How To Know When It's Time: Starting a Small Business: Part 1 Circumstances and Timing

This is the number one biggest topic in gardening...How do I know its time...time to sow seeds, when is it time to harvest or time to prune the roses or the fruit trees, or cut back the perennials?  How do I know when its time?  I got a fresh reminder of this question when I went out to check my bird feeders and found the black oil sunflower seed sprouting after a week of unseasonably warm and damp weather.

It was in the 50s all week last week...warm enough to sprout seeds

For one second I thought, "Gee, I should sow some sunflower seeds today."  It made things worse when I noticed the tall flower buds on my Hellebore and then the crocus shooting up out of the ground.

Yellow Cloak Crocus in mid January

Then it hit me...its only January!!! I think I'll wait a little before I give that desire any more thought.  Everything in its season for a reason.  I'm experiencing some parallels in my own life like this right now too.

Things still freeze solid in January

I just became a business owner for the first time a couple weeks ago.  This was not something I planned for, just like I didn't plan for those sprouting seeds, but is something that I needed to do after suddenly landing a contracted freelance writing job, my first job ever in this field. (I'm still pinching myself.)  It was so surreal  after years of only being able to dream of owning a business where I could work doing what I love to do, where my creativity could flourish.  Before now I was never able to get the legs underneath the hope I had for one reason or another and the dream of running my own business and creating the many things I wanted to make kept needing to be put off.  My story is a good example of how quickly things can change and how timing is sometimes everything.

I'm finding that creating a plan for my business has been very parallel to planning a garden for the first time, including having to wait until the brush gets cleared away before it can be built.

An congested corner in my garden needing a new look.

Circumstances and timing came together to suddenly push me out onto my future. Here I am trying to figure out what products to make like I used to have to choose what plants to grow.  I'm needing to find a workshop to work in which is not unlike evaluating a landscape and deciding where to place a garden.  Location is an important factor to the success of both and a hastily made decision can bring frustration and or failure in both worlds.

Hellebore seed pod ripening

Pretty soon I will be looking for seed money to feed my new little business and help further establish its foundation and future growth just like I've shopped for soil amendments that will help improve the soil in my garden giving the plants a healthy foundation to grow in.

Finally I am seeking the wise counsel of those who have traveled this path before because know I don't know what the heck I am doing and have a ton of questions about what comes next.  When I was in junior high school a teacher of mine told our class that the only stupid question is one that never gets asked. I am working hard to be fearless about asking any question I have no matter how silly the question may sound to me.  When I don't ask questions I find I am always wishing I would have and wondering if I got things right.

If only I had asked the question I wouldn't be stuck here!

If it had happened any other way I'm certain I would have second guessed the timing, fought with my own insecurities and probably never even have started a business at all .  Because of how things have come together I know the timing is right and it makes it a lot easier to forge ahead in the process so my patience is paying off.  If things aren't coming together for you I recommend you take a step back, maybe it isn't time yet.  But if it is, jump on that pony, hang on tight and ride!

I know this is somewhat of an unconventional look at starting a small business but we are each individuals in individual circumstances so take it for what its worth and I hope you have been inspired.



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