I launched my start up, Anita’s Garden, about six months ago. It’s a good time to look back and reflect on how my business has evolved in that time and discuss my vision for its future. In this series of articles, I will draw on real-life experiences and examples and share a bit more about my journey as a business owner. I’m a very transparent person. In my business dealings, I like everything to be put on the table. I’m also very open to sharing my ideas on how I am running my business, as well as how I think a business ought to be run. As always, there’s a lot of ground I’d like to cover. This is the third post in on this subject. In Part I of this series, the issues that I touched upon were thematic in nature. In Part II of this series, I focussed on some practical matters that pertain to the day-to-day running of the business. In Part III on this subject, I would like to share some thoughts about some broad issues related to running a business.
1. Your most valuable asset as a business owner is goodwill A business accumulates assets over time. What is an asset? Put simply, an asset is something of value that is used in the course of running the business. I firmly believe that a business’s most valuable asset is its goodwill. In accounting terms, goodwill is an intangible asset, making it difficult to quantify. It sits on the balance sheet of the business and is often overshadowed by tangible assets, which can be converted into cash more easily. The value of goodwill is only realised when it comes to selling a business. What is goodwill? A business doesn’t simply trade on its name. Over time, it develops a reputation. As discussed in a previous post, reputation refers to what a person or business is in fact. Image is what a person or business appears to be. If you are interested, you can read more about my thoughts on the issue of reputation in my Honours seminar paper and dissertation which I wrote as part of my law degree. I have already become aware of the importance of my reputation as a gardener when I approached some leading businesses in the industry to enquire whether they would be interested in me becoming a brand ambassador and retailer for their products. Many already knew of me and had been following the development of my garden after it was featured in the New Zealand Gardener magazine. This helped me to break into the field (no gardening pun intended) and establish my business. 2. Running a business requires you to draw on many different skills As discussed in a previous post, in order to run a business successfully, you need to be able to draw on a broad knowledge base and skill set. Having a commerce degree or an MBA may be helpful in understanding how a business operates and how to manage one, but this is only the starting point. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have neither a commerce degree nor an MBA, yet this hasn’t stopped me from creating and running my own start up. As I was telling one of the partners from my team at Bell Gully, my previous employer, becoming a business owner has brought together so many different threads from my life. The hard work that I have put into different jobs and activities along the way has really paid off. My Bachelor of Arts helped me develop strong writing skills, which are useful for writing my blog and weekly gardening newsletter. My previous experience in retail while I was a university student has helped me run my plant nursery. It also gave me a very good understanding of how a business functions from the bottom up. I sometimes use French when communicating with the wwoofers who stay with us and help around our garden if they come from France. Learning accounting while at secondary school helps with record keeping and the overall management of my business. My knowledge of maths is also quite helpful when making calculations in order to price stock appropriately. Law is central to my business as everything is regulated. I’ve found my legal skills useful in reading terms and conditions attached to trade by suppliers and also in negotiations in the course of my business. To read more about my thoughts on the subject of negotiation, please click here. 3. Be prepared to get your hands dirty as a business owner A lot of people have asked me why I would leave a good job in a nice office with a panoramic view of Auckland Harbour for one where I have to work hard physically outdoors and get my hands dirty. I have also been told that I should be paying someone to do gardening work rather than being a gardener myself. There are a few things I would like to say in response. When I worked as a lawyer at Freshfields, the firm’s clients were some of the largest companies in Europe. Their core business wasn’t exactly the stuff of glamour and was rooted mainly in secondary industries such as manufacturing. One of the large cases I worked on while I was an associate in the International Arbitration group of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Paris involved a dispute arising from the construction of a nuclear power plant. Even as a lawyer, I spent a lot of time on the actual construction site which isn’t exactly glamorous. Business owners often end up spending a lot of time on the factory floor. It’s good to be on the ground of your own business, even if you can afford to hire staff to help you with day-to-day activities. It helps you to engage with your business more closely as well as identify ways that it can be improved and developed. Don’t forget that some of the world’s most successful empires (and indeed many of New Zealand’s largest companies in the primary sector) were founded upon sheer determination, sweat and labour. The partner I did all of my work for while I was a lawyer at Bell Gully had a client who is one of New Zealand’s largest companies and manufactures whitewear. You can’t own a business like this if you don’t know how a washing machine is designed, manufactured and assembled. You need to spend time on the production line in order to understand your business well, even if you enter a business at a high level as an investor later on. 4. Distinguish yourself from your competitors In order to succeed in business, you need to distinguish yourself from your competitors. Try to stand out. Be innovative. Find your niche and create a market for your products and services. For me, one of my selling points is my worksite. Most garden centres are located in a physical premise that is specifically fitted out for this purpose. I run my boutique plant nursery from home against the backdrop of our garden. My customers all love wandering around the garden for ideas and inspiration. It’s also really handy as I can refer to our own garden and show customers how to plant what they have purchased into their garden. As a boutique business, I offer a more personal service. Coming around to purchase plants from my nursery is akin to a personal shopping experience, which you wouldn’t find if you went to a large chain or even an independent garden centre. I also take orders on request, so I’m able to supply exotic herbs and veggie seedlings to my customers, many of whom come from countries in Asia such as Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Fiji, India and South Africa. These customers have a hard time sourcing these items for their cuisine from local garden centres who mainly sell run-of-the-mill varieties. It’s gratifying to be able to link people with their culture through the garden and help them re-connect with their roots. 5. Be very clear about the terms of payment In business, you need to establish an hourly charge out rate for professional services, much like lawyers and other trades. Obviously, retail sales are different because you are selling a product, not a service, but the price of course reflects overheads, including staff salaries. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have experienced some difficulty in developing a fee structure for my business because I didn’t know what I should charge for my services. My business is quite unique and it’s hard to find a comparator to create rates. I also feel really awkward about asking for and accepting money from other people, which is why I’m not really cut out for being in business. Unfortunately, I have learnt the hard way after having a bad experience. I was left with an unpaid account which I have written off as a bad debt. This is partly my fault, but I look at it as a learning curve, much like life itself. It’s not nice to be left feeling that someone has taken advantage of you so I had to pinpoint where I went wrong so I didn’t make the same mistake next time. So what happened? In a nutshell, some work was done for a friend on a by donation basis. Due to the circumstances surrounding my services and products, as well as the fact that we were friends, I told her that the payment could be made later. It has been more than a month and the payment (whatever it would have been) is still outstanding. As she was a friend, it is awkward asking her for the payment. I had a chat to my cousin, who is a successful engineer with extensive experience working in the telecommunications sector in New Zealand, Italy, Brazil and the USA. He now runs his own business. Nick advised me to put everything in writing beforehand and berated me for not knowing better as I am after all a lawyer! Nick told me to create a pro forma invoice specifying my hourly charge out rate, any overheads, costs of materials and so on and agree the amount with the client beforehand. In cases where work is done on account, for example, landscaping, he recommended that I make a time estimate and ask for an upfront payment prior to commencing work, with the balance to be settled upon completion. This makes perfect sense and I should have done this from the start, but you learn from your mistakes.
