Growing
a Gardening Business
"I know
what I like to do," the little thinker smugly says, "but I couldn't
possibly make money doing it."
Many of us
carry around a belief (often hidden) that earning money is only appropriate
when we're not having too much fun doing so. What nonsense. If you look
around, you'll see that some of the most abundant people are also those
who are having great fun with their work.
Of course,
you need to examine your own thinking and see if you're carrying around
outmoded ideas about what is and what is not possible for you. Even more
important, you need to begin with the assumption that any passion you
have can become the basis for earning money, if you so desire.
A useful exercise
is to write down a broad passion (e.g., working with teens, flying airplanes,
collecting china, writing essays), and then start a list of all the possibilities
you can come up with to make money.
My friend
Chris Utterback was the publisher of the Herban Lifestyles newsletter.
She once created such a list of possible ways that a passionate gardener
could earn money. In fact, her first venture came about because of her
love of gardening. She says, "I was overjoyed when my first harvest
of French tarragon grew. I was overwhelmed when it grew into a huge patch.
Not having any idea how I could use up all of my crop, I thought I might
interest some Denver chefs in it and earn myself some extra income. Not
only were the chefs interested, they were delighted. My tarragon was my
entree into the world of making a living without a job."
Chris was
so delighted that her avocation could also be the start of a new vocation
that she kept generating new ideas about other ways garden lovers could
make money from their passion. Here's her list of wonderful ideas:
Lecture
to garden clubs and other small groups. The most inventive use
of miscellaneous talent that I've seen was a lecture given to our garden
club by a man whose flyer read, "Gardener, Photographer, World Traveler."
He was also a member of the Actor's Guild in New York. His slide presentation
of "Monet's Gardens at Giverny" was a perfect mesh of his talents.
While narrating his show, he drew upon his acting ability to play the
part of Monet. This enterprising man received $125 for his time. Moreover,
he had created a "product" he could market over and over again.
Sell
your passion. If you love to photograph gardens, for instance,
but you hate the thought of teaching, sell your slides to those who would
like to lecture but haven't the visual aids to do it. I'd love to teach
a garden design class (a subject in great demand), but since my gardens
aren't completed or it's the wrong time of year to take garden photos,
I lack the visual aids I need. Purchasing the photos of others would get
me going.
Perhaps woodburning
is your hobby. Why not make custom herb garden markers and sell them at
weekend flea markets? Other products of interest to your fellow gardeners
could be marketed at summer fairs, garden shows or farmer's markets.
Sell
your excess. My abundance of tarragon was unbelievably easy to
sell to chefs. I started by making a list of all the restaurants that
were French or that I knew used fresh herbs. Then, on a Saturday, I cut
my tarragon, divided it into quarter-pound bunches and placed them in
buckets of water in our van. My husband drove me to each restaurant on
the list, where I knocked on the kitchen door, tarragon now in a large
flower basket, and was greeted enthusiastically by the chefs. The chefs
sniffed, caressed and tasted my tarragon. They were impressed by the freshness
and wanted more. I had to make it clear that I could only produce random
amounts and that they should continue to get it through their usual distributor.
They appreciated my honesty and continued to buy from me when I had it
available.
You could
sell flowers, seedlings and many other self-produced items this way, too.
Here in New England, gardeners put a table and sign on their front lawn
to sell berries, flowers and excess produce to passing motorists.
Enter
county fairs. A friend of mine tells me that every year her entire
family enters houseplants, pies, herb vinegars, jellies, etc. in several
local fairs. They win numerous ribbons and money for their entries. Check
with your local extension office for dates and applications.
Write.
Many newspapers, newsletters and magazines include an article on herbs
in every issue. If you find writing enjoyable and are willing to learn
what it takes to get things published, then you could easily start to
bring in income for your efforts. You may be able to circulate the same
article over and over to noncompeting markets, too. After you've written
a number of articles, you may decide that there is a book in you, thus
producing long-term income through royalties. Writing also gives you the
recognition that could lead to many open doors in the future.
Flaunt
your garden. That masterpiece that you have toiled over just
may produce added income if you enjoy the company of others touring your
garden. Display gardens are very alluring to other gardeners. Even if
you have a full-time herb farm, bookshop or restaurant, a garden adds
to its attractiveness. You may also be able to attract media attention
and/or create other opportunities such as consulting and lecturing by
opening your garden to the public and gaining visibility as an expert.
Don't
overlook related interests. Even though my primary focus became
writing an herb newsletter, I also became proficient in another field,
desktop publishing. Because of this I have been able to pick up freelance
publishing and typesetting jobs and have been asked to teach seminars
for the local computer store.
An idea-starting
list such as the one Chris wrote for her gardening passion can start your
imagination working. You may find that your passion leads to several undertakings,
each with a satisfaction of its own. As Nobel prize winner Linus Pauling
reminds us, "The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of
ideas." Maintaining an ongoing idea file is a necessary means for
keeping track of ideas as they come to you. Not only will such a file
become a valuable personal resource, challenging yourself to add to it
on a regular basis will generate fresh and innovative notions that can
become the seeds of great enterprise.
There's
more where this came from.
Order Winning Ways now!
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