This last weekend was the first one in a while that we’ve had some nice weather, and where I’ve had a non-working weekend.  I spent most of it either in the greenhouses around town or in my backyard planting what I bought and tending my perennials.  I do love gardening although my definition of gardening doesn’t include weeding 🙂  It is the planting of flowers, the transplanting, pruning, tending and trimming. 

I realized also that gardening (or at least my definition of it) and running a business are very similar, perhaps which is why I enjoy both.  It is evident in my backyard where I spend most of my time.  Those areas are carefully groomed, the plants are flourishing, and the flowers are brightly coloured and in great abundance.  It is also those rose bushes which I prune and feed, which reward me with radiant flowers that multiply faster and are healthy even when I miss a week or two in tending them.  The areas I don’t look after get overrun with weeds, usually with thorny weeds, that take over my garden and kill everything in their path.
Sound familiar?  Is the analogy too obvious?  It is the area of your business and the team members that you nurture which will grow and flourish.  If you leave everything to its own devices, it will be weeds in your business that will take over and likely provide you with a business you aren’t very proud of showing off to your neighbours.
The picture above is a snapshot of the Bougainvillea I planted in my backyard this weekend and are climbing up the back of my house.  Would love to hear what area you tend most in your business that you find provides you with the greatest reward.