5 Things Gardening Has Taught Me As An Entrepreneur

Spring was coming and I had this urge to take a huge step back from sitting behind my desk and instead get out in nature. I wanted to dance amongst the wildflowers, eat food that I had grown, get my hands into the soil, and the earth underneath my bare feet as I was making time for daily long walks. I have been a gardener for a long time in my head, but never with my hands. Watching countless reels on instagram of women in hats and flowy dresses bringing in tomatoes to make pizza sauce from scratch. Putting together pinterest boards of sunflowers, chickens, and veggie gardens for years. However, I had never planted a seed. Why? I was scared. Scared to waste resources like time and money. Scared to fail- what if I planted all these seeds and nothing came out of it. Scared to show face that even though I'm such a nature lover I actually didn't know how to garden. 

Does this remind you of something? Instead of gardening this could read as any mountain that we have had to climb in our entrepreneurial journeys. But as Steve Jobs said “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

This pull towards nature and fighting the fear of sowing my first seed prompted me to start saying no to more things. Focusing on my consultancy gig and for the rest of the time taking a step back from business and moving outside into the garden. Little did I know that this would end up being one of my greatest lessons. These are the 5 things that gardening taught me and that has helped me to feel more content and be more prosperous in my business, the Circular Entrepreneurs. 

1. Every journey starts with a single step

Much like starting a business it isn't always helpful to have the end result as a goal. Instead keep the end result as a vision and write down your goals in incremental steps. One post-it or one- seed at the time. Also, put significant time into actually defining the order of the steps. What appears to be the first step might not be. For example in gardening it might not be planting the first seed but instead learning about your hardiness zone or prepping the soil. Just like in business the first step might not be to set up an e-commerce store but instead start going to markets for very direct feedback and minimal cost outlay. 

2. What you plant will grow

Planning out my garden was a mix of choosing the low hanging fruits, financial aspect, space, and vision. I had a vision of what I wanted it to look like and how I wanted to feel tending to it, however I was acutely aware of the fact that if I planted beetroot I would (at best) get beetroot and not cucumbers. The seeds you choose matter, because what you plant will (hopefully) grow. However, you won't know the exact process, when the seed will bear fruit, the size of the beetroot etc. So, just like with the garden make sure you plant the right seeds for your unique vision in your business. Selling coffee mugs probably won't give you a high paying consulting gig. Unless the coffee mug is your seed of becoming a coffee expert down the line. It is all about the planting and the intention of the seed.

3. Plants need the right environment to flourish

When we first moved to this house I made a list of all the things I wished to see in my garden. However, as the first year passed and I noticed the different seasons go by I started noticing all the details. I realized where the sun hit, where the trees sucked all the moisture out of the soil, where the kids used to play hide and seek. This made me change that original list quite radically. Instead, I looked at the space and asked myself what this piece of land could hold. It could flourish with strawberries, potatoes, sunflowers, and cucumbers. Mellon, avocado, and olives could probably find a better home. So, in your business- ask yourself what can your business hold? Can it hold coaching hours in different time-zones, a silver-smith table in the garage or going to markets at the weekend? If so great- if not perhaps those things can find a better home and you can focus on what works for your life and business. 

4. Tending to your seeds is as important as planting them

I got the seeds in the ground- victory dance. However, what I didn't realize is that now the real work kicks in. Watering, weeding, pest control etc. We have very hungry deer in our neighborhood, which I quickly learnt, and had to learn more about their diet to then put up some nets around the most tempting plants. Something I read in a book recently was something along the lines of “a plant will survive if you pay attention to it.” I think the same goes for business. How many ideas have we had as entrepreneurs? We plant a seed and then walk away wondering a year later why nothing came out of it? My best recommendation here is to put down all seeds/ideas in a book and see what keeps coming back up. What keeps coming back is normally the things that we do love tending to and paying attention to. Focus on those- and your business will grow. 

5. Patience

Oh dear patience. I wish I was born with it but unfortunately it isn't the strongest part of my DNA. However, with gardening I have realized that I'm not the one setting the schedule. Sometimes you have to stay with the rhythms and flows and keep at it. A strawberry wont grow in December (northern hemisphere) no matter how strong your mind is set on making it happen. Instead with patience spring will come and the seed will be planted with intention, in the right environment and will be tended to. This goes for business as well. You won't become a craftsman/woman overnight. Your Instagram will most likely not explode because of that one reel. The SEO strategy wont work after you have published one blog post. The first few sales meetings might not meet your expectations and your first prototype most likely won't be your last. In your business as in your garden- be the tortoise and not the hare. 

Happy growing!

Xx
Alexandra

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