“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” – John C. Maxwell

I have felt some frustration this week as various reports have been published on PPP. Our government response is markedly better than what it came up with during the Great Depression, yet numerous abuses, operational glitches, and a woeful underestimation of need have left thousands of small businesses teetering or simply with no way forward. That’s the grim reality of it, but my thoughts continue to be occupied with the way forward into business growth.

I have spent more time at home this spring than any in at least the past 35 years, maybe more. The time has renewed my appreciation of seasons and the beauty that can emerge from fallow seasons of darkness. At our house, we are rolling into our third profusion of color in our yard. I have seen more neighbors tending to flower beds and lawns than I have seen in a long, long time. Not saying they were not doing it all along…. maybe I am just seeing more since I am around more. I hate to be old school, but it kind of warms my heart to see families working together in the yard. I will always have a soft spot for that kid pushing the mower for the first time, seemingly overmatched by the sheer size of the mower but trundling behind anyway, never quitting.

This season of pandemic is a dark and fallow one for the world, but I do have faith and hope that a new season will be upon us soon. I found myself reflecting on a few growth ideas I have found to be true and effective over the years. I believe they are equally true for business growth.

Seasons Come And Go – Do What Is Required In Each One

Seasons and cycles are nothing new to business owners. It’s been awhile since we have endured a down cycle, but economists are constantly predicting the next one so it must be a “thing”. This pandemic is breathtaking because of the sheer magnitude of the cycle, and it is not within the normal cadence of seasonality for certain businesses. But the fundamental nature of it is something business owners have had to manage since commerce began. Economic cycles present great opportunity to retool for those with good liquidity and capitalization. The months with R’s are always the best months for tree planting, which takes you from fall through winter and into early spring.  Maybe this is the time to plant that new idea for your business growth, or enrich others with additional investment.

Pruning Enables Future Growth

When things start turning brown in the yard, we instinctively know it is time to prune and trim. In the pruning action, we know that things will come back fuller and more glorious than ever. Business is less tangible, even abstract compared to the landscape, but it is equally true. When we decide, we literally lop something off. When we incise, we cut in, when we excise, we pull something out. Deciding is a pruning action. In this deep cycle, have the courage to make hard decisions and do not leave any part of your business untouched. Your business will come back fuller and more glorious than ever before.

Environments Are Everything For Getting the Growth You Want

I have had so many situations over the years in which plants and shrubs were doing ok, but not great. My frustration and disappointment would build until I just had to do something about it. I have moved plants and shrubs to brighter spaces and shadier places, pruned back trees to allow more sunlight in, and even changed soil composition to retain more water or drain better. I remember one time planting two native species in the same bed, only to find out that one of them was just insanely aggressive and completely crowded the other out in the span of about two years. The environment turned out to be everything. Now is the time to be hyper-aware of environments – things like competitive landscapes, business model variations, marketing approaches. You may find you have a business model with more room to run than you ever have. Just pay attention and THINK. It is way too easy to be obsessed with our hardships when things are not going well.

Sometimes Things Grow In The Most Unlikely Places, For No Apparent Reason

Not to be NSFW in a business blog, but plant sex is real, people. I have had the craziest stuff pop in my yard over the years. I thought I had a Jack In The Beanstalk remake by my mailbox one year….looked a little different at first, almost pulled it, then thought, “what the heck….let’s see what happens here!”. It was freaking sorghum. I recall a neighbor asking, “Hey, what you got going on over there?” I still laugh about it. But I have had some keepers, too – redbud trees, maple trees, others. The state where I reside is basically a gigantic limestone slab. It blows my mind how little earth some things need to take root. It’s like they are growing right out of the rock sometimes. The next great ideas for your business may come from the most unlikely people, in the most unlikely parts of your organization. you have time to survey your property and see what you can keep. It may be tall timber one day.

As John C. Maxwell puts it, “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” The times are certainly changing and will likely never be the same again. Business growth is a choice.  Choose to grow, and be intentional about it.