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Mystified about how to set up and run a business? Join the club! In this series of blog posts, I will discuss my top tips for start ups. Some people like to keep all their cards close to their chest and don’t give anything away for nothing. I’ve never really been one of those people. I’m all for sharing information, which was not always possible in my previous profession as a lawyer due to client confidentiality. Law can also be extremely competitive, especially in a large commercial firm, so some people can be reluctant to help their colleagues develop both as a practitioner and in their professional career as a lawyer. During my journey as a business owner thus far, so many people I’ve met along the way have passed on some gems of advice which I have gratefully received. I’m paying it forward, as a way of giving back to the community that’s given me so much support.
This is the fourth blog in a series of posts on this subject. In Part I of my top tips for start ups, I covered the subject of money. In Part II of this series, I outlined 10 further principles regarding creating and running a business. In Part III of this series, I outlined another 10 key principles related to start ups. I will keep this post a bit more brief. After reflecting on the issue further, I’d like to share five further tips for start ups. 1. Use your common sense In the day-to-day running of a business, you need to use your common sense. An issue recently arose where a person posted negative feedback on my Facebook page regarding a product which I was trialling on behalf of another business. I contacted the businesses involved and mentioned the comment that had been made in respect of the product. While I hated being the bearer of bad news, I don’t think I would be doing my job of being a brand ambassador properly if I didn’t draw it to their attention. Sometimes you need to use your common sense in dealing with delicate situations such as this. You don’t learn everything at business school. 2. It’s fine to do things from first principles As I have mentioned in a previous post, I don’t have a Commerce degree or an MBA. I also haven’t read a single book on how to run a business, even though there is a lot of literature on the subject. It’s fine to do things from first principles. Don’t worry about different theories, concepts and big words. Break everything down and think things through for yourself. Learn from the bottom up, rather than the top down. While I was a university student, I held a few part-time positions in retail, including at a pharmacy and a clothing store. It taught me so much about how a business functions and I’m implementing a lot of that knowledge in my own start up. Don’t worry if you don’t have an MBA from Harvard. Learn from your life experience like me. 3. Have role models If you’re thinking of creating a start up, it’s a good idea to have other entrepreneurs that you look up to for advice, ideas and inspiration (which is my slogan for Anita’s Garden). I personally admire Elon Musk for his creative streak and sheer ingenuity, as does the partner who I previously worked for in the Corporate team at Bell Gully. 4. Don’t worry if you don’t know all the answers I once found myself questioning whether an item used in the course of running my business was an asset or an expense. I remember feeling upset that I didn't know the answer, despite studying accounting at secondary school and having a father that was a chartered accountant who spent lots of time discussing the discipline of accounting with me. It’s okay if you’re not sure of the answers to these thorny questions. A friend from law school once told me that the one thing he really admires about me is that while I don’t have all the answers, I’m not afraid to ask the questions. Remember that things aren’t usually black and white. Try to come up with your own conclusion based on your analysis and reasoning. 5. Be open-minded Recently, I had two people approach me asking if I wanted to become a sales consultant for Arbonne, a cosmetics company based on a multi-level marketing model (formerly known as network marketing). While I decided it wasn’t for me, especially since I have so much on my plate with my start up Anita’s Garden, I did learn a few interesting things about business models along the way. This information might be valuable when considering how to structure my business in future. Mystified about how to set up and run a business? Join the club! In this series of blog posts, I will discuss my top tips for start ups. Some people like to keep all their cards close to their chest and don’t give anything away for nothing. I’ve never really been one of those people. I’m all for sharing information, which was not always possible in my previous profession as a lawyer due to client confidentiality. Law can also be extremely competitive, especially in a large commercial firm, so some people can be reluctant to help their colleagues develop both as a practitioner and in their professional career as a lawyer. During my journey as a business owner thus far, so many people I’ve met along the way have passed on some gems of advice which I have gratefully received. I’m paying it forward, as a way of giving back to the community that’s given me so much support.
