A lesson from nature..

I have always thought the desert to be a beautiful place. Recently my husband returned from a trip to Tucson Arizona, bringing some beautiful pictures with him. Several of his pictures featured Saguaro Cactus, the cactus that bears the state flower of Arizona. This cactus grows about an inch a year from what seems to be infertile soil. That means it takes 50 years to grow is just over 4 feet! They take up to 75 years to develop a side arm. This is so much slower growing than bamboo in the rain forest where in one year, bamboo can grow up to 70 feet!

This made me begin to think about business growth. What does something need in order to grow?

Certainly in the plant world there needs to be energy - the warmth of the sun. There also needs to be nutrients in the soil as well as moisture – rain or humidity. Take these things away or limit them and growth may still happen, but much more slowly. What about our businesses? What does a business need to grow? It’s not a plant, animal or human. However, a business, in its own way is a living thing. It too needs certain things to survive. Cash flow is essential in a business. It’s like oxygen. But just because a business has cash flow that does not necessarily mean it will grow. It may exist but will not necessarily grow. A business needs to have a knowledgeable and skilled leader with relevant and timely strategies and information to make it grow. Unfortunately many business owners operate solely on their gut feeling. They hope they are making the right decisions and when the business runs into trouble – or hard times hit, they become confused and begin having knee-jerk reactions – making decisions too quickly and without enough knowledge. No one is born with a ‘how to build a business’ manual. Many successful business owners have spent years educating themselves before they even open a business. Essentially what they are doing when educating themselves is ensuring that there are enough nutrients (information) to feed the business. Many of us want our businesses to grow – and grow quickly. When it does not – we lose interest (energy) – often the energy that is required to keep the business growing. Many of us lose interest because we do the same things day in and day out without taking the time to feed our minds with the information we need to help our businesses grow. So in addition to losing interest we also do not have the knowledge it takes to get over the bumps. It is kind of like Saguaro Cactus growing in the desert. Our businesses may have lots of sunshine but not near enough nutrients or moisture to help it to grow. Are you growing your business in a desert? Have you taken some time to feed it with good information? Are you willing to grow only an inch a year or would you like it to grow a little more quickly? (I know I would!) It is imperative that we take time to learn about new trends, strategies and meet with other business owners to see how they are handing their businesses successfully. Yes, education does not come for free. We have to pay for it – one way or another. We can speed up the growth process by learning from others or we can learn slowly by making mistakes and finding things out for ourselves! Which will you choose? If you are looking ti increase your business knowledge and improve upon your skills - I have a great event coming up this fall to feed your thirsty mind - check out the preliminary information here!