Last week I moved some raspberry plants. While I was digging, I had an epiphany (granted, it may have been from the blood rushing to my head while I was bent over) that my gardening philosophy was quite a bit like my business philosophy.

If it’s not thriving move it. Sometimes more than once (I’m looking at you, rhubarb). In business, we should be constantly measuring the success of our projects. Are they generating the Return On Investment (ROI) that we want them to? Are they delivering the right results? Could the outcome be better? What would I have to change to make it even a little bit better? It’s said that “the enemy of Great is Good” (Jim Collins). That refers to our tendency to become complacent (or mediocre) when things are going okay and not seek out the next iteration that will make everything better. Take an honest look at all the aspects of your business, including marketing, employees, location, profit margin, etc. Are they good or great? Have you ever not replaced an employee that was “just okay” because the idea of the firing/hiring process was daunting? How much better could the business be if you had a high performing employee (they are out there!) in that position and how much easier could the employee management be? Give your business a review and evaluate whether all the parts are thriving. If they are not, what are you going to do differently?

Put a $5 plant in a $10 hole. In business, set up your projects for success. When you hire an employee, make sure you do an excellent job of on-boarding them. Have everything ready for them- desk, computer, email, employee manual, introductions- the first day so that they can start being productive and feel like part of the team right away. That’s your $10 hole! When you start a new marketing campaign, don’t expect it to flourish without your attention. Very few things are “set it and forget it”. Using Google Adwords? Do some research into the keywords and see what your competitors are doing. Monitor your results and make changes to optimize them. If you need help with any aspect of your business consider hiring an expert, asking a mentor or someone in your network for their opinion or feedback. Investing time, attention, and sometimes more money, into a business project can help you to achieve the results you want.

Prune. But read the instructions first. Eliminate the stuff that’s in your way. Cut off the dead stuff. If we’re talking about employees please consult with Human Resources first! Think about what aspects of your business prevent you from growing or developing the business in the way you’d like. This could be employees, doing things “the way we’ve always done them”, or negative thinking- either in your own head or from those around you. Evaluate the value of what you’ve got and the possibilities of what could happen if you eliminate it. Here in Connecticut there are a lot of plants that if you prune them at the wrong time or place you won’t get flowers the following year- hydrangea (they flower on the dead wood), rhododendrons, azaleas, clematis. Doing a little research before pruning can help you prevent a mistake and get even better results in the future!

The raspberries have a new location- farther away from the chickens (who think the leaves are tasty) and where the soil is better. If that doesn’t work, I’ll move them again next year!