This is the third blog in a series of posts on this subject. In Part I of my top tips for start ups, I covered the subject of money. In Part II of this series, I outlined 10 further principles regarding creating and running a business. In this post, I will outline another 10 key principles related to start ups. 1. Reputation is everything A business is built on the back of its reputation. During my law degree, I spent a lot of time researching the concept of reputation in the context of defamation law. For those of you who are interested, you can read my Honours seminar paper and Dissertation, which I have recently uploaded onto my website. Please don’t rely on my work for legal advice. The articles were written a long time ago so the cases I examined may no longer reflect the current legal position. They are purely academic research. Not to mention the fact that the law in your jurisdiction may differ to New Zealand. If you’re a student, I don’t mind if you rely on my work but please remember to acknowledge me as the author and provide details of the source and date of publication. You certainly don’t want to be accused of plagiarism by your tutor! Linked to the concept of reputation is the importance of image, which I will examine below. 2. It’s also about image As discussed in my Honours seminar paper and Dissertation on the topic of defamation, reputation and image are two different things. Reputation is what a person (or business) is in fact. Image is what a person or business appears to be. There is some truth to the saying that appearance is everything. Rest assured that this doesn’t mean that you need to look like a supermodel. However, you do need to be conscious of how you portray yourself and your business to others, including clients, allies (such as brands you’re promoting) and competitors. 3. Integrity is important How you behave will affect your business’s reputation. In your business dealings, be strategic and smart, but not sneaky. Remember, you reap what you sow. Even if you’re not religious, you have to admit that actions have consequences. If you cut corners, fail to honour promises or deliberately deceive others, you will soon lose people’s trust and ultimately their business. 4. You (and your business) are worth something. Don’t forget that your business accrues goodwill over time. Goodwill is inextricably linked to the concept of reputation (see above). It is an intangible asset (again, this takes me back to Accounting which I studied at secondary school. As a business owner, it is proving to be an incredibly useful subject!). Goodwill can be difficult to quantify. Also, don’t forget that you have value as an individual behind the screen of your business. It is easy to lose sight of this. This is very important for bloggers and social media influencers who have built a name for themselves and become a public figure in their own right. People will pay you to deliver talks, host workshops and promote their brand. 5. Expect to work your butt off Start ups are hard work, especially in the beginning. I’m a testament to this. A lot of people are envious of my lifestyle, especially other lawyers. It’s true that I live in activewear and a lot of work is done from my laptop while lying in bed with the cat on my lap. It’s also true that I spend a lot of time on social media. However, nothing is ever as simple, happy or fun as it looks, as a very wise friend once told me. A lot of time and effort goes into maintaining an active and interesting blog. Don’t forget that I have to constantly come up with original content, so creativity is key. Then there is preparing the content of my weekly gardening newsletter. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Click here to read about what a typical day looks like for me. If you want better hours or are looking for a lifestyle change, then creating and running a business might not be for you. 6. Multi tasking is an important skill In order to run a business successfully, you need to be able to multi task. I’m constantly trying to progress different things in parallel, such as writing blog posts and newsletters, pitching to businesses I want to promote and replying to correspondence from followers. This is not as easy as it sounds. I’m fortunate that I developed this skill during my career as a lawyer, when I normally worked on several different cases or transactions at the same time. While I was working at the Paris office of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, I was involved in a very large arbitration, but had to deal with different aspects of the case simultaneously, such as interviewing witnesses, drafting submissions, briefing experts and quantifying quantum, for want of a better expression. 7. Keep up with the times Don’t fall behind, especially with technology. I made this mistake myself as I was one of those people who refused to get a smartphone for a very long time. I succumbed in April this year after a lot of pressure from family members who kept complaining that they could never get hold of me. I can honestly say that it has changed my life. How else would I be able to snap photos of our garden and upload them to Instagram so quickly? It’s an indispensable tool for running a business and that’s the only reason I got one. There are so many great apps which help you to connect with your customers and promote your business for free. Some of my favourites include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Snapchat. Having finally mastered all of this, I’m sure something new will come onto the market next month. 8. Delegate You can’t do everything yourself. Learn to delegate and share the load with others. If you can’t afford to employ someone to help you with your business, there might be another solution. We host wwoofers who help us around the garden year round. This frees me up a bit so I can devote some time to my business every day. 9. Enjoy a day of rest Give yourself a day off every week, even if you’re not religious. We all need a bit of rest sometimes so we can reset for the coming week. I’m notorious for working around the clock seven days a week and really need to practice what I preach. As you get older, you’ll find that your body changes and you don’t have the stamina that you had in your 20s. A day off doesn’t necessarily mean vegetating with Netflix and munching on a bag of potato chips. I’m a firm advocate of active relaxation because that’s just how I’m configured. For a start, switch off your phone. See a movie, read a book, go for a walk, spend time with your children or catch up with an old friend. You’ll feel so much better for it and you’ll be able to function more efficiently when you switch on to work again. 10. Learn to switch off Learn to disconnect. This is no easy task as we’re surrounded by technology which puts our brains into constant overdrive. I’m continually plagued by thoughts about my business when I’m out and about, whether walking or running, at the supermarket or running errands. I actually carry a notebook with me so I can scribble down all my ideas as they come to mind! How can you detach yourself? Meditation can help. I took Les Mills Body Balance classes (a mix of pilates, tai chi and yoga) on a regular basis at a gym I used to go to a few years ago. It took a long time for me to learn how to relax but eventually I could see the progress. Be patient. You’ll get there in the end too. Mystified about how to set up and run a business? Join the club! In this series of blog posts, I will discuss my top tips for start ups. Some people like to keep all their cards close to their chest and don’t give anything away for nothing. I’ve never really been one of those people. I’m all for sharing information, which was not always possible in my previous profession as a lawyer due to client confidentiality. Law can also be extremely competitive, especially in a large commercial firm, so some people can be reluctant to help their colleagues develop both as a practitioner and in their professional career as a lawyer. During my journey as a business owner thus far, so many people I’ve met along the way have passed on some gems of advice which I have gratefully received. I’m paying it forward, as a way of giving back to the community that’s given me so much support.
