Growing and Nurturing Your Business

Joy here - I was feeling a little overwhelmed the other day. Do you ever get overwhelmed, not only by the things you HAVE to do, but also the things you WANT to do? I sure do.

Anyway, I decided to put everything aside and go play in some dirt (this is where my dad pops into my head, saying "It's 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, Joy.").

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your business grow?

I have a bunch of plants that I needed to re-pot, or plant because they had just been sitting in water.

Call me crazy, but as I was playing in the 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, getting messy and seeing just how badly I had neglected some of them, I started thinking about how growing plants is like growing and nurturing your business.

First, you need to have good soil.

You need a good foundation, a strong brand identity.

You need to know who you are, what you stand for and what experience you provide (in-store and online).

Without good soil, a good, healthy starting point, the rest will be difficult and chaotic.

Need more guidance on brand identity? Click here.

Next is the roots.

You need good, strong roots to help your plant survive, and they need room to grow.

The root of your business is your website. This is often the first thing people check. It needs to be well-established with room to grow, meaning you can update it easily.

Not sure if you can manage your website? We say you can.

Sunlight

We all know that plants need just the right amount of sun to help them grow and spread.

Your business needs to use keywords and other SEO tactics to "shine a light" on your business to allow it to go in many directions and be seen.

Need more info on Search Engine Optimization? No Problem. You'll find everything you need here.

Watering

When it comes to plants, maybe you're like me. You never know what's too much and what's too little.

The thing is, most plants are pretty resilient, so you can try until you find the right schedule, and keep consistent.

Now you probably know what I'm going to say next.

Your social media for your business needs to stay healthy with frequent posting (watering). We often go back and forth wondering what is too much and what is too little.

Don't worry too much about that. Find something that works best for you, and keep consistent.

We have more ideas and more clarity on how to use social media right here.

Fertilizer

This is a step I often forget or just overlook in growing my plants, and I think it's a huge mistake.

In addition to watering, you need to change things up and throw in a healthy dose of fertilizer.

In your business, you need to try new platforms and mediums in your social media.

This will help you grow further, stand out more and reach more people.

Fertilizer makes your plant more vibrant and robust.

New platforms and mediums (going live, YouTube, reels, TikTok, video, etc.) will make your business more vibrant, and your life, too. It's so much fun to play around

Not sure you need to be on TikTok? Let's see if Toby can't convince you.

The Right Pot

Okay, this might seem extra, but it's not, because who doesn't prefer a plant that's in a nice pot?

What are your website and social media photos like? Are they going to draw people in and make them pick you? You don't need to be fancy, perfect or professional. You just need a decent-quality camera. Presentation really is everything.

And if photography really isn't your thing, maybe one of your employees has a fire Instagram and would love the opportunity to play and improve their skills, while taking that responsibility off your shoulders.

On your own for photos? No worries, we have all the tips you need here.

And there you have it! Grow and nurture your business, and when it gets to be too much, go and play in some 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩.

For all-things business growth, check this out.