Learnings from trying to find my tribe & planting my own veggies
Gardening is Like Starting a Business
Retrospective from a Green-Nerd (Indoor experiments)
September 2018 I started searching for a team to help me work on problems worth solving. (Yes I know how machiavellian that sounds). — — (Anyway, searching more vigilantly than before). Around this time, I also decided to take up a new hobby of gardening. The theory behind it was to reconnect with nature…almost lost my mind from carrying around some baggage. A grief case to be exact. My life had become exceedingly more digital, and lost. I started feeling ill, addicted to my devices and to work. The more I tried to avoid dealing with pain and opting for digital distractions or work, the more the screen stole my attention, the more ill I became.
I forced myself to try something new…hence the gardening experiments began.
Besides, my only hobby or passion project at the time was work. So it was suggested to me, to find a hobby. Something that doesn’t have a purpose. Now in my mind, I would never fill my time with anything frivolous. If you do anything it must be with the purpose to learn something new, or implement a new habit. My past was too frivolous, that there is no longer time to waste on doing things without meaning.
Throughout this process, I have found that the more you learn about gardening, the more you learn about life itself. The planting process is beautifully analogous to starting a business. I’ve learnt so much about business and about myself. Managed to address a lack of patience through this activity. I am still impatient, but the wait is slightly more tolerable. Anyone who says you need therapy hasn’t tried gardening.
We live in an instant gratification world.. during a time where I believe we need to learn to force ourselves to wait. Force ourselves to learn to appreciate the wait and to focus no longer on the outcome, but on the journey/ process itself. The irony, that someone who focuses on journeys in general, forgets to enjoy their own journey, in the process of optimising processes for others.
I’d like to share what I’ve learnt in the last 2 years or so, which has helped me immensely. Which could possibly help someone else too.
The Green Business Philosophy
All you need is a seed, soil, sunlight, water & time
- Think of the seed as a thought/idea. The soil as space to grow, time to think and rethink. (research, ideate, strategise, develop, test, rethink, think about thinking).
- Sunlight as data/information
- Water as budget or attention (attention or focus is actually more important than the financial investment)
- Time = time.
Having a great idea means nothing, what matters is having space to incubate/germinate that idea. Sharing with others in a safe space who see the world differently. And instead of immediately crushing it for being a crazy idea. Keep those who would rather nurture or engage in discussions. Help you illuminate that idea with more information through back and forth debate. In order for it to grow, survive and thrive, you will need consistent budget dedicated to this specific idea. If not cashflow, all you need is to focus on the idea and give enough attention & energy to make it real. But mostly you will need patience to see it through over time.
You’ll never know everything, but start anyway
You can read all the examples online or in books about the best things to do, and the right way to plant, (or start a business). Or go to yet another workshop, or entrepreneurial accelerator or another slit-my-wrists-meetup 🙄… because you fear you may be missing some information and better learn more…and yet no matter how much you’ll read, learn theoretically ... you will learn and remember more by just getting your hands dirty, and starting.
Research as much as you can before you start, but just start
Just as the practice increases expertise, so too does starting right. Research, plan, do, test then correct it
Your Design isn’t going to be perfect the first time, plan ahead, before jumping in. But accept that it doesn’t have to be perfect — just do it
Not every first garden becomes a landscapers masterpiece. Just do it anyway. Just as not every little epiphany becomes a great idea fully formed into an ideal reality. Most ideas die on their way from your brain to your mouth. The point is to put the idea into action.
You learn to accept failure — and you learn to look deeper
A dying plant or failed project is a lesson to be learnt. What went wrong, was there too much water? Not enough water? Was it planted at the right time? Are there pests? Why are the leaves discolored? Everything has a reason, it’s simply cause and effect. Sometimes that seed was simply planted at the wrong time, or put in the wrong soil. So too, you can relate to your choice in company. Choose who you keep around you carefully, use your time wisely, choose which seeds/ideas to share with others. Or think of dying plants as poor ideas- relook at your initial concept… was that the root problem?
Nurturing the soil is more important than anything else
Think of the soil as the relationships we create with others. Whether it be family or business, how we care for that relationship, determines the end result. Do you care to have people around you who you trust and who trust you? If this matters to you, then care for that soil. Check in, nurture, water it, give it sunlight. The idea/project = seed.. the team = soil.. if you don’t care enough or appropriately look after team, the the team won’t carry the idea..they won’t see it through. And for us avoidant types, that means getting your hands dirty!🤭
Too much water is just as bad as too little
Overbearing relationships, neediness (which can also be anxious attachment — which means, perhaps it’s time to relook at yourself)….are you dismissive, avoidant or unreasonable which then causes your friends/family to become more demanding. These are enough to kill a friendship. In business and in life, we need to create boundaries upfront with everyone. Let them know what is too much or too little. (I’m saying this as if I’ve figured it out…but I still feel responsible for every request which comes my way, and cannot say no to any idea I know how to implement). Boundaries.. pfft.. One day, I’ll get this right
Overwatering (or giving too much) depends on whether you are the drowning plant or the one holding the watering can…in each interaction we could be either, remember the role gets reversed and we sometimes need water too. (when seedlings don’t receive enough sunlight, they stretch — they reach for the sun and grow too quicly. What happens next? The stem gets too brittle, and the stem breaks. The roots don’t get established, the branch stalk doesn’t strengthen, and it topples over. So too with business, steady growth should be the aim, not going in guns blazing without establishing roots and firm foundation first.
You need to adapt with the seasons
You can’t naturally plant strawberries every season, just like you can’t plant sunflowers in winter. There’s a time for everything. There’s even a time to pivot and change your company product/service offering.