There is a lot of ground to cover, so this is the second blog in a series of posts on this subject. In Part I of my top tips for start ups, I covered the subject of money. In this post, I will outline 10 more principles related to creating and running a business. 1. You don’t need a business plan It’s perfectly fine for your business to evolve organically. Mine did. Everyone’s business unfolds differently, a bit like career progression. There are no precise steps you must follow in creating or running a start up. 2. You don’t need business qualifications in order to run a business Don’t worry if like me, you don’t have a Commerce degree or an MBA. Some of the most successful business owners I know dropped out of school at a young age and don’t have any formal qualifications. Merv Snell of Gardn Gro is a case on point. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge fan of education and spent many years at university, training to become a lawyer. I have great respect for others who have dedicated years of their life to tertiary study. Who isn’t in awe of Oxbridge and the Ivy League institutions? But sometimes the best education occurs outside the classroom. 3. Learn on the job Linked to not needing business qualifications in order to create and run a start up is the idea that you can and should learn on the job. My new venture requires me to wear many different hats. I have to be able to draw on a broad knowledge base and skill set in order to run my business. I don’t have a formal qualification in horticulture. I learnt about gardening by reading books and magazines, conducting research and experimenting in my garden. I had to work hard to master a completely different subject. At times, I have to play the role of a journalist in order to write articles for my newsletter, even though I have no formal journalism qualification. Running a business is basically an exercise in PR, yet I did not study Communications. You can’t study everything at university. You need to also learn by doing and pick things up along the way. 4. Collaborate, even with competitors It’s very short sighted to see the competition as the enemy. Collaboration is really important for business owners, especially new businesses wanting to break into an industry and make a name for themselves. Collaboration is a term that comes up again and again in a fantastic Facebook group I belong to called Girls in Business (it’s a closed group so you’ll need to either ask to join or be added by an existing member. Thank you Jessica Condor Gelinas for putting me onto this one!). But what does collaboration mean? Put simply, collaboration is where business owners work together and support each other in their respective enterprises. An example of collaboration includes promoting another reputable business or person in the same industry on your social media accounts. Chances are, they will do the same and it’s a great way of increasing your number of followers. Don’t forget that even though the field of law can be fiercely competitive, lawyers also need to collaborate. Partners in different departments often share the same clients and advise on different aspects of large cases and transactions, which can be complex and require input from specialists in different areas. Also, different offices of a firm may end up representing the same clients, who also have branches across the globe. Be community minded. Reach out to others in the same industry and partner up, work together and support each other. 5. Business development is an on-going task Don’t expect to ever get on top of business development. Building a business is an on-going process. Your work will never be finished! 6. Contacts are key As with the legal profession, in business, contacts are key. Network! It’s a great way to market yourself and your business. Whenever I visit garden centres, I always stop to chat to the staff. Over the years, we’ve gotten to know each other very well and know each other by name. This made it much easier for me to approach these businesses and become their brand ambassador. Contacts can often be formed in unexpected ways. Networking doesn’t only occur when you swap business cards at a conference. In my personal experience, the closest connections are formed over time and require a bit more effort. Allow me to illustrate this. After a somewhat disappointing experience at a store I regularly shop at, I got in touch with the manager via the website and highlighted the issues arising during my encounter. The next day, he followed up with a telephone call. He apologised and said that he had rectified the issues immediately. That weekend, he came over to our house with complimentary products which I had sought during my visit but had been unable to purchase because they weren't in a good condition at the time. If that isn’t great customer service, I don’t know what is. I must have just had a freakish experience, because since then every shopping experience there has been a good one. The manager has become a close contact and we always stop and chat when we run into each other in the store. I am so impressed with both him and the business more generally. I will be promoting that business in future through my blog and social media accounts. 7. Rome wasn’t built in a day So my cousin and her husband once told me when they heard about my start up. They’re right. By nature, we’re impatient creatures. We expect to have achieved our key milestones months, if not years ago. Empires weren’t created overnight. The Greeks and Romans toiled away for quite some time. Good things take time. Be patient. It can take some time to see the fruits of your labour. Think baby steps. Which brings me to my next point. 8. Baby steps Linked to the old adage that Rome wasn’t built in a day, remember to take things one step at a time. Everything you do is a potential building block, a stepping stone to something else. Nothing is ever a waste, especially not education. Click here to read my thoughts on this subject. I’ll use authoring a book as an analogy. As a friend of mine once posted on his timeline on Facebook, everyone wants to write a book, get rich and become famous overnight. But realistically, who will buy a book written by someone who isn’t very well known? If writing a book is your goal, you need to concentrate on creating a target audience first. Furthermore, sitting infront of a Word document and writing a novel is a daunting prospect, to me at least. You need to break it down into bite sized pieces. To start, you might want to consider starting a blog like me as a way of practising your writing. But before all that, it helps if you can write well to engage your readers. The ability to write well takes years and years of dedication as a student. Reading very broadly also helps a lot, as well as learning other languages. I found that studying French enriched my understanding of the English language. While we’re on the subject, in my opinion, a blog is better than a book. In recent years, I’ve found myself not enjoying books as much as I have in the past. Books often contain boring bits. I’ve ended up skipping pages or even chapters, rather than reading from beginning to end. Times have changed and I don’t think people read as much as they used to. Whitcoulls, New Zealand’s largest book chain, nearly went into receivership a few years ago. Thanks to constant interruptions from technology, we have much shorter attention spans these days. Blog posts are short, sharp and sweet. Reading them is therefore easier to fit into a busy schedule. You can read a blog on your phone, which is convenient if you’re constantly on the move like me. You can also be selective and only dip into the topics that really interest you. 9. Go with the flow Linked to taking things a day at a time is the concept of going with the flow. Sometimes, events can occur unexpectedly and life doesn’t always go according to plan. Like me, you may find that your career evolves in a peculiar way. Don’t try to swim against the tide. Sometimes you can’t go directly from A to B. This reminds me of a case I read when I was in law school, where a judge famously commented that the beauty of the common law is that it is a maze and not a motorway. Applying this idea to life, sometimes you might have to take a more circuitous route when working towards a goal. This brings us back to the idea of taking baby steps. You have to be able to walk before you can run. Life is an experience. Enjoy the journey! 10. Beware the law! Businesses don’t operate in a vacuum. Don’t forget that everything we do, whether in our personal or professional lives, is governed by the law. In business dealings, contract law is important as you need to honour any agreements you enter into. Be careful what you say about others as you certainly don’t want to be sued for defamation. Intellectual property is another important field for business owners like me, who maintain an active blog and write newsletters which impart a lot of original information. Don’t forget that your work will often be protected under the umbrella of copyright. It’s sort of like the ICloud. Copyright arises naturally in the course of your work. Unlike a trademark, you don’t need to register copyright. People will need your permission before they can reproduce your work. Watch out for my next blog in this series of posts on top tips for start ups. Mystified about how to set up and run a business? Join the club! In this series of blog posts, I will discuss my top tips for start ups. Some people like to keep all their cards close to their chest and don’t give anything away for nothing. I’ve never really been one of those people. I’m all for sharing information, which was not always possible in my previous profession as a lawyer due to client confidentiality. Law can also be extremely competitive, especially in a large commercial firm, so some people can be reluctant to help their colleagues develop both as a practitioner and in their professional career as a lawyer. During my journey as a business owner thus far, so many people I’ve met along the way have passed on some pearls of wisdom which I have gratefully received. I’m paying it forward, as a way of giving back to the community that’s given me so much support.
