Your Business is Like a Garden.
Is Yours in Full Bloom or is it Withering Away?

As we head into summer, gardeners are filled with joy to see the fruits of their labor. Over the past few months, avid gardeners have toiled many hours to cultivate the perfect vegetable or flower garden. Filled with passion, they prepare the soil, select the varieties of plants, plot the space, feed and water and if lucky, recruit a few hands to keep the weeds at bay. This plan is executed sequentially and with a little help from Mother Nature, gardeners experience great satisfaction in witnessing their gardens’ growth and experience a bountiful harvest.

In many ways, your business is like a garden. Owning and running a business requires planning and care. The business like a garden goes through seasons igniting a need for adaptation and change to different conditions. Without devoting time to assess the needs and take action, your garden or business will wither away or become overgrown. Take some time now to assess your business and prepare to move it into full bloom.

Preparation – A fertile soil yields positive results. Preparing the soil can be likened to client meetings. How well prepared are you for client meetings? Have you revisited the client notes or financial plan? Do you follow a meeting agenda? Is there a need to change the format or frequency based on the client? Preparation is the key to open discussions and relationship growth.

Plan for Growth – Even with the most fertile soil, you cannot grow everything in your garden. As in your business it is important to be selective and attuned to capacity. Have you identified your ideal client? Do you have a formal services and fee schedule? Are the right team members in place? Focus on what grows well in your garden and allow your root strength to shine.

Maintain – Keep your garden in shape with adequate watering, pruning and weeding. Too many weeds restrict the growth of plants just like too many clients can restrict you from fully developing relationships. Has your service level dropped? Have the number of incoming calls increased? Is your staff taxed? Are your monthly expenses escalating? Periodically prune your book to foster growth. So are you content with your garden? If not, fertilize the soil with knowledge, plant ideal seeds and remove the weeds to enjoy a fruitful business with each coming year.

Written by Beth Ruggiero who tapped into change to form Climb High Consulting, LLC for financial advisors.

To learn more, contact Beth at beth@climbhighconsulting.com