Gardening Tips That Can Grow Your Freelance Business
Posted February 23, 2009 in Business, Inspiration 22 Comments »
Have you ever wondered how to grow your freelancing business?
If you have, you’re not alone. Getting a freelance business to grow is something that every freelancer struggles with from time to time.
As I was driving through the country the other day, I noticed that many of the trees and plants are already starting to bud. As the daughter of an avid gardener, I immediately thought of my father’s vegetable garden and the care that he took each year to insure that we had fresh fruits and vegetables in our home. Then it struck me.
Growing a freelance business is an awful lot like growing a garden. Many of the same principles that my father used to grow his vegetable garden also apply to my freelancing business and can probably help you grow your business as well.
Here are 5 gardening principles that can help grow your freelance business:
1. Gardening is a deliberate activity.
My father did not haphazardly toss a bunch of seeds into the air and wind up with his delicious tomatoes and tasty corn a couple of months later. No, instead he carefully planted each seed at the right depth in the soil. Before planting, he even carefully determined whether the plant needed sunlight or shade.
Freelancing is also a deliberate activity. A successfully freelancer doesn’t haphazardly apply for every freelancing gig they see and hope that somehow they will wind up with the right work. Instead, he or she carefully looks for the gigs that they are most qualified to complete. In addition, the successful freelancer follows through on applications and contacts.
2. Gardening takes time.
As gardener, my father dedicated a set amount of time each day to work on his garden. He often had to wait weeks, and sometimes even months, before he could enjoy the fruits of his labor.
Freelancing takes time. A successful freelancer also dedicates a set amount of time each day to work on their freelancing business. They may have to wait weeks, months, or even years to see the full results of their work.
3. A garden needs to be fed.
My father was a little bit ahead of his time in that he liked to use organic gardening principles. I still remember his attempts at making his own natural fertilizer from vegetable peelings and other organic kitchen scraps. The important thing is that he knew that his plants sometimes needed more than what the native soil could offer.
A freelance business also needs to be fed. You might have great natural abilities or a fine education, but to feed your freelancing business you may need to brush up on current methodologies and technologies. Or, your old computer equipment might be fine for home use, but not adequate for the robust needs of your budding freelance business. Feed your business by getting the training and equipment that you need.
4. A garden needs to be protected.
A good gardener knows how to protect their plants from harm. Sadly, there are parasites out there that can destroy a garden within days. A careful gardener will learn how to effectively protect their garden from insects and disease and then will take the appropriate steps to protect it.
A freelance business needs to be protected. Sadly, there are scammers and deadbeat clients out there that can ruin a freelancing business if the freelancer is not careful. A successful freelancer is on the lookout for scam artists. He or she should carefully review and research each perspective client before accepting work.
5. A garden needs to be weeded.
Anyone who has ever grown a garden knows that gardens get weeds. If left unchecked, the weeds can choke out the garden plants and either stunt their growth or even destroy them. To keep a garden healthy, from time to time the weeds must be removed.
A freelance business sometimes needs to be weeded. Does one low-paying client take a disproportionate amount of your time? Are some of your clients so difficult to deal with that it is hardly worth doing business with them? Maybe your freelancing business is ready to be weeded.
If cared for properly, a garden can feed you. So can a freelance business.
After a lot of hard work in the garden, my father was able to provide a significant amount of fresh vegetables and fruit for his friends and family. To my taste at least, his homegrown vegetables always tasted a little better than what could be bought in the store.
If cared for properly, a freelancing business can feed you. With a lot of hard work, a freelancing business can meet all or some of your financial needs. If you’re like me, you’ll feel a greater sense of pride in working for a business that you built yourself than you felt when you worked for someone else.
As you look around you this spring and see all the plants starting to bloom, remember how gardening principles relate to freelancing. May you all enjoy a bountiful freelancing harvest!
Can you see any other parallels between successful gardening and freelancing?
Which of these principles has helped your freelancing career the most?
top photo by tanakawho
About the author: Laura Spencer is a freelance writer from North Central Texas with over 19 years of professional business writing experience. If you liked this post, then you may also enjoy Laura’s blog about her freelance writing experiences, WritingThoughts
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22 Comments
Colin Wright
February 23rd, 2009 at 4:53 pmI like the metaphor! Works well.