There is a lot of ground I’d like to cover, so this is the first blog in a series of posts on this subject. I’d going to start by covering the topic of money, which is something that’s close to everyone’s heart. After all, we need to make a living in some way! Below I’ve set out 10 business principles related to the subject of money. 1. Income can flow from several different streams Don’t feel that you have to derive income from solely one source. Businesses can be multi-dimensional. It’s perfectly normal to generate income from several different avenues these days. At Anita’s Garden, I have the potential to earn income through sales in my boutique plant nursery, advertising, hosting workshops, giving talks and my consulting service. My initial impression was that I was being pulled into too many different directions and it made sense for me to focus on supplying customers with just one product or service. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I might be wrong. I’m still developing and defining the nature of my business, but Anita’s Garden contains two distinctly different components. As discussed in a previous post, Anita’s Garden exists as a place, a physical organic urban homestead in Auckland which people are welcome to tour for gardening ideas and inspiration. Anita’s Garden also exists as a business which provides a range of gardening-related services. The different dimensions to my business are inextricably linked and complement each other Earning income is not necessarily a straight forward process. Hearing about or using one service can lead to a consumer considering to engage the business in other ways. That’s how marketing works. Revenue can generated more effectively when all of these elements work together in harmony. 2. It’s not just all about the money The sole purpose of a business is not to merely make a profit. A business must exchange something of value with customers, such as supplying a product or providing a service. The primary purpose of my own enterprise is to educate people about how they can grow their own food so they can reduce their grocery bills and improve their overall health. You may find that you have many facets to your business that don’t seem to generate income directly. I spend a lot of time writing blog posts and publish a free gardening newsletter every week. I also spend a lot of time answering questions from people via email and on social media. This is very similar to a law firm. As a lawyer, not all the time you spend at the office is billable. There are many tasks you spend a lot of time on which cannot be charged to clients, such as time recording, billing, pitches to potential clients, writing newsletters and drafting presentations to existing clients on a range of legal topics. You can’t charge for everything. But on a closer analysis, some of these activities do generate income indirectly as they are classic methods of business development. These types of PR help to build a strong client base. These activities have also made me more marketable as a brand ambassador, as businesses are more likely to work with a promotor that can market their brand effectively through many different channels. 3. Deal not just in cash, but also in kind You don’t have to execute all your business transactions in cold hard cash. Think outside the box. This is especially useful when first starting out and funds are limited. Offer to swap services with a specialist consultant in lieu of payment. If you’re acting as a brand ambassador, accept gift vouchers from the businesses you are promoting instead of money. Trading one thing for another is advantageous from a fiscal perspective. 4. Sometimes you need to spend money in order to make money Some business owners are reluctant to give away stock for free or at promotional rates, especially in the early days. It’s true that inventory is precious and has monetary value. But you’ll find that the more you give, you the more you will receive in return. Even if you don’t believe in God, this is a fundamental principle of marketing. For example, if you run a competition, you’ll start receiving more followers and likes on your Facebook page. Social media works exponentially. It’s always slow starting out, but the more followers you have, the more other people will discover your page and then they will start following you. The rest will follow. Trust me on this one. The exception to this principle is when it comes to advertising. This brings me to my next point. 5. The best advertising is often free Don’t bother paying for advertising, at least in the beginning. When I first started out, I went to the effort and expense of printing flyers for my business and distributing them around our neighbourhood. This was a complete flop. I’m sure most householders didn’t even bother to read my leaflet and it went straight into the bin. Social media should be your primary marketing tool. It’s free to have a Facebook page, install Snapchat, set up an Instagram account, be on Twitter and even create a website. Make the most of all of these mediums to promote your business. They work and they're free. 6. You don’t need to invest a huge amount of capital upfront to start a business I started from scratch. As a former lawyer, I’m risk adverse by nature. I didn’t want to assume responsibility for a bank loan which I might default on repaying if my business went pear-shaped. Start small, but think big. Click here to read my previous blog post on this subject. 7. Develop a fee structure for your business Depending on the nature of your business, this is no easy task, especially if you’re working in an obscure industry or providing a novel service like me. The question I’m currently asking myself is what on earth do I charge for consulting on garden design and development? Figure out how to quantify your work. Are you going to charge by the hour or per project? Will you apply a standard rate or will you put a value on projects on a case by case basis? Law firms generally charge clients by the hour, which is broken down into six minute billing segments. However, this may not be the most appropriate model for your business. Even within the legal field, there has been a shift away from charging for time actually spent working on a file towards an overall budget or outcome-oriented fee structure. 8. Don’t forget to pay tax! Remember to keep accounting records and file an annual tax return. As your business grows, you may need to hire an accountant. For now, I’m able to keep my own records, thanks to studying Accounting at school and lots of extra tuition from Dad who was a Chartered Accountant. Be honest about your income and expenditure. It’s always tempting to understate income and overstate expenses. There are clever ways that you can minimise the amount of tax you have to pay but it’s probably best to seek professional advice first. Don’t break the law! You never know, you might end up being audited by the IRD. That’s a scary proposition for an auditor’s daughter. 