From A to Z, via C, J and W
Paula, Mill Pond Flower Farm
Where are you and your business going? Some people have a very clear vision of where they want to be in 1, 3 and 5 years, they’ve written a business plan and mapped it out. Throughout this course we’ve encouraged you to look at how flower farming fits into your life and how to make it all work for you as a person. One of the things that Carol, Claire and I have in common is that although none of us have a blueprint for a successful flower farm, the thing we DO have is a clear idea of what we want from our lives, where flower farming fits into it, and where we hope to be in a few years time.
Twelve years ago, I worked as a Director of Quality and Accreditation for an awarding body, a responsible and well paid job, interesting and challenging, working with good colleagues. The organisation took staff development very seriously and wanted to know about my ambitions for the future so they could provide development opportunities and training. I didn’t know what I wanted, but I knew I didn’t want to stay in that role long term. They paid for me to discuss future options with an independent consultant. We chatted about the reason I was there, what the organisation wanted, the possible outcomes, not really coming to any conclusion. Then he asked me a question:
What would you do if money was no object?
That was an easy question to answer – something to do with growing, working outdoors, a bit of teaching, a few hours volunteering, time for family and friends, a bit of kayaking. Although I’d never talked about it before, I knew exactly what I wanted, not the detail, but the elements and the proportions. Taking money out of the conversation made it easy to articulate because there was no pressure, it was purely blue-sky thinking. It was a revelation!
So, the next question was how would I get there?
The advice I was given was very sensible and practical.
Don’t try to do it all at once, have in your head where you’re going and make decisions that will take you in that direction.
We put our house on the market (just as the financial crisis hit, poor timing!) I changed my job to one more home based and further north, we looked for some land, moved slowly, tried things out. It wasn’t quick or direct, but I’ve ended up doing growing, working outdoors, a bit of teaching, a bit of volunteering, time for family and friends – I’m still working on the balance and the kayaks are collecting leaves rather than waves but there’s still time for that one!
“TASK
Have a go at putting down on the worksheet what your ideal life would be
It can change over time, you can add in new developments and interests, and you don’t have to share it with anyone, but it might help you to be clear about your direction”
How to Plan for an Unknown Destination
If you’re really not sure about your ultimate destination, but you’re happy to keep on moving and see where you end up, there are still a few things you can do to help prepare for the future.
1. Enjoy the process
We can be in such a rush to get where we’re going, even if we don’t know where that is, that we can miss the scenery along the way. If you know you won’t be doing it forever, even the most mundane job can be enjoyable, just treat it as part of your process and look for the positives.
If you’re juggling flower farming with bringing up children, it can be a challenge to find time to do everything in the time you have, but you don’t want to wish away the time with small ones who grow up so fast.
2. Be Curious
There are so many opportunities when you’re developing a new area of work. Being curious about things you’ve never done or experienced can often bring huge rewards. It can take you in unexpected directions and bring you in contact with people well outside of your usual group, but can also expand your idea of what your role could be and how your business can work.
I’d never been involved in a photoshoot before but was approached by a photographer and gave it a go. I learned a lot from the process, how it all works, what a model does that’s different to an ‘ordinary’ person, what flowers need to look like and how robust they need to be, how much hanging about there is, how boring it would be to do every day...an insight into someone else’s world is always fascinating.
3. Develop networks
We sell flowers to people. Finding a market for our flowers is the key to a successful flower farm, even more than being a technically competent grower. If you’re going to develop a retail flower business you need to be able to reach more than just people who already love flowers. Look at who you know, what you do and who you interact with. They’re all potential promoters for your business even if they won’t buy from you and they can be your routes to new markets. Think about your networks and work out how you can cultivate news ones that might open you up to new experiences.
Last year we added signwriting to our flower delivery van and it was amazing how many people commented that they didn’t realise that we were the people who ran the flower farm. They knew us, and that there was a flower farm, but not that it was OUR flower farm. We clearly hadn’t been using all our local networks and we’ve had a lot more local enquiries since then.
4. Develop skills
Which skills do you think would be useful in your life? You may have a plan for growing skills directly related to flower farming, but it’s always worth taking up opportunities to develop additional skills that can be transferred and applied.
In 1989, I was working a nurse, had a couple of small children and no time to do any learning outside the house. I got a book out of the library and taught myself to touch type. At the time, I’d never done any admin and computers were not yet widely available, but I thought it would be a useful skill. It is a skill that has saved me hours and hours of time in the intervening years, I type quickly and with fewer typos and can hold a conversation at the same time. I also took the opportunity to train as a tutor through my job, it was extra work but gave me a basic teaching qualification which has allowed me to move between sectors and teach with confidence across a range of subjects. Developing transferable skills can be time very well spent.
5. Don’t look at the rock!
If you’re paddling a boat down a river and approaching an enormous rock that could spell disaster, where should you be looking? It’s tempting to look at the rock, it’s the focus of doom and needs to be avoided. However, looking at the rock means you’re much more likely to hit it. You need to look in the direction you’re going, paddle hard and keep focused. The same is true in business. You need to be aware of possible obstacles so that you can avoid them, but keep focussing on where you’re going so that your efforts are used in a positive direction.
Values-led approaches to business
How you behave is underpinned by your values. We all have firmly held beliefs that affect the decisions we make and the things we do and these values are key aspects of how we develop our flower farms. Values affect the direction of our lives and the development of our businesses. There’s no need to feel we all need to have the same values, or that we should try to be a particular way. It’s important to understand which values give us direction however, so that we can take them into account when planning and developing our businesses.
For example:
If one of your priority values is Balance – taking the opportunity to develop through family, friends, at work and play, then you might set your business hours to allow you to collect your children from school, help elderly relatives with their shopping or go to a choir. These things are important to you so you make sure they are possible or there will always be a conflict between what you are doing at work and what you feel you should be doing.
If one of your priority values is Perfection - complete and correct in every way, then you are more likely to spend time getting aspects of your work exactly right and need to build this in to your schedule
The important thing about values is not feeling you should have the same ones as others or society might expect, but knowing which values are important to you so that you understand the impact this will have on your decisions on a day to day basis.
You might also choose to promote your values through your work
For example, If one of your priority values is Sustainability – being able to maintain activity without adversely impacting on others or the environment, then you could tell your customers what you do to limit the impact of your business on the environment.
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Question
Are your business values easy to identify and promote?”