“The crops were planted, tended, and harvested – now the ground lies fallow, awaiting the new planting. Did the year fail? I think not. What may appear as the darkest night, is merely the Winter season – the time of renewal and rebirth that precedes the new planting – the beginning of the next great cycle.”
Just because the thermometer outside reads 90 degrees doesn’t mean your business is smoking hot. As business owners we get excited when clients start coming in and our programs start filling up. The all-nighters, the tedious hours of setting up systems and the clients who failed to convert seem like a distant memory. But what about those moments when you are looking at a frozen tundra of entrepreneurship in what should be summer? How can you keep the faith something will manifest for you when all you see is dirt?
It’s easy to get discouraged, especially if you’ve been trying for a while to grow your business. Maybe you’re not attracting the right kind of clients or making the impact you thought you would by now. You feel like you are working so hard, but your entrepreneurial garden is just not flourishing. Don’t despair, you can grow a bountiful business, but there may be 2 reasons you are not seeing results yet.
First, you may be planting the wrong seeds! You need to understand your environment to grow a successful garden. What is the make-up of the soil? Is it sandy or clay? What is the acidic level? How much sun do you get? How much rain? The same is true for you brand.You may be trying to grow something that is not organic to your own personal brand environment. @Heather Poduska (Click to Tweet)
You need to have an intimate understanding of what kinds of business seeds will most successfully sprout in the soil of your personal brand. What is your temperament? What are the internal conditions where the seed needs to germinate? Are you fiery or cool? Perhaps you are trying to plant a business seed in your artistic soul that would thrive much better in the heart of an engineer.
Secondly, there is a very good chance your garden isn’t blooming now because you are actually still in the winter of your business! Hey, we all want results yesterday, but it takes time to grow a brand. You don’t just plant a seed and, boom, it sprouts up tomorrow. What you do now, everyday, is laying the foundation for a bountiful harvest. You just need to keep going and keep consistently espousing your message.
Just as every seed will not take root, not every effort you put forth will yield results. You need to keep at it. Don’t get discouraged if things don’t happen for you right away. Every piece of feedback is valuable. If you try something and it doesn’t work, you know to try something differently next time. As you plant more seeds and try new things, you will learn which pieces of your brand you’ll want to nurture.
Your brand year is not failing. Your summer is coming, even if it’s not in July!
I love to hear your voice!
How do you keep motivated while waiting for the fruits of your labor?
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