Every day, I'm out in the field working on the farm and I think about business and all the ways that nature has to model conscious business practices. What I'm most in awe of this morning is difficult to describe and I'll do my best.
As I look at things that grow... each has its own unique way of being which is never questioned, never rushed, never avoided -- it simply IS. And, at the same time, each plant or animal has its own special way to be tended and cared for in order to grow strong, beautiful and nourish. It has a life cycle that does best and provides well when that cycle is honored.
I often say: "I don't grow things, nature does. I steward and support the container for that growth to happen"
Same with business, right?
What I learn is to approach my business, clients, partners and myself with that same understanding. There is a unique way that things want to grow, that they are DESIGNED to grow. How can I be in support and harmony with that?
When you look at farming practices, large scale industrial practices only work in the short term. You can have high yields for low initial cost. However, there is a long-term cost in that the soil depletes and does not naturally sustain itself (and thus the ecosystems and people it could feed) any longer. Regenerative farming practices are turning that around by working WITH the unique designs of plants, animals, bugs, fungi, bacteria and soil to sustainably grow food each year. I've been told to remember that I'm not growing food, I'm growing soil. Exactly.
Same happens in business. When I see an entrepreneur go for the high yield fast short term growth, they eventually find themselves in a 'dip'-- either a dip in their income, a dip in their health, a dip in happiness... all of that or more. That kind of growth is not sustainable -- on our planet, within ourselves or in our businesses.
Tending the soil, the foundation, of a business and allowing that to nourish and feed you as you grow may feel slower, but will ensure that you can sustain your growth in a way that feels nourishing and maintains the cycle where you give to your business and it gives back to you.
THIS is the kind of business growth I'm committed to. It is how I raise food on my farm and how I choose to grow a business. Sustainability in business and in food is what will help us thrive in the long term in a way that feels nourishing rather than depleting and I'm all for that.