A Fast-Growing Business Allegory

Posted by Shakirah Dawud in Marketing & Business

I promised a few folks I’d post some pictures of the veggie garden I can’t seem to stop tweeting about, but it took me a minute to figure out exactly how to incorporate them into this space. I think I found a way, so let me know what you think of this very loose allegory between business and gardening.

They say starting is the hard part. On the contrary, starting is as easy as can possibly be. Although I’ve always maintained a garden of some size everywhere I’ve settled, I’m far from a master gardener. But still, starting was easy: I just looked up some seed companies, bought way too many seeds, plenty of expensive supplies, far too few books, and got “started” in February.

Tomatoes cucumbers, and cantaloupe in March. One of six trays of seedlings.

It was a solitary endeavor, and not because no one helped or wanted to help. I was selective about how I involved them. I wanted people to help haul dirt, and letting the kids plant seeds was cute, but I was secretive about the planning and fine details.

I was initially excited to tell everyone these little beauties were ready to eat, but after a while they started getting into my mouth before I got back inside.

But that’s not to say I didn’t seek advice; the Internet is still echoing with my clueless, circular trail in pursuit of information about soil volume and determinate versus indeterminate tomatoes. But I told the people closest to me just enough to keep them excited yet mystified about what I was up to.

It took weeks to mix my special dirt recipe, and although I was proud, I understood why others were skeptical. I’d never done anything on this scale before, and was riddled with self-doubt. Everyone asked, “So when will they sprout/bloom/be ready to pick?” I’d reply, “God knows.” For once, I wasn’t being sarcastic. I was following the best advice I could find, but I was overwhelmed and anxious and aware I didn’t have nearly as much control over the results as I would have liked.

… which is why I ordered these (lavender in front, lemon thyme in back) as seedlings.

The first month after planting was torture. Every plant sprouted only after I’d given up hope they’d show, and every one of them was worth the wait.

Corn in the background, peppers in the red cages, nasturtiums climbing up the teepee…

Part of my lack of confidence stemmed from my fair amount of bootstrapping; see that black border around the bottom of the picture? Gigantic grow bags–the biggest I could find for my purposes–were entrusted with my babies in a thin strip of yard that just barely gets enough sun to be considered within the full-sun range veggies need to grow. In March. Remember that spate of warm days? Yeah. They shivered through the cold days I hadn’t been expecting afterward.

I was sure I’d made a colossally expensive mistake. Six-foot corn in 10 inches of soil? Deep down, I thought I was crazy. Although I’d read and seen demonstrations of how to make it work, I was sure I’d missed the bit of information I needed to know I was wasting my time. But as the days grew longer…

The potato army.

Why they call them “cabbage roses.”

A cucumber baby, lovingly “supported” by string bean vines.

As they started to grow, I knew I’d have to prune for the most benefits, but it hurt–badly–every time I took my garden snips to one of my babies.  Every doubt rose up to tell me I was destroying a good thing. I did it anyway, and as each plant responded with ecstatic new growth, I gained confidence.

And now?

Butternut squash hiding behind the grow bag.

Cherry tomatoes!! And I don’t even like tomatoes!

The cornstalks that could. Over six feet? Yes, they did!

I’m grateful my mother advised me to take pictures when I began, because I still have to see them to believe that my jungle actually started like this:

Just three months ago…

Is this familiar to you in the growth and maintenance of your business? How was it different? Want any veggie seeds???

Enter your email to get random special notes from me about marketing copy, language, and grammar you can put to work as soon as you read them. It’s not a newsletter–it’s your chance to pull me aside for answers to your own questions, too!