A Latina Business Owner Planting Her Seeds of Success

Three tips I learned as a Latina business owner to create a thriving small business though actions.

Remember Forrest Gump, the movie? It had a profound impact me. I still remember its many inspirational scenes and messages. Of course, there’s the very famous line, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” That expression has almost become an icon in our culture, and I’m sure it has helped those who resonate with it deal with what life has “given” them. Even so, I can’t say that I 100% agree with this message.

I like to believe that I’m gonna get from life what I put into it. To me, “Life is like a garden. You reap what you sow.” But my point is that expressions, positive or negative, go a long way in establishing patterns of thoughts and belief systems, many of which ultimately “run” our life.

What is the main belief system or thought pattern that you have about your small business? 

Is it something like, “Running a business is hard and only few succeed?” Or is it something like, “My business will prosper to the degree that I honor my vision?”

We consciously or unconsciously entertain many thoughts and beliefs, and for the most part we are not very aware that these thought patterns are impacting our reality. But they are literally giving birth to action and through these actions, our thoughts and belief systems create our reality!!

What if we related to thoughts and belief systems as the seeds with which we are planting the garden called our business? I’m sure you’ve come across this garden analogy many times.

Let’s dig into the weeds with this idea and discover how we can reap the kind of rewarding harvest from our efforts that we so desire.

Think about what allows the most accomplished gardeners to have an amazing harvest.

• Do you think they chose fertile ground in which to plant?
• Do you think they thought about what they wanted to grow and for what purpose before they tilled the soil?
• Do you think they pre-designed their garden and mapped it out?
• Do you think they selected their seeds and placed them in sections in the garden according to their need for more sun or more shade?
• Do you think they purchased seeds of high quality from reliable sources?
• Do you think they spent time pulling weeds and protecting their garden from pests?

I hope you answered yes to all these questions! And I hope you realize, too, that there do exist many gardens that have had no planning, no design and no purpose.

They have their own beauty and allure. What kind of garden is your small business?

If you expect your small business to succeed, you must plant within it the seeds of success. And you must maintain your garden by daily pulling the weeds (negative thoughts), watering it with fertilizing nourishment (positive thoughts) and finally, harvesting its bounty at the right time, when it is ripe for picking.

As a Latina business owner I focused on three tips to create a small business that thrives. It was through actions nourished by high quality seeds that reap reward and lead to your success.

Here are the three tips:

1.   Make an inventory of the virtues/qualities/attitudes that you want to bring into your small business, whether you believe you possess them or not.

On your list should appear attitudes such as “I honor and keep my word,”

• “I am committed to seeing a project through to the end,” “When I am unable to keep my word, I communicate a new promise,”
• “I hold myself and others accountable,”
• “I respect my clients and my vendors,”
• “I own my mistakes and do whatever it takes to correct them,” “I proudly stand for my principles,”
• “I courageously meet challenges,” and “I am flexible and forgiving with others.”

2.   Confidence and competence are key seeds to success.

Assess your skills and identify those that you lack personally. Then, assign these skills to someone that is an expert in that skill.

For example, if you lack financial confidence, hire an accountant or a financial consultant to manage the financial picture of your business.

If you do not know how to hire the staff that you need to deliver on your promises, hire a recruiter to help you source and onboard the talent you need. Technology know-how is a must in today’s business world!

Make sure you are keeping up with the modern technological challenges of today’s small business climate.

By the way, interns are a great way to supplement these skills into your business as it grows with little to no cost.

3.   Create a business plan.

This may sound almost silly, but I cannot begin to tell you how many would–be business owners I have coached that do not truly understand the power of a business plan.

There are a lot of resources to help you, beginning with the Small Business Administration (SBA) – a government agency whose purpose is to help small businesses to launch and thrive. Many chambers of commerce also provide support in this area. A business plan is the map design of your business.

Having a map is a very important seed to success because in it you will find a powerful tool with which to steer into the future of your business.

You can either be at the wheel of navigating your business’s success or you can allow your business to be driven by the whim of the wind. As is always the case, the choice you make will determine the outcome.

Make a commitment to yourself right now, to plant the seeds that will most likely ensure the successful outcome of your business.

Don’t spend a minute of your most valuable asset – time – arbitrarily throwing undefined and unclassified seeds into an unchartered plot of ground. You deserve so much more than a random outcome.

A well-kept garden will always brim with possibility!

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