Three summers ago I attended a local non-profit’s plant sale, one I enjoy because plants are available that you just don’t see at the same-old same-old commercial nurseries. I bought an heirloom petunia plant, and found a home for it in a large pot by the courtyard gate. It was delightful! All summer I enjoyed its fragrance. Nothing wimpy, you understand–a real flower scent that beckons you to come closer to the source.
The following summer with no help from me, petunias started sprouting in unexpected places, like between the courtyard pavers 15 feet away from the first location. I left them alone, and enjoyed their spirited scent over and over again.
Last summer I thought they were done. No courtyard petunias. Until, late in the season, I noticed a couple lavender-pink blossoms waving in the breeze in yet another spot–next to the street under a palmetto where I’d had trouble getting other flowers to grow, about 30 feet from the previous place. They flourished into the fall. Now it’s January, and after some freezing North Texas weather, they’re still standing, with only a couple blooms hanging on, but still vigorously green. Hardy little boogers!
Thriving in January
Keep in mind that heirloom plants can be grown from seed and will come back “true to type.” The second, third and forever-after generations look and smell just like the first.
So what business lessons do my heirloom petunias have for us?
First, honor your roots. Heirloom petunias are tough. It’s in their DNA to re-seed themselves, to be fragrant, to be what they are. Does the DNA of your business express itself in honest ways, true to its origins?
Second, adapt to conditions or plant yourself somewhere else. “Somewhere else” may not mean a physical re-location. It might mean positioning to reach a new market, or developing a new product or service. My petunias have no control over where the seeds land and germinate. Nor do you have control over many conditions surrounding your business–recession, competition, changing technology. But you can adapt and thrive by embracing the reality around you.
Third, attract, then fulfill on the promise. Marketing your business is like the scent of my petunias. It should attract someone who has been appreciating from afar to come closer, to take a whiff of the real thing, maybe return time after time to enjoy. Don’t disappoint. Ever been under-whelmed by the absence of scent from a picture-perfect rose? Marketing with its beauty, it encourages you to come close, only to let you down by not fulfilling on the promise of a wonderful fragrance. Reminds me of the saying “All hat and no cattle.” Okay, I’m mixing my metaphors here. (Hmmm, that does bring another olfactory experience to mind.)
Honoring our roots, being adaptive, and fulfilling on the promise–they make for a business that doesn’t just look good, but smells good, too. And I can’t wait to discover where my petunias–and my business–will crop up next summer.
This is a great article!! I’ve noticed your petunias each time I come up the drive and I was wondering yesterday how in the world that little bloom had survived.
I very much enjoyed the way you wove your thoughts about business with the story of the petunia. Congratulations on a superior piece of work!!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Betty. Thanks for the response and the rating!
Cool stuff, Mom!