What these Flowers Taught Me about Business and Parenthood

About two weeks ago, I bought myself some tulips to celebrate the arrival of spring and the warmer months ahead – finally! The only problem was that I forgot how terrible I am with flowers, and I neglected to water them.

So after a few days, my once gorgeous bouquet looked like this:

I was about to toss them, assuming they were clearly dead, but a little voice inside me wondered if perhaps there was still a bit of life left in them. So, I put some water in the vase and within one hour, I was amazed to see this:

The next morning, they looked like this:

The tulips ended up lasting a full week after that, albeit with a consistent effort on my part to water them every morning.

I thought to myself what a beautiful metaphor this is for so much of what we do as business owners and as parents.

How often do we neglect those little actions that are so important for a particular project/relationship to thrive? I’m not talking here about the minute details that can sometimes become so overwhelming during a launch or major event, etc. (though of course, those are important too).

I am talking about the simple, consistent attention to something that is so vital for its survival and growth, yet that we sometimes take for granted:

• Like following up with a client to see if they were happy with their shipment
• Like checking in with a new employee to ask how they’re adjusting
• Like consistently tracking your expenses against your budget
• Like looking at your child instead of your phone when they ask you a question
• Like watering tulips daily instead of assuming that there was enough already in the vase

The tulips also reminded me of one of the most important lessons I have learned as an entrepreneur: resiliency in the face of a temporary setback. Despite their brief blooming period, tulips are incredibly resilient flowers, able to withstand very cold temperatures (and, as I found out, not having water for days!).

As business owners, we too must be resilient, picking ourselves up when products fail, sales are down or money is tight, and finding a way to bloom again.

As one writer put it, “A little more persistence, a little more effort and what seemed like hopeless failure may turn out to be glorious success.” (E. Hubbard)

What one project or relationship in your biz or life could use a little more of your consistent attention? Post your comments below!