Part 3 - How To Know When It's Time: Starting a Small Business

Now that all the registration is done, the hoops are all successfully cleared, what I face next seems a less obvious challenge. I've dreamed of having a business like this for nearly twenty years and I have notebooks and a head full of ideas.  To not do them all at once like I try to sow too many seeds all at once will be challenging.  To know which ideas are going to be the best is going to take some time and I need to take the time to evaluate and test them before settling on the best ones.

The pot collection last spring

I was not very good at this early on in my experience as a gardener and was constantly bringing home plants I had no business buying because I fell in love with their pretty little faces.  These would either ended up getting crammed whatever tiny little space was left in my garden where it would fight for survival or worse yet...be left in its little pot and never planted where it could thrive.

After paring down the seed collection why do I need to buy more???

Seeds were even worse…I just swoon over the photos of lettuces and tomatoes and oh those heirloom squash…I’m pathetic!  I still buy too many seeds and yes, I've wasted a lot of time and money learning what not to do, but I can laugh now as I see that those lessons have helped me to be a wiser, more successful and more frugal gardener.  What is even more amazing to me though, is how these same lessons are now helping me take wise steps as I begin to build my business. This is a real answer to a prayer I've been praying for some time.

Seedlings sown to closely need transplanting with better spacing for best growth potential.

After suffering an injury several years ago that kept me from being able to garden much I began asking God why was it I was ever lead to get into horticulture in the first place. I had been allowed to thrive in it and garner all this knowledge and for what; so I could lay down my trowel leave the garden to take care of itself?  That didn't make sense so I never stopped asking God why but always trusted that He has something else in mind...I just didn't have a clue what that was.

Every fall its time for a look back and making notes of what worked or didn't.

After looking back over things in relation to where I am headed I can honestly say I now know, at least in part what God was doing.  God was using my experiences in gardening/horticulture as a classroom to help me gain wisdom for my future, a future I didn't even know was going to be mine.  I love it when God does things like that.

Currently life is an exercise of taking a lot of deep breaths, gathering thoughts together, writing things down, and surrendering it all to God for His will and purpose. Its my job to wait, to listen and to be obedient, putting one foot in front of the other so I don't loose my way and don't loose sight of what God is doing or where He is leading by running ahead or lagging behind.

Stepping into the future does not mean running headlong thoughtlessly.

Ten years ago used to be I was just the opposite of the person I am today, but past experience been a valuable teacher and  I hope I have learned my lessons well.  I guess I'll find out as I take each step into tomorrow and whatever God has planned for me in this new season of life.

So how do you know when its time?  Myself I think its a combination of things coming together like the changing seasons in our garden.  If you are not anxious and paying attention you will know when its time, if you have learned your lessons well you will know when its time.  When you feel the warm blessings of God smiling on you as He opens that door for you...you will know its time.  At least that is how I knew...may God bless you likewise.