing again, and the sun isn’t quite warm. The promise of growth is there. While growth still feels slow, the promise of fast growth is palpable. It’s a time of curiosity and preparation.??

In Smart Growth, we refer to those at this phase along the S Curve as a Collector. It’s the second stage of the launch point. In the first stage, as an Explorer, we’ve determined that the S Curve we’re on merits further evaluation. And, just as gardeners are considering what plants to put in their garden, and baby animals are collecting information about their new environment, the collection phase is an opportunity to gather feedback and data to assess the fit of a particular curve.?

Some of the best collectors are children, and we can learn a lot about collecting by watching them. Children are natural collectors because they are not intimidated by uncertainty. From their perspective, everything they encounter is unknown and exists for them to discover. They interact with the world with a growth mindset and collect data without reservation.?

Mikaila Ulmer, whom I interviewed on the Disrupt Yourself podcast, began selling lemonade in 2009 using her great grandmother’s recipe, sweetened with honey sourced from local bees. She started small, in her front yard and at local fairs. Before long, a nearby pub wanted to sell her lemonade, and she began bottling at a larger scale. Six years into her business, she appeared on Shark Tank, walking away with a $60,000 investment from Daymond John. Me & the Bees was in 55 Whole Foods markets the following year, and by 2019 it was available at 500 stores. The company has a social mission, dedicating 10 percent of net proceeds to the Healthy Hive Foundation, the nonprofit Mikaila created to help save the bees through education, research, and protection. In 2020, she published a book, Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid. Mikaila was 15 years old.?

How did four-year-old Mikaila Ulmer find herself on the S Curve of lemonade sales in 2009??

She was stung by a bee. Not once, but twice, in a single week. As a result, she immediately began to fear bees. Her parents recognized the lasting effect this fear could have, so they encouraged her to reorient her fear and study bees to learn more about them. They encouraged her to get curious.?

She learned about the role bees play in our ecosystem, and she became aware of the significant population decline they were experiencing. With a newfound interest and curiosity, she continued to collect data. The collection phase is crucial to understanding if the S Curve we’ve chosen is the right one for us. Encouraged by her interest in bees, Mikaila began to collect data on starting a business. Her dad helped her in the kitchen and with some essential business practices. Her mom helped her with marketing. They continued to collect data and information.?

Just like we can find ourselves wishing spring would go faster so we can get to the warm and joyful summer months, there can be a desire to speed through the collector phase of the S Curve. But it’s important to go slow and proceed with caution, and don’t move out of the Collector phase too quickly. Caution isn’t fear; it’s a form of data collection, ensuring we’re on the right curve. We need to collect the data to ensure we don’t get stung as we accelerate.?

This season, embrace a childlike wonder. Allow yourself to explore without constraints to determine what new S Curve you might want to consider. Celebrate the sense of possibility that comes with the awakening of the natural world. Eventually, you may be faced with too much information to process in your exploration. It’s time to transition into your role as a Collector. Begin to identify and collect the resources you need. Like Mikaila, start with curiosity and proceed to intentionally decide if you want to continue along that particular S Curve.?

Does the data suggest that your growth, however slow, is leading to momentum?

Is what you’re exploring sticky enough to pursue??