I’ve had several careers in my life. Life experiences tended to change the direction I was going a few times. As I was also a single mom raising children during these changes, life was – well never dull! One of the businesses I owned was a marketing firm.
Today I’d like to talk to the women out there who dream of, or are getting ready to, or who have started a business that is relatively new. If you’ve been in business for awhile then I’m guessing you’ve weathered many of the business storms that can come your way and have a handle on most things by now.
But for those of you who are new to the game I’d like to, encourage and perhaps give you a few things to think on!
When I began to give marketing workshops for people who were small business owners, I discovered many of them lacked a couple of essential pieces of information about running a business. Perhaps the following words will be something for you to consider as you venture forth into the wide world of business:
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A Business, A Tree – A Comparison
There is a tree standing alone. The tree is mighty. It is clearly one of the biggest and strongest trees in the
area. Its branches are many and fully extended and developed. The leaves are a vivid green and well secured to the multitude of far reaching branches.
The peak of this magnitude reaches high into the sky.
Each year this tree produces bountiful fruit. Better and more plentiful than the year before. It knows when to produce the fruit; and when it is ripe for harvest it yields the fruit to the harvesters.
The climate and other environmental conditions alert the tree as to the nature of the activities it needs to be involved with all the year round.
The tree has survived because it is equipped with the understanding necessary for its survival.
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Now picture the tree as a seed, recently planted, bearing no fruit. Picture yourself as a gardener. Because you want the tree to grow strong and healthy you plant the seed in rich soil.
However, before planting the seed you learned about all the conditions in the environment that could affect the seed during its early stages of growth. Next you found the best location suited for your tree.
As the tree grew you monitored your tree closely – fertilizing, weeding, watering – nurturing it carefully.
Year by year it grew but bore no fruit. This was a slow process but necessary
to insure the proper growth and structure of the tree itself. The foundation was important. To survive, it would need to be well rooted.
As the tree continued its growth you pruned and cut back unwanted branches and buds as necessary so that the remaining buds could receive enough essential nourishment that would in turn produce rich fruit.
When harvest time finally came you knew the fruit was ready.
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With each step, beginning from the seed, to planting, nourishment, protection, and growth, you took the necessary time, energy and required learning to further insure the successful growth of your tree.
All this accomplished before your tree would produce and bear healthy fruit.
The Seed of Your Idea
A business can be compared to this tree. Your product or service can be compared to the fruit. And most important your idea (for your business) can be compared to the seed.
As with the tree you must be familiar with the environment (market research) and all the other factors (business plan) that will influence the success or failure of your business idea. Where necessary you should learn what is needed so that you will be able to accomplish the necessary tasks.
The beginning of a business (like a tree) needs to go through all the required steps before the eventual product or service (fruit) can be successfully produced and sold.
REMEMBER:
the seed – an idea
is but the potential
a place to begin
A strong and healthy, fruitful business is the successfully reality of growing and nurturing the seed of your idea -with many steps in between! So with this comparison in mind, go back and reread from the beginning.
I hope you enjoyed this piece on owning a business. I encourage all women who want to become an entrepreneur to go for it! There has never been a better time than now. If any of you have a particular subject they’d like to know more about regarding marketing, let me know. I would be happy to post an article about it.
thank you,
~ Penny
great information, to be read over and over again :0 thanks for sharing
You are welcome, I’ve been a female entrepreneur for years and still learning daily how much I don’t know, lol! 🙂
your words are full oh politeness and wisdom. stay blessed
Thank you!
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Needed to read this as I develop a website to sell my photos! Thanks and hugs Penny! – B
Good for you Barb! re: selling your photos, my friend! Big hugs to you this holiday weekend! 🙂 xx
Great presentation.
Brilliant.
Thank you!
Penny that was such a great little lesson! You know marketing was my undergraduate degree and first life career ~ I was president of our chapter of the American Marketing Association in college – and a complete marketing nerd! Rah Rah !!
