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