Lessons For Business From The Garden

I love how God provides analogies for life and business in the garden!?For instance, take a look at these two Lantana plants at the top of the frame.?They typically grow like the one on the left.?Tall and full and beautiful.?But the one on the right struggled a bit in the beginning after it was transplanted.?We considered repotting it, or even scrapping it because it looked like there was simply no way it would survive.?Ultimately we decided to give it a chance.?We moved it to a spot that wasn’t quite as visible and nurtured it with extra attention.?And by golly, it grew, and is thriving.?It doesn’t look like the typical Lantana, and it is flat and sprawling rather than growing up tall, ?but it’s beautiful and strong and providing just as much enjoyment as the one that thrived from the beginning.?As a matter of fact, there is something special about this resilient plant that I admire, and it also seems to be more resistant to heat and ?less sensitive to the amount of water it gets than the other ones.?

Then we see these azalea bushes at the bottom.?Last year they developed a fungus that is common among these bushes.?(Honestly, I never realized how high maintenance these little beauties can be, at least as they are getting started!!) Again, we weren’t sure they would survive.?But, we applied the appropriate treatment and just let them heal, waiting out the rough period, and this year, WOW did they bloom.?Again, the process was slow, and frankly a little ugly at the beginning, but totally worth the effort.?Now, they still have some “stuff” we are dealing with and will require a little extra attention for a while.?The leaves on the inner part of the one are still very tiny, and there is a bit of the white “junk” on them.??But, we know what to do now, and we know they are worth the time and effort.?

So where is the analogy for business, you ask??Well, not all small businesses, even in those in the same industry, look the same.?Some thrive from the very beginning, and look just like we imagined they would, or just like they are “supposed” to look.?Others, like the Lantana in this story, struggle and take some extra effort, or perhaps start out a little more slowly and quietly as they gain footing.?And then there are some that thrive even as they are requiring that little bit extra.?They bloom, just like the azalea bushes did, but still have aspects that need attention at the core.?When we have the right tools, (coaching, training, financial assistance, prayer, patience, etc.) those struggling businesses will continue to grow and eventually flourish.?And, like the Lantana, the ones that look a little bit different may just be a little bit more resilient in the end, because they’ve had to work through some hard “stuff” all ready.?

The moral here is, if your business is flourishing and looks just the way you imagined it would, rejoice and enjoy it. Continue to care and nurture it, pruning it as needed.?And if your business is struggling but you know you want to make it work – you KNOW that your business will make a difference and will add value just like these struggling plants did, find the right tools.?Take the extra time.?Nurture your business.?As it begins to flourish, continue to take care of those aspects at the core that still need work.?Enjoy the growth you see along the way, and know that as your business grows, you’ll add value even if your path and your end product look just a bit different from the others.??