9. Remember to re-invest in your business This takes me back to the subject of Accounting, which I studied at secondary school (I had no choice in the matter, as the daughter of an accountant). To understand the principle of retained earnings, let’s consider law firms, which are often in the corporate structure of a partnership. Partners of a large commercial law firm in London might have a PEP (profit per equity partner) of £1.6 million, but I doubt they take home the entire amount. While I was working as a lawyer, I can’t exactly say that I’ve discussed this issue with the partners. But for the sake of the survival of your business, it’s not a good idea to withdraw all your profits. Extending this principle and as stated above, if you’re given vouchers or gifts from companies, pass them on to your followers. It might be tempting to pocket promotional materials, particularly if funds are tight. Handing them down the line to your followers is great PR and will generate an even bigger client base. In doing so, you’re essentially re-investing in your business. 10. Don’t expect to jump straight from your day job into a successful, profitable business It is totally unrealistic to expect a seamless transition from your day job to a profitable enterprise. Often people start working on a business on the side while they are employed. This is possible if you have civilised working hours, but if you are a lawyer at a large commercial firm, you will find that you simply don’t have enough spare time to pursue another avenue in parallel with your legal career. There is a solution. Dedicate yourself to your day job and try to progress as far as possible within your firm. Save hard. When you walk away from the financial security of your day job, you will at least have some funds behind you to finance your start up. Watch out for my next blog in this series of posts on top tips for start ups. This is the second instalment in a series of posts about being a brand ambassador. To read my first post on this subject, click here.
Background: My journey to owning a business As I mentioned in a previous post, I never intended or even wanted to go into business. I’ve never felt comfortable about accepting money directly from other people. I am a lawyer by profession. I worked very hard in university and in the workforce to train in the field of law. While a law firm is a business and therefore charges clients for legal services, accounts are conveniently handled by the billing department. Lawyers therefore don’t need to worry too much about cash changing hands or chasing clients who haven’t settled their bill. Gardening started out as a hobby for me. It was simply a way that I enjoyed spending my spare time and was a pastime which I found incredibly relaxing. I loved venturing outdoors in the fresh air after a day at the office and over the weekends. My passion for gardening soon started consuming my life and my garden accidentally developed into a business. Anita’s Garden started when I began selling a few excess plants to local gardeners on the side. I didn’t even advertise at first. Passers-by started approaching me and asked if they could purchase seedlings. One of the wwoofers who stayed with us over summer, a young American guy who is incredibly entrepreneurial, encouraged me to set up a nursery and sell plants as a way of financing my hobby. Anita’s Garden grew organically from his idea (excuse the gardening puns!). At first, I didn’t really have a business plan or a clear idea of what product or service I was trying to sell to the public other than seedlings in my plant nursery. As discussed previously, I have no educational background in commerce and or knowledge about how to run a business. I’m simply learning on the job, which is fine by me. It’s a steep learning curve, but at the same time an interesting and exciting one. My business is constantly evolving, just like our garden. My core goal is to educate people about gardening and assist others to create their own personal green space. I have recently branched out into consulting and have my first client. I am helping a friend to start a garden and a composting system that suits her family’s needs. With a strong background in writing from my background as a lawyer and equipped with a Bachelor of Arts degree as well, I am also open to the possibility of writing articles related to gardening as a freelancer. What does it mean to be a brand ambassador? The idea is to work alongside other businesses in the industry so we can support and promote each other’s products and services. I’m still exploring how this will work in practice, but one example is where other gardening businesses supply me with products to use at Anita’s Garden. I then follow up by reviewing and promoting these products and businesses through my blog and various social media platforms. It’s a win-win situation. Being a brand ambassador helps me to finance an incredibly expensive hobby and stay up to date with the latest plant and seed releases, as well as other gardening products. In return, I promote reputable gardening products which I use around Anita’s Garden and support other businesses. Being a brand ambassador is not just a shameless ploy for companies to give me free products all the time, nor is it a means by which I ruthlessly push their products onto other gardeners through constant advertising. I have been a paying customer of these businesses myself for many years now and will continue to be one. As I’ve developed my own business, I started writing about gardening through my blog, which is linked to my social media accounts. I’ve wanted to try growing an even broader range of seed varieties and use different gardening products around the garden. I’d like to conduct trials so I can report on which varieties and products performed best for me. To buy and use such a broad range of products becomes very expensive. The businesses I’m supporting have made it possible for me to try different brands and conduct such experiments by sending me supplies, samples and new products from time to time. Why did I decide to become a brand ambassador? To become better known in gardening circles and the broader community alike, I have become a brand ambassador for some of my favourite New Zealand gardening businesses. I perceive my development into a leading New Zealand gardening personality as critical to developing Anita’s Garden as a business. To me, being a brand ambassador also makes sense in our market, as it’s a way of bringing people in the horticultural community even closer to one another. New Zealand is a small country with incredibly strict agricultural rules which demand extensive and expensive tests and often the treatment of seeds and other plant material prior to their import. This effectively limits what agricultural material we are allowed to import into the country. It therefore makes sense for seed suppliers to work together and focus on supplying New Zealand gardeners with different products, rather