Planning for the Bounty of Your Harvest

I love spring and I love to garden. With the gentle warm breeze comes a feeling of renewal. We begin to see evidence of this renewal in the budding of the trees and the greening of the grass. It is during this time of the year, in late winter, I begin looking at seed catalogs and deciding on the things I want in my garden in the spring.

Remembering the successes and failures in my past experiences helps me to choose seeds, which will improve my end results. To help me do this I keep a journal each season of the brand and type of seeds I planted. I record how well they did when I harvest from my garden. This process allows me to select the appropriate seeds and not repeat mistakes I may have made. Not only in the seed selection but also at how well I managed my garden.

There is great satisfaction of putting seeds in the ground and seeing the plants burst through the soil. In many ways it is a wondrous event. From such a small seed grow plants, which produce magnificent flowers or plentiful vegetables. Planting and harvesting can be very rewarding.
We can receive the same great rewards in our business. We just have to learn how to sow the seeds and reap the harvest. The planting begins with planning. And now is the time to be planning.

For many small business owners this is the slower time of the year. It makes it the perfect time to begin planning for your future success. Just like me and my garden now is the time to be selecting the ‘right seeds’. What are those things, which will grow and bear fruit in your business? Look at what has been productive for you in the past and look at ways to improve on its success.

Evaluate what has not worked well or where you may need to add to your marketing plan to improve your results. You should ask questions such as, "Where do we need to increase cash flow?" "What product lines and services are the most fruitful and how do we replicate and improve on those successes?" "Where have we not done so well, and why?" "What tasks seem to get in the way of my success and how do I put my focus back on my success?"

Answering these questions and creating a plan to address the changes needed to improve your success can help you become more satisfied with your end results. With this in mind…Plan, Plant, Reap and Enjoy the bounty of your harvest.

To your success,
Stacey Friedlein