Plant Your Seeds and Move to the Next Row

Yep, just like in gardening, business is a plant and wait prospect. Not saying that you don't do the tending, such as weeding out the bad prospects, or nourishing the good ones, but once we've picked the spot and planted the seed, it's just a matter of waiting for it to grow.

The size and quality of your crop is dependent on the work you put into the cultivation. Put in the elbow grease early and you'll enjoy a fairly trouble free and bountiful return.

One of the issues that we, as business owners have though is that we're impatient. We plant it and expect it to grow overnight, and it doesn't always work that way. Plant it and move to the next row and plant some more. Keep going and one day you'll look back and see the healthy crops that have sprung up behind you.

Most importantly, we have to be thankful for what we have. Every little bit helps and builds us up to better deal with next season. Here's to healthy crops all around this year!

The difference between diversification and chasing too many rabbits

Have you ever heard the saying "if you chase too many rabbits you won't catch any"? The logic there is pretty sound, no? If you spend too much time chasing odd and varied goals, it becomes really damn hard to accomplish anything with any degree of success.

At the same time, how many times have you been told that diversification is the key to continued success? Sounds like a contradiction, right? The problem with cliche based advice, in any area of your life, is that no one really takes the time to really understand what it means.

There IS a difference between diversification and chasing too many rabbits. A lot of people don't take the time to figure out this difference though.

An example of chasing too many rabbits might be the guy down the street that fixes motorcycles and runs a lawn care/snow removal service. In a situation like that you may have moderate success doing both, but there's no room for growth because there's no room for serious dedication to either one.

Diversification though is a whole other animal. A good example of diversification is the musician who writes, records, and performs music, but finds other ways to make his talent work for him, such as licensing his music to film, tv, or web. He's still working within his field and can fully dedicate to growth and expansion, but is finding other avenues to generate the income he needs to make that growth happen.

It's a fine line between the two, but it's one that we have to find in order to be the best we can be. To grow beyond the normal limitations of our skill or trade.

What can you do to hang up your rabbit chasing ways and diversify?