The process.
A few weeks ago, I was amazed to see a mini banana tree.
For some reason, for years, I hadn’t really thought much about how trees grow. It almost felt as if the trees just suddenly appear like that, tall, after being planted.
It occurred to me that a lot of people (including myself, at some point) see building a business like that.
“I have an idea, how do I start getting clients for it?”
Well, the hard truth is… Building a business is pretty much like growing a tree.
Think about it this way: the whole essence of being a business is to be able to solve problems that people will be willing to pay to solve.
You solve enough problems to have the right profit margin. And the goal is to be able to keep doing that for a very long time.
When visibility isn’t an issue anymore, and you’ve established your business plus there are enough fruit (profits), then you have a fully grown tree.
Now, how do you actually grow your tree in the practical sense?
First, you need to plant a seed.
Your seed is the smallest version of your business. The simplest version of the solution you provide.
In the beginning, instead of asking “how to get my first client?”, perhaps it might be better to ask, “how can I get the simplest version of the solution I provide into the world?”
This might look like offering the simplest version of your service generously, without the pressure to expect a harvest very soon.
Next, after planting a seed, we water it.
That could look like nurturing the relationships you’ve built through offering (the simplest version of) your service generously. Again, without the pressure of expecting a harvest soon.
And like trees, business growth takes time.
Before the first mini sprout appears, everything may seem really quiet. As if nothing is happening… But that’s when the root is being established.
And then later, you start seeing the first leaves… Visible hope. That might look like more people starting to show interest in your services.
They might not necessarily buy yet, but it gets better.
And then at the right time, the tree grows taller and starts bearing fruits. Green fruits, next, ripe fruits, and then more fruits.
All these won’t happen if we don’t plant a seed, or if we uproot the flowers as soon as they start sprouting.
But the best news is, once the tree fully grows and establishes strong roots, it bears fruit consistently without you needing to replant it.
I’m a Christian & Business Clarity Coach. I founded Spantus to help purpose-driven entrepreneurs build meaningful, yet profitable businesses. I enjoy building stuff and writing about business, marketing, and tech. I’m deeply passionate about making life easier through technology and can’t wait to launch more projects that do just that!
