Last week I gave my friend some sage gardening advice, which is funny because I live in an apartment and have probably killed as many plants as I have successfully kept alive over the years.

My friend, who lives in New England, was lamenting that her lovely garden still sat dormant. She worried that nothing would bloom this year because last year, by this time, sprouts were everywhere, and trees were already budding.

I told her to wait a week or two. Last winter was much warmer than this winter, and it was still pretty frosty temperature-wise.
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Give it a little time—those were my wise words.

Then, this week, I noticed the crocuses had popped up all around my neighborhood, virtually overnight. I texted my friend to see whether she saw signs of life yet in her garden.

Sure enough, that very day, she'd noticed a single crocus and buds on the cherry tree and forsythia.

Gardening is an apt metaphor for business development because we entrepreneurs are always sowing seeds for our success.

Some take root and flower rather quickly.

Others may lie dormant, waiting for conditions to be just right before they blossom.

It's helpful to keep this in mind as you implement new marketing and sales strategies or introduce new offerings—some will drive revenue in the short term, while others may take more time and care to blossom into opportunity.

Successful businesses pursue their short and long-term goals simultaneously while tracking their progress on each front.

My friend's worry came from assessing her garden's progress this year compared to where it was at the same time last year. While this is an excellent yardstick, it doesn't always account for external forces that impact our success and growth.

Like the weather's impact on a garden, things outside your control may influence the speed and extent of your success.

These days, your business may suffer due to inflation, gas prices, supply chain issues, labor costs, unrest at home or aboard, changes in tax codes, regulations, and other legal requirements or restrictions.

Although, I've had several entrepreneurs tell me that business has picked up over the past month or two, I know that's not everyone's experience.

And, just because everything might be blooming in your business today, that doesn't mean you're immune to future setbacks.

So, whatever your situation is right now, as we head full force into spring, I encourage you to consider these questions:

• What are your short and long-term goals?
• How are you seeding the opportunities now that will help you achieve them?
• What's the yardstick you're using to measure your progress and success?
• What are the external forces that could impact your success?
• What contingencies are you putting into place to protect you from and help you deal with them?

When you run a business—much like tending a garden—you really can't experience the incredible joys without investing a good deal of work and worry upfront.

But, oh, the joy when everything's in bloom. Am I right?

In case you missed it, last week I was also in the garden, so to speak—eating frogs as a productivity hack.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need some help seeding your business success!

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Your success is our strategy!