Harvesting Success: Lessons from the Garden - How small changes in strategy can transform your business outcomes

As I sit down to share this message, I can’t help but feel a mix of frustration and reflection. I’m looking at the remnants of last year’s harvest—the produce tucked away in the freezer, the mason jars filled with preserved goods, and the cardboard boxes still waiting for us to take care of them. Flipping through my phone’s photo gallery, I’m reminded of the incredible harvest we experienced last year—hundreds of kilograms of fresh, organic produce! It truly was a remarkable year.

Naturally, you might be wondering: What happened? If 2023 was such a fruitful growing season, shouldn’t 2024 have been at least as good? With the experience I gained and the lessons learned, this year should have been a time to significantly scale up my efforts.

But here’s what really unfolded, along with the lessons we can all apply to our businesses.

During the critical indoor seeding phase, my weekends from April to May were completely consumed by my children’s activities—from French public speaking competitions in Quebec to drama presentations in Caraquet, along with various personal and business trips to Ontario. As a result, when the full moon in May arrived, I had barely any seedlings ready for transplanting.

Certainly, I could point to several “reasons” for why the 2024 harvest didn’t meet my expectations. However, after some honest reflection, I recognized that I couldn’t simply blame the weather. There was neither excessive rain nor drought this year; the circumstances were entirely within my control. The real issue was my failure to adapt to the changing conditions.

My old strategy—dedicating full weekends to large-scale indoor seeding—had served me well for many years. But why didn’t it work in 2024? The landscape had shifted, and I had committed my time elsewhere without assessing the impact on my garden. Most importantly, I failed to devise a new strategy that aligned with my changed schedule. Without a plan, much like in business, we risk drifting aimlessly, hoping for favorable outcomes rather than taking decisive action.

So, what could I have done differently?

Reflecting on my choices, I’m reminded of the valuable insights shared by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits. He emphasizes that small, incremental improvements—just 1% better each day—can accumulate to yield significant results over time. Instead of waiting for weekends that were no longer available to me, I could have dedicated just 20 to 30 minutes a couple of times a week to planting a few seeds. Even if I couldn’t reach my usual goal of 500 seedlings, wouldn’t 250 still be an accomplishment? Or even 100? It would certainly have been better than the mere 50 seedlings I managed to plant on the last weekend of March.

This principle applies as much to my vegetable garden as it does to our business practices. If I had embraced Clear’s philosophy of pursuing small-scale improvements, my harvest would have been much more fruitful. His concept, known as the aggregation of marginal gains, can truly transform our businesses by encouraging consistent, tiny enhancements in our daily habits.

Let’s take these lessons to heart as we navigate the challenges of our own ventures. Together, we can cultivate success in our businesses, just as we strive for abundant harvests in our gardens.