Thank you to my community for your widespread, heartfelt comments in reaction to last month's newsletter about Superman Sam. So glad I went "off-topic" to share something deeply personal, glad to know that it touched many of you, too. Did you miss it? Click here to read last month's newsletter.
This month...planting seeds, yes, even in the winter!
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What I started to write....
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I've had an excellent start to the year, with many new clients and new engagements with previous clients. I was all ready to write an article about how you have to plant seeds, cultivate them and then see them bloom....like my business. (yours too?) I thought I'd use Johnny Appleseed as my model, but as I researched him, I found out the lesson is NOT what you think it is.
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From Howe's Historical Collection/Wikipedia
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John Chapman was an itinerant preacher and nurseryman in the early 1800's who did indeed plant apple trees. But there is a lot more to it...
From the Straight Dope:
It was a business, albeit an unusual one. He tried to predict where the pioneers were likely to settle, in the early days mainly...in north central Ohio. He would get there first with a canoe loaded with apple seeds. He looked for an attractive piece of land, planted apple seeds, and waited. By the time the settlers arrived, he would have two- to three-year old apple trees ready to sell, at five or six cents apiece.
He developed a routine. In the autumn, he returned to his orchards in Allegheny county to gather apple seeds. In the spring, he would scout for sites, plant nurseries and fence them in. In the summer, he would repair fences in nurseries he'd established earlier and find a local agent to tend the trees. He would then be ready to move on and start the whole process over again. So Johnny Appleseed was really a visionary entrepreneur! The Steve Jobs of his time? He saw where the market was going to be and got there ahead of it and had the supplies they needed. Apples were prized---to make alcoholic cider! Of course, there is still a valuable lesson about strategically planting seeds and nurturing them until they are ready to harvest. "Don't judge each day by the harvest that you reap but by the seeds that you plant." Robert Louis Stevenson |