than trying to undercut each other with lower prices on the same items, which is common in other industries such as foodstuffs, fuel and so on. Being a brand ambassador is a way of building relationships with others in the same industry. Over the years I’ve been gardening, I’ve found that I’ve become very good friends with other business owners in the horticultural industry. I feel extremely honoured that these businesses respect me as a gardener, have entrusted me with their brand and perceive me as able to promote their products effectively in the marketplace. In short, being a brand ambassador makes me more motivated to market my own business as we're all connected. By promoting Anita's Garden, I'm essentially expanding my audience. In doing so, I'm promoting the businesses I'm supporting to even more people. How did I become a brand ambassador for these businesses? I simply took the plunge and wrote to each business, outlining my proposal. It sounds bold but in my experience if you don’t ask for something, you won’t get it! The worst thing someone can say in response is no. In my email, I explained who I was and how I felt their business would benefit from acting as their brand ambassador. I wrote to about a dozen businesses. Out of all the companies I approached, only one said no. I’m still waiting to hear back from a few others so I will continue to add to this series of posts if there are any developments in the future. In approaching these businesses, it helped that I have developed some useful contacts in the industry over time. As a home gardener, I have gotten to know many of these businesses and their staff personally over the years. I tend to shop around a lot as in a country this small, it’s hard to source everything I need for the garden under one roof. I am a familiar face at every gardening centre in the South and East Auckland region and the staff all know me personally! What is the next step? Doing business is largely about marketing. As a brand ambassador, I plan to pass on products to my followers through competitions, which are a great way of increasing the number of “likes” on your Facebook page. In the future, I also hope to be able to pass on discounts from these businesses to my followers, as a way of promoting both Anita’s Garden and these entities. This is the first in a series of blog posts about becoming a brand ambassador for some of my favourite New Zealand gardening businesses as part of my own business, Anita’s Garden.
I am excited to announce that I have recently become a brand ambassador for a number of reputable New Zealand gardening retailers. This marks a major step in my development into what I hope to become in the future. My dream is to transform myself into a leading New Zealand gardening personality and educate others about how they can grow their own food to feed their families, improve their health and reduce their grocery bills. The brands I am endorsing range from small homegrown businesses such as my own to leading national gardening retailers. While the range of products and services offered by these different entities varies somewhat, they are linked by a common thread. I have been a loyal customer of these businesses ever since I started gardening just over five years ago. The quality of their products and services are absolutely amazing. I completely stand by these businesses which I am eager to promote to other gardeners. I am proud to promote the following New Zealand gardening businesses and retailers here at Anita’s Garden. I have set out a bit of information about each entity below, as well as a brief explanation of why I am happy to support and promote their products. Italian Seeds Pronto Italian Seeds Pronto is the New Zealand distributor of Franchi, a range of Italian heirloom seeds. Franchi is the oldest family run seed company in the world. The quality and range of their heirloom seeds are absolutely amazing, not to mention the irresistible packaging! I highly recommend Franchi seeds to other gardeners. Those in New Zealand can source Franchi seeds directly from Gillian Hurley-Gordon who owns Italian Seeds Pronto (http://www.italianseedspronto.co.nz/) and also from selected stockists throughout the country. Gillian is a wonderful person who has become a close contact of mine over the years. Those overseas can source the wonderful Franchi range through their own local distributor online (for the UK see Seeds of Italy’s website http://www.seedsofitaly.com/ and for the US see Seeds From Italy’s website http://www.growitalian.com/) or find stockists in your home country. Gardn Gro Gardn Gro is a small, family run business that is owned and operated by the lovely Merv and Treena Snell in Papakura, South Auckland. Gardn Gro stocks a range of quality fertilisers and growing mixes. Merv has also become a good friend of mine over the years. I originally became aware of Gardn Gro when our close and amazingly generous family friend Jonelle Douglas gave me quite a few of their products as a gift. The best thing about Gardn Gro is that they deliver straight to your door. In summary, Gardn Gro offers prompt delivery, very reasonable prices and high quality products. Visit http://gardngro.co.nz/ for more information and to place an order. MeadowSweet Herbs and Flowers MeadowSweet Herbs and Flowers is a boutique nursery situated on Auckland’s Hibiscus Coast and is owned by my friend Minette Tonoli, who shares my passion for plants. We met through New Zealand gardening forums on Facebook a few years ago and from then on became firm friends. Over the weekends, you can normally find Minette at local farmer’s markets, where she sells a very wide range of herb, flower and vegetable seedlings. Heirloom tomatoes are one of her specialities. Every season, Minette grows an incredible selection of exotic and unusual tomato varieties. MeadowSweet Herbs and Flowers is developing an online shopping system, so you can order plants from Meadowsweet and have them delivered direct to your door. Minette also holds workshops and gives talks on various gardening topics. Visit http://meadowsweet.co.nz/ for more information and to get in touch with Minette. New Zealand Bulbs NZ Bulbs is New Zealand’s largest online bulb supplier and has been a family business for 60 years, started by Len and Margaret Hoek in 1957. NZ Bulbs is part of Aorangi Bulb Nurseries and is based in Manawatu. NZ Bulbs grows more than 25 acres of bulbs throughout the year for both bulb and cut flower production. Since I started gardening, I have placed a bulb order with NZ Bulbs just about every season. The garden is almost always blooming with some of their beautiful flowers. Visit https://www.nzbulbs.co.nz/ for more information and to order bulbs and tubers for the spring and summer seasons. Egmont Seeds Egmont Seeds is one of New Zealand’s largest seed companies, supplying both commercial and home gardeners. Wholly New Zealand owned, Egmont Seeds is also a family business. Egmont Seeds was originally established in 1996. John