I enticed students to join the “club” with the slogan ‘WE MARKET YOU!’ ~ we had an awesome time … I think your metaphor above is so much richer than what they teach in school (The 4 Ps of marketing – blah blah…). The aspects of working in the business world that I loved most were the people and the creativity — and nurturance of relationship. Your post embodies this well ~ Loved it dearest friend… x much love and continued adoration ~ rl
Hello pal of mine! I agree, the people and the creativity. You know what’s funny is I kept getting young and upcoming marketing exec’s from larger companies being sent to my workshops because (are you ready for this) they didn’t understand the basics of Marketing! They had been too busy learning the lingo but not the application of same. Anyway I thought it was rather interesting at the time. Yes definitely it’s about the nurturing, Thank you Robyn, all my love to you, xo
Lovely imagery Penny and encouraging for all of us who are out there putting plans into action. 🙂
Thanks Ruth, yes just like you. You brave Entrepreneur you! so proud of your endeavors. 🙂 xx
Aww Penny, you are such a sweetheart. Thank you – your words mean more than you know xx
Thanks for your wise words Penny. I’d love to read more posts on marketing:)
Thank you Mitzie. Anything in particular that would be of value to you? This is actually a field I’m pretty good at, so let me know if something does comes to mind. In the meantime I’ll work on a few more marketing/business type posts for the near future my friend!
Great post and I love the analogy! So fitting and true.
Kenley
Thanks Kenley, much appreciated!
Thanks so much. Great advice. The seeds are the foundation of everything. It’s good to nurture them and discard any bad ones that may affect the others.
You’re welcome, Thank you Sandra, and discarding the bad seed – now that is wisdom indeed!
A great comparison. You illustrated well that growing a business is a long haul and its growth is as organic as the growth of a tree – anything growing in nature. Ann
Thanks. I definitely agree with you Ann.
Oh you are so good at this… my computer software began as just such a seed 5 years ago.. I developed it, changed things and expanded it as I saw the need.. 18 months ago we started the process of encoding.. business plans produced and changed.. but the biggest change was the software itself.. as we developed and tested more helpful fruit showed up that had been hidden in the back ground.. these have all been added and changed to suit what I wanted as the answers.. and my baby born… now is the last step of marketing the produce… I can sell verbally, best known for standing in front of hundreds sprouting away.. but it is this last detail the adverts that we cannot afford a marketing specialist that has turned out to be the most interesting and actually fun.. and now with your help even more fun.. thank you you are an absolute Angel…
Thank you Bulldog, you’re a winner you know! The time intensive effort you’ve embraced has created an excellent business model. Well done my friend, glad I could be of assistance to you! 🙂 xx
You are great at visualisation. I could see that from the metaphors you have used in the post. How could you channelise this competence of yours into making your life more creative?
Shakti
Speaking personally for myself, I am creative in every single aspect of every single thing I do. I don’t know how not to be creative. From the intimate, to the day to day chores and responsibilities, to the imaginative dreaming and of course real time creative endeavors that I am constantly involved with.
If you are referring to other people’s ability to channel more creativity into their lives it would be with passion, Shakti. Grow your passion for all things. Be passionate for life, living, other people – everything. Prioritize your passion and place the most value (your time and other peoples time) where it belongs. Life becomes a wondrous adventure then my friend! Penny 🙂
What a great article and analogy. I’ve always been an entrepreneur, coming up with crazy ideas and going forth with them. Some have worked well, others not. Sometimes knowing when to plant a new seed is important. Most of the time, though, having the strength to stick out those first few years is the key.
Yup, that is the biggy! When the going gets tough … the tough get going! You got that so right my friend! 🙂
I hope you don’t mind men absorbing this useful and eloquent commentary too Penny. 😀
A most excellent idea Mike, My title was directed at women (being one myself lol) but absolutely this is meant for all who desire to be an entrepreneur! Thank you for your compliment. 🙂
good information my dear friend ! HAVE NICE NIGHT !For me , thick snow fall has it plenty.
Thank you Stefan, yes I did have a lovely night of rest. Lots of snow? I hope you are enjoying it, I think spring must not be far away now my dear friend, much love, Penny 🙂 xx
Great information there Penny
Thanks Alastair! 🙂
You’re welcome 🙂
Thant was a fantastic analogy, well spoken.
Sincerely,
Benjamin
Thank you Benjamin.