Don't forget to weed

So you have prepared your garden, looked at why you want to grow things, and even planted the seeds for the crop you are after and the shoots have started to come through - now don't forget to weed.

What you are starting to see is weeds coming through and if you are inexperienced in Gardening, you may take out the wrong plant or even worse you don't weed at all and the crop dies out as the resources are taken away.

Business is the same, you get excited on your business, it seems to be going okay, sales are good, profit seems to be going okay and the team members seem to be happy.

So you start to look at other things and you mind gets taken off your business.

Then things start to go wrong, sales stop coming in, expenses start to increase and team members become dissatisfied.

If you cannot get back on track your business could fail and you need to continually monitor this process.

Its like a juggler who has spinning plates on sticks, they spin one, then another then another etc..., but if you don't go back and monitor the first one, it will stop and fall over.

It's the same in business and same in the garden.

At one time I was involved on 22 Boards and Committees all over the world, mainly for Not For profits and I felt really good as I was changing the world and doing my bit to create a positive future for many people.

However I had delegated the the operation and development of my businesses to others in the understanding that they had the same drive and vision as myself.

I had lost control, these other things had become the focus rather than my business and it affected adversely my business.

Others I have seen start to buy the big car, boat or shack and spend more time away from the business, others take higher wages, employ ineffective family members and take long expensive holidays.

Thats when your business plan is so important, review it and where you are and continually see and understand what the end goal is.

I have had a great crop of early grapes in my vineyard, but towards the end when we would harvest the crop, it was reduced because of a lack of water or to much rain and mildewed .

Don't get excited about the harvest when partially grown - time enough after harvest when you can enjoy it.

So while you think you have created an end goal - you are not there yet and need to weed the business to make sure other things are not sucking out resources from the business.

Tony Park
Head Gardener

PS   I can help you to develop your business plan and you can engage us to continually review your business and if need to help you weed along the way.
       We can stand next to you, on your business garden path.

tony@businessgardener.com.au