Before You Start Your First Business Test Your Skills With A Plant First!

Summary

The article suggests that caring for a plant can serve as a valuable test for the skills required to run a successful business, emphasizing the importance of time management, energy, commitment, and consistency.

Abstract

The article draws a parallel between nurturing a plant and managing a business, asserting that both require regular attention and care. It argues that the ability to maintain a plant reflects one's capacity to handle the routine and often mundane tasks necessary for a business to flourish. The author, a self-described "teacherpreneur," uses personal experience to illustrate how plant care can reveal an individual's strengths and weaknesses in areas such as time management, customer understanding, and market positioning. The author emphasizes that just as a plant needs the right conditions to thrive, a business requires strategic positioning to stand out and succeed in the market.

Opinions

The author believes that the discipline of caring for a plant mirrors the discipline needed in business, suggesting that failure to care for a plant indicates potential difficulties in running a business.
It is implied that enthusiasm for making money in business is not a substitute for the fundamental skills and consistent effort required to maintain a healthy business, much like a plant.
The author opines that understanding and meeting the specific needs of a plant, such as soil type, feeding schedule, and pot size, is analogous to understanding and serving customers in a business context.
The article conveys the opinion that finding the right market positioning for a business is as crucial as finding the right amount of sunlight for a plant, highlighting the importance of identifying a niche where the business can thrive and be noticed.
The author encourages self-reflection and learning through the metaphor of plant care, suggesting that this exercise can provide insights into one's abilities as an entrepreneur.

Before You Start Your First Business Test Your Skills With A Plant First!

Yeah I know what you’re thinking it sounds crazy right? But seriously you can learn a lot by looking after a pot plant and no I don’t mean a cactus, although it is still possible to screw it up and kill it if you get the positioning wrong.

A pot plant is going to test you in ways you never imagined that could be relevant to running a business so let’s dive in and take a look at how taking care of a plant can help you succeed in business.

Time, Energy, Commitment & Consistency.

Just like running a business your plant will demand your attention. Fail in time, energy, commitment or consistency and you can kiss goodbye to your plant. It might be ok in the short term but it is never going to reach its full potential or make it long term.

Looking after a plant will show you exactly where your weaknesses are because you need all four to grow your business.

A business demands your attention daily. You can’t leave it to fend for itself. You have to look after it just like a plant. Honestly speaking if you can’t find the time to take care of your plant how the heck can you find the time to look after a business.

I know what you’re thinking, it’s just a plant, it will be different with a business. I’ll be committed. I’ll be enthusiastic. I’ll be making money and that changes everything.

Guess what? It won’t be different. How you are with your plant is exactly how you will be with your business. If you can’t manage your time and create effective systems to nurture your plant how will you find time to create systems or nurture your business?

There are many routine and boring tasks that you have to do in business. I’m a teacherpreneur and a plant owner so I speak from the heart when I say plants will help you learn more about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses in business.

In addition to teaching I have to do a lot of routine stuff to help my business grow. I have to make time to understand my clients, connect with them, send messages to nurture them, create materials to feed them and keep records to track progress. It’s not easy and it’s definitely not for sissies.

What does your plant want/need?

You need to research and understand everything about your plant. What type of soil does it need to thrive. How often should you feed it? When do you need to move it to a bigger pot. You have to monitor it and check its progress. Adjust your care based on how healthy the plant is. In the same way you would research your customers to understand their problems, find the solutions, collect feedback and continually adjust based on the data you collect.

The Right Positioning

Finally you need to find the right spot for your plant to thrive. Too much sun and it will wilt and die, not enough and it will fail to thrive. This is exactly like your business: you have to make sure you find the right place in the market to position yourself. You have to find your niche so you stand out from everyone else and then put yourself in the right place so you will get noticed. Some businesses will do well on Linkedin others are better suited to TikTok. Positioning is key to thriving.

So what do you think, have you got what it takes to start a business?

Comment below and let me know if you agree or disagree.

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