McCullough, the General Manager and owner of the company, has been involved in the business of seeds all his working life. Egmont Seeds has a very broad range of vegetable, flower, herb and fruit seeds. Over the years, I have been growing a variety of vegetables and flowers from the Egmont Seeds range with great success. To request a hard copy of their catalogue or to shop online, please visit http://www.egmontseeds.co.nz/. Awapuni Nurseries Awapuni Nurseries is a family owned business based in Manawatu. In the mid-1990s, Paul and Henry Ham took over Awapuni Nurseries from their parents Lea and Ton Ham. Designed with the busy gardener in mind, Awapuni offers high grade large vegetable, flower and herb seedlings ready to plant into the garden, delivered direct to your door. You can also find Awapuni seedlings at selected retailers nationwide. They are characteristically wrapped in newspaper and sold in bundles, which is a more environmentally friendly way of packaging plants rather than using plastic punnets. Raising plants from seed can take time. Whether you’re a new or experienced gardener, Awapuni seedlings are a valuable addition to the garden. Over the years, Awapuni seedlings have functioned as fantastic instant gap fillers around Anita’s Garden. To shop online or find stockists, visit https://awapuni.co.nz/. Bulbs Direct Bulbs Direct is a New Zealand business based in Paparoa, Northland which grows and supplies home gardeners with high quality flower bulbs year round. Owned by the Gravatt family, Bulbs Direct is a tight knit, multi-generational family business with extensive previous industry experience as commercial bulb growers and exporters. Bulbs Direct’s bulbs and flower growing operations are located on two other sites in Waipu and Ruakaka. Since their launch in 2014, I have ordered flower bulbs from Bulbs Direct each season. I have been highly impressed with the range and quality of their bulbs and am pleased to recommend their products to other gardeners. To shop online, visit http://bulbsdirect.co.nz/. Palmers Palmers is a major New Zealand gardening retail chain with branches throughout the North Island. Palmers stocks a wide selection of plants and products to keep your garden looking good all year round. Palmers garden centres also include other retailers, such as cafes, florists and gift shops. My local store is the Pakuranga branch, which I only discovered this year. The store has a fantastic range of plants, complemented by extremely warm customer service from Garry, Colin, Jo and the team. I highly recommend stopping by Café Botannix inside for lunch or a coffee. I have quickly become a very happy customer and strongly recommend locals in the East and South Auckland area check out this amazing garden centre. For more information, visit their website, http://www.palmers.co.nz/. As mentioned above, this is the first in a series of posts on the subject of being a brand ambassador. In my next post on this subject, I will explore what it means to be a brand ambassador and how this fits in with my overall business plan for Anita’s Garden. I own and operate my own business. I have no background in running a business. I didn’t do a Commerce degree at university, nor do I have an MBA degree. I also didn’t have a business plan.
In terms of my career, it was one of two things that I always swore I’d never do. The other was to be a politician. My reluctance to own a business may be surprising for some people, who prefer to be their own boss. However, I have never had trouble working for someone else in my previous positions, in fact I enjoyed the team dynamic very much. I have no background in running a business. I didn’t do a Commerce degree at uni, nor do I have an MBA. Running a business entails a high level of risk. Lawyers prefer to advise on risks rather than run them. I was lucky as I didn’t require a bank loan to start Anita’s Garden. Like law, the higher you want to go with the business, the harder you have to work. Building an empire can be enriching. Businesses employ staff therefore increasing the workforce and are in a position to make a difference in the world. For me, one of the most difficult aspects of running a business is accepting money from customers. At a law firm, funds are handled by the billing department so the issue is less uncomfortable, unless of course the client wants to complain about the bill. I also struggle with profit margins as it just seems wrong to make money from marking up stock. One of the advantages is that it enables me to have a bit more freedom. Unlike at a large law firm with corporate clients, I can hold shares without being accused of insider trading. I also have more freedom in how I structure my day. The home, garden and office are conveniently rolled into one. This saves commuting time. As I am my own boss I am even able to go for a run in the middle of the day which is handy as the days are quite cool and short at this time of the year. I also get to spend more time with Ginger, a stray cat who was always hanging around in the garden and rapidly found a way into our home and hearts. But for those of you who do work in a large firm, you have to look on the bright side. Having a separation between work and home can be nice (unless of course you are constantly bringing work home or can’t stop thinking about work). Furthermore, if you ever get locked out of your home or apartment, at least you can rely on the law firm’s office always being open. For those looking to launch their own venture, here are a few tips. Scribble all your ideas in a notebook. Don’t share them with anyone. You have to be secretive to have a competitive edge. You might also be teased by family and friends that they are pure grandeur. Be prepared to be tenacious in promoting your business. Social media is the best (and often free) means of advertising. Be careful what you say, both online and offline. You certainly don’t want to be sued for defamation! Make sure that you keep accounting records for tax purposes. I feel fortunate that I studied accounting at school and also that Dad gave me extra tuition over the weekends as he was an accountant. Businesses require open communication. This is quite different to law where you try to say as little as possible, while at the same time trying to cover the firm and the client as much as possible. Naturally, this is a difficult task and it is for this reason that lawyers can justify charging the earth for their services. In the future, I am interested to see if I can help people overseas. I did end up practising international law so it is perhaps natural for my interest in gardening to take an international dimension. To me, it does not matter if climates or growing conditions are different to those in New Zealand. With adequate research, it should be possible to advise gardeners on how to adapt their growing methods accordingly. Concepts such as vertical gardening are relevant globally. |
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