Chase Campbell
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:14 pmAnother great article Laura, thanks for this. Made me feel good about what I am doing.
Best!
Chase
Bill Page
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:45 pmThanks for the incredible words! Excellent analogy, and it makes so much sense. I will share this with all my friends!
Laura Spencer
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:31 pmThanks Colin!
I hope that it helps someone understand the business better.
Marty Thornley
February 24th, 2009 at 1:56 amHave you recently read the book or watched the movie ‘Being There’ by any chance?
Matt Chatterley
February 24th, 2009 at 5:06 amI do like this analogy. It’s a pretty good one, although I’d probably be inclined not to try and take it any further or it’ll get stretched!
I’ve talked to quite a few folks who have started their own businesses (whether freelancers or otherwise), and who have seemed to be amazed at how hard it is to build up – sure – once you get some momentum going, it gets easier in some ways (maintaining is easier than establishing, generally – at least).
However, surely it seems logical that if doing this was easy – everybody would be..?
Lillie Ammann
February 24th, 2009 at 5:51 amLaura,
I owned an interior landscaping company for nearly 20 years so the gardening analogy caught my attention. It’s an excellent analogy for freelancing.
jesseme
February 24th, 2009 at 7:40 amAnother great article Laura, thanks for this. Made me feel good about what I am doing.
Best!
Melek
February 24th, 2009 at 10:02 amDon’t forget to harvest the fruits of your labor. If you don’t reply to emails and phone calls from potential clients, or take weeks to return a quote for a project, then your gigs may die right there on the vine. No sense planting all those seeds if you’re not going to enjoy them when they ripen.
(did i take the analogy too far??)
Laura Spencer
February 24th, 2009 at 11:48 amWow!
It’s great to see all the comments (including a few faces I haven’t seen in a while).
I agree that the analogy can only go so far.
Susan Greene
February 24th, 2009 at 12:21 pmA garden should be a combination of perennials, plants that last for many years, and annuals, new plants that must be replaced every year.
A successful freelance business should have its long-term clients, which are its bread and butter, and a steady flow of new clients with short-term or specific project needs. The diversification makes for a healthier business that will be more resilient as it grows.
Laura Spencer
February 24th, 2009 at 12:23 pmGreat additions Susan Greene!
Just when I thought that the analogy could go no further. . .
Tony Oravet
February 24th, 2009 at 12:47 pmLaura – what a great article! I enjoyed getting to read about how gardening is similar to a freelance business. Makes perfect sense and just the motivation I needed today!
Great post!
Eliffio
February 24th, 2009 at 4:57 pm*GREAT* article.
Know something? I´m a gardening freak myself. I really enjoy taking care of the plants I have on my apartment´s deck.
An idea that came to my mind some days ago, specially now that all my plants are really beautiful and some of them even producing fruits (it´s summer here in Peru), was that the more I take care of my plants, the better my freelance business turns out.
Of course this seems just too “idealist” but it´s true. There´s something very special when taking care of other living beings, and it´s that they respond to your care. It´s the same with plants. They become beautiful and thankful when you dedicate time to them. And somehow the same energy you put in there, irradiates to your whole life, including of course, your business.
I found this article, really, really cool. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach
February 25th, 2009 at 9:15 amWonderful metaphor! I really like how it applies to both activities – this is one article I’ll be sharing with my network.
Jeff Fisher Logomotives
February 25th, 2009 at 5:07 pmNice article! It looks as if either gardening or working as an independent designer may come naturally to me. They do certainly compliment each other.
Amy
February 27th, 2009 at 1:10 pmHave to agree with all the comments, it is an excellent comparison. Thanks, it was a great read. :)
Set Yourself Freelance
February 28th, 2009 at 4:10 amGreat article. I finding working with deliberation is key. I’ve had a lot more luck investing a lot of time in going after a few select key clients, that canvassing anyone I can get in touch with.
Trung Nguyen Duc
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:48 ami want to find a freelancejob
Jana
March 6th, 2009 at 4:19 pmThank you! I’m going to keep trying, this is wonderful inspiration!
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