A blog post published on Wealthy Affiliate
It occurs to me that starting a business is a lot like planting a garden. Here are a few of the similarities that come to mind.
Something sparks an idea, and even if this is your first time planting a garden or building a business, you feel inspired to go for it.
Because you want to be successful, there’s a good chance you’ll do some research so you can get started on the right foot. Education is an ongoing thing, so this is just the beginning, enough to get comfortable with the next steps. You might learn the basics from your neighbor, who’s an avid gardener, or from Wealthy Affiliate’s community and coursework.
Decide what you’re going to plant. Are you starting with seeds or seedlings? What size and how many? Your crop corresponds to your niche, well-thought ways to enhance the lives of a specific group of people with whom you can relate. Once you’ve narrowed it down, it’s time to
Prepare the site. Are you going for a container garden you can plant with a trowel or are you using a rototiller to plow acreage? Does your soil need amendments? What plug-ins will be useful for your website?
Big day! It’s time to plant. The seeds you plant today will transform your site over the weeks and months ahead. But it takes patience. And faith. Invisibly, underground, growth is taking place. How exciting when you see the first little green tips push through the soil and you know your venture is going to be a success! Maybe this looks like getting a comment from someone who likes your blog, rating on the first page of Google, or seeing the first dollar from your affiliate links.
It’s a waiting game, but it isn’t idle time. Oh, no, no, no! As every gardener knows, there is daily weeding and watering to be done. An online entrepreneur nourishes and tends her website and her relationship with her readers through a steady influx of relevant content. Continuing coursework through Wealthy Affiliate teaches an abundance of techniques to maximize the profitability of your site.
When your crops reach maturity, it’s time for a harvest celebration! But this isn’t the end of the process. Rather than harvesting the produce, tilling the leaves and stalks back into the soil, and dreaming of next spring, when you can plant more seeds—with the right techniques, the niche you’ve chosen can stay in an ever-bearing status indefinitely.
With this successful experience under your belt, you are now motivated and empowered to expand your garden. So choose a new niche and prepare a new site and nourish a new crop of readers who find value in what you bring to the world.