You need to prepare for winter
It’s not always summer, and the sun doesn’t always shine. Things grow, and die. This is the cycle we must understand upfront. It’s the reality we must face, everything is ephemeral. Nothing stays the same. Care for your plants wisely, and harvest seeds from your existing plants, to sow the next round. Every time you make a sale, put some profit away. Invest in new projects which you will watch bloom another day. You can’t do the same thing everyday.
Little things are actually big things
People say we “have to do this” , “we have to achieve this” “we have to get that degree, or this job, drive, marry, breed” — no one looks to stop and realise that a whole ecosystem survives without any need for you to control it. Most of the earth would do just fine without our hand in it. But it’s the little things in our daily lives, the little actions like stopping to smell the roses (literally), watching a plant bloom where one previously didn’t exist. These little things are the big things that remind us how small we are in the greater scheme of things. But our little actions over time, make a difference. (It will not kill you to be kind to the next person, try it).
Usually the biggest triumphs are the ones unspoken and unseen by others.
There are good bugs & bad bugs for your plants
Bugs are like people, ( or people can be like bugs), some are good for you, and others are bad. Some are aphids and can suck the life out of your plant/ or your company / your time. Other people in your life are like lady bugs. They eat the aphids, and help your company to thrive. Be a lady bug or get a lady bug friend. Remove the aphids from your life.
You need to choose the right plants for your type of soil — or just change the soil
My first batch of soil, was cheap soil. Cheap soil is dangerous, it doesn’t appear different on the surface, but once you put your seeds there, nothing will flourish. It was like finding a service provider with values which don’t align to yours. I was young once, and thought in my early freelance days, let me give them a chance, maybe I’m wrong and just being judgmental. Let’s partner up. Only to find that after introducing them to my client, they almost ruined my relationship with client. The entire process was a waste of time. Hence ends up more expensive in the long run. Because you lose not only income, but also credibility with your client. Waste of time, energy and sanity. Every plant died in that soil. Lost clients from working with that person. Never buying there again and haven’t worked with him in years.
Be extra careful with seedlings
Seedlings are like early-stage projects, new ideas or like young talent. They need extra care. They don’t adapt to transplanting too well, you have to be very careful when moving them from seedling tray to bigger pot or planter box. Are they ready? Let them grow a bit, make sure they can stand on their own before you transplant them.
Give your seeds enough space, don’t try to plant everything in one section
I jumped in my first attempt, I was so excited to plant, that I figured I didn’t need to read. ( I ended up filling my initial planter box with too many seeds (too close to each other) and within 3 months I had overcrowding plants. Some were just not thriving while others just took over. I believe the same would be true in companies. From my experience, overcrowded large companies are no good. They do not allow for balance. They promote social loafing. Visibility of what’s going on starts to fade, and you are no longer able to give individual attention. (I have already decided to never be that big.
Or you can think of it as when you plant, you can plant 10 seeds in a certain space, but you can ultimately get a better yield with just 3 seeds .
Instead of putting all your seeds in one box (eg. too many ideas at once), focus instead on less and let it thrive, than to focus on a lot which doesn’t yield much.
Same with teams, too many in a team is just chaos..with less getting done at all. More is achieved in a shorter space of time in pairs, threes…and if you have good processes and effective communication then 5. More than 5 is just admin.
Some grow and continue to grow, some never grow, and some start off well, but just die
Just like ideas, companies or people, some grow, some are stunted and remain like bonsai, they are stuck in a small container, and remain small. Most of us as women in any workplace are made out to be bonsai. Trimmed down to conform and to not grow to potential. And if you do aim to be better than your former self, you’re labelled as a cactus. 🤭 I’m cracking myself up with this analogy.
Other plants… die too early, never to reach full maturity. Others start off tiny like a mustard seed, take their time, but they endure.
Every plant has their own requirement to grow
Some grow better together, some need the sun. Some need daily water. Some need to belong, need external validation in order to thrive. And some of us, some plants don’t care if you put us in the shade or remove the sun. Some of us learnt a long time ago that you can never please everyone- we learnt early to grow without that validation. Some plants grow better in the shade, outside of the group, with very little water. Having a thicker skin, to retain water, some plants can thrive without any human interaction or interference at all.
Look at nature for reference, most of it is not restored but rather ruined at the hands of poor human design with the intention of power, greed and corruption. Without foresight or a view of the future. Without the respect of other ecosystems which coexist. Without the love of nature or consideration for community. We live in a world without ethical processes. Systems designed without consideration, and without view of impact. It is our job to change this.
Companies, People without respect for the planet …Lack perspective.
Some plants are best indoors, and some plants are best outdoors
I have tried really hard to grow veggies indoors… after 2 years, I give up. I cannot live with aphids, and I cannot deal with pesticides. Catch 22. It’s time to come to terms with the fact that I do not have the patience for that kind of process. But, at least not everything has not died.
Learn to “grow” through it
At one stage there were 144 species of plants in this little home of mine through experimentation. From vegetables, flowers, bonsai’s, succulents and evergreens. Today, there are only 31 which have survived. These plants help me realise when I’ve spent too much time at my computer, because I’ll look at them and realise I haven’t watered them on time. Their wilting leaves help me see when I am out of sync as a person and when I have moved back into digital overworking mode. It forces me stop, take a break and give some care to my plants, my son, even to myself.
Just the act of caring for your plants by watering them reminds you that you are human, only here for a short while, like a plant. That moment is peace and we should make the most of the time we have now.
I started this journey after the death of a friend. I miss her terribly, and I accept that I always will feel this way. Like many things, we choose to do things to distract ourselves so we don’t have to face what we are really feeling. However during the process of distraction, there is always a relevant lesson to be learnt. We will learn even when we don’t want to face it. Out of all my distractions, learning to “grow” through pain has been the most fruitful.
Happy planting!
